Wednesday 7th January, weather permitting, we plan an excursion up Mt Arthur. To start the walk we will need to drive about 40km to Flora Saddle. The last 10km follow the Graham Valley Road to ascend almost 1km with a gradient of 1:5 in places. The first hour or so of the walk is through pretty beech forest after which it emerges onto an exposed ridge to meander through marble (with the occasional deep hole to step across). From the summit there is a vast view over the Nelson plains and sea around to the mountains of the Nelson Lakes National Park. You can get some idea of the topography by looking at the NZ topomap M27 which puts Mt Arthur at grid reference about 833987. The total ascent is about 800 metres and the round trip should take most of the day. The summit of Mt Arthur is almost 1800 metres above sea level so it might be a bit cold up there. You should wear boots or strong shoes (the last 100 metres is up a scree slope where boots would be an advantage). Bring a jersey or two and a water- and wind-proof parka. Wear a sun hat and take other precautions against the hole in the ozone layer. You will need to take plenty of water and enough food for the day so bring a day pack to put it all in.