DOG-GONE days on Pelorus

THE 110KM SECTION of the Te Araroa Trail that runs beside the Pelorus River, over the Richmond Range to St Arnaud is special to me.

I have twice been able to walk my dog Pippin over this track and with landscapes that run from lush river valleys to rugged alpine grasslands and end in the geologically fascinating Red Hills, that is something special.

Pip is a small, white, furry thing of indeterminate breed, a true bitser. Weighing just 5kg, most people struggle to believe this piece of fluff could ever scale the mountains she loves, let alone carry her dinner on her back.

I picked Pippin the pup up from the Sunday