#84 of 100 trips for 100 years - Flagstaff/Swampy Summit/Swine Spur/Ben Rudds 26 August 2023

 

The day was very warm and felt like we had turned a corner from the colder temperatures of winter, so much so that the seven of set off from the Bull Ring up the Pineapple Track in t-shirt and shorts with a spring in our step. The 160m climb to Flagstaff is reasonably steep but taken at a steady pace only takes about half an hour. During our walk up the hill the sea fog that had covered the city had started to clear and we were greeted with the stunning panoramic view of the city with the tendrils of sea fog, retreating down the harbour. 

After a brief stop at Flagstaff, we continued along the Pineapple Track and took the detour of the Cross Track onto the Firebreak Track, heading towards Swampy Summit.  This part of the track is always a bit deceiving as it looks to follow the same gradient with only slight rise and falls but don't be fooled because there is a steady descent of 120m then a steep 180m climb to the broad flat crest of Swampy Summit. 

We stopped at the Swine Spur track and thought it would be a good place for lunch before dropping down into the valley but it was a little early for lunch so we continued on over Swampy Summit for about another kilometre to the 'UFO' which is a flight radar and looks a little like a UFO on the very top of Swampy Summit.  For this extra bit of effort to get here we were reward with stunning views looking towards Palmerston where all the hills looked like islands with the coast still shrouded in sea fog and miles of golden tussock in the foreground. 

After an ample amount of time admiring the views, we retraced our steps to the Swine Spur junction and each found a spot amongst the tussock for lunch.  We were feeling on top of the world with such beautiful views, gorgeous weather and the place to ourselves. After lunch we headed down Swine Spur which steeply descends down into the valley with often muddy sections to negotiate.  Most of this side of the hill is open tussock with a few scrubby bushes although we were too engrossed watching our footing to notice the views during our descent. 

Soon enough, we reached the manuka forest and followed the track as it continued down hill. Once we reached the Possum Busters track we turned left and followed it around for about an hour, past Porkies and McQuilkans tracks to the junction of Smithy's track.  We had been here before only about a month ago for trip #74 Having just lost 440m in height and after a final stream crossing, we were now faced with a steep 200m ascent up to Ben Rudds.  We each found our own pace on this uphill section and slowly wound our way up the hill, through the rhododendron dell, under the native bush canopy to the Ben Rudd shelter where we had been just last week for trip #81 for the tribute to the Family Tramping Group.

Thanks to a unanimous decision, we elected to have a rest at the shelter and replenished the energy levels with some snacks and a drink before the push up the final 100m height gain to reach the Firebreak track where we could stop and look back towards Swampy Summit and Swine Spur where we had been earlier in the day. 

We could see that the clouds were starting to thicken but the temperatures were still warm and we were pleased that we had made the most of the lovely spring like weather by getting out into the hills.  All that remained was for us to follow the Firebreak track back to the cars, chatting as we dropped 120m in height down the wide track.  It had been a really enjoyable day that had been a real mix of up and down with over  800m of ascent/descent and covered 16.2km in 6.5 hours. 

#82 of 100 trips for 100 years - OTMC Annual Dinner 23 August 2023

The Otago Tramping Club was formed at a meeting in Dunedin on August 23, 1923 – exactly 100 years later we are celebrated this milestone with the ‘OTMC Annual Dinner’. Despite the date falling on a Wednesday, 31 people enjoyed an evening of pizza at ' the usual' place for the Annual Dinner, at Filadelphio's.  

Being a Wednesday night, the place wasn't busy so we had the back room to ourselves which was perfect because we could move around and chat while waiting for our dinner to be cooked.  Most people opted for pizza but there were other options such as pasta, burgers, wedges, etc.  As there was no set tables, people chose where to sit when their food arrived and there was plenty of opportunity to move around during and after eating to be able to chat with different people.  

There was a brief pause during evening for Antony to give a brief speech at 8pm about why we were here - to celebrate exactly 100 years of tramping by the OTC/OTMC with the very first club meeting starting at 8pm on 23 August 1923.. After dinner, it seemed most people were happy to continue chatting and were in no rush to go home - that is until it became obvious that we were the last ones left and the staff had most of the restaurant tidied for the night.  

 All in all a fun night for everyone who attended and the food was delicious!   

#81 of 100 trips for 100 years - Ben Rudd's for Lunch - OTMC Tribute to the Family Tramping Group 20 August 2023

 

Today's trip was run as an acknowledgement of the importance of the Family Tramping Group, which was an offshoot of the OTMC from the late 1960's to the 1990's and provided trips for club members that had young families so they could participate in tramping trips.  One trip that ran every year on the third Sunday in August was a picnic lunch at the Ben Rudd's which is why ll of us headed up the Firebreak Track from the Bullring to recreate this trip.  The Firebreak Track starts directly behind the locked gate and is a steep but steady climb gaining 100m fairly quickly. 

After about a kilometre on the Firebreak track, we branched off, taking a side track as an alternative route to the Ben Rudd Shelter.  This track has recently been cut back by the Green Hut Track Group and we were grateful as it winds it's way through the flax and tussock, over rocks and tree roots, through patches of manuka and past rock tors on it's way to Ben Rudds. Last time I had been up this track, it had been so overgrown that we almost lost our way a couple of times, as we pushed through the tussock, unable to see more than a few centimetres in any direction. Today the track is well cut back, dry underfoot and easy to follow making for a nice alternative to the standard route to Ben Rudds. 

After the fun of the side track we emerged at the Ben Rudd shelter in time for an early lunch.  We each found a place to sit, either in the shelter or outside on the grass and reminisced about previous family group trips (for those who had been on them) and previous trips to Ben Rudds (for the rest of us).  Home baking was shared around and we spent much longer on lunch than we had on recent trips.

After lunch we walked up the usual track to the Firebreak Track and along to the Cross Track.  We had been along this part of the track just two weeks ago and there was a marked difference with the track much drier now. From the Cross track it is a short walk up the Pineapple Track to the top of Flagstaff where we were rewarded with outstanding views of the city.

We stopped for a few moments at the plane table on Flagstaff to ponder the changes that have occurred since the plane table was installed for the OTMC's 50th celebrations and here we are today, celebrating 100 years.  A very fitting spot and I often think, when here, that this is where you get the BEST views of the city and surrounding area.

As we know - what goes up must come down and which is  a kilometre or so downhill to the cars.  It is a steep 160m descent on the wide, gravel track which is popular with families, dog walkers and runners - and the bonus is that it is reasonably dry underfoot all year round.  It was a fast walk down the hill and we arrived back at the cars having walked around 5km in less than 2.5 hours (including a long lunch) - exactly the sort of trip that was popular in the Family Tramping Group.

#79 of 100 trips for 100 years - All Day on the Peninsula 13 August 2023

 

Seven people turned up on a sunny winter's morning for a trip that was tipped to be one of the longer winter walks that we'd had for a while.  Starting at Macandrew Bay, the walk around to Broad Bay was a very pleasant, easy hour around the flat cycle/walk way that skirts the edge of the Otago Harbour.  The sun reflecting off the calm harbour waters made for a picturesque walk which passed very quickly.   

We were in for a rude awakening once we reached Broad Bay because this is where the up hill started and that was to be the theme for the rest of the day,ie: if we weren't going up, we were going down, . We headed up Camp Road towards Larnach Castle which is a steep 200m climb from sea level, starting on a gravel road and ending on a narrow, grassy trail.  The higher we climbed the more the views opened out behind us and we were rewarded with a stunning vista looking across to Port Chalmers with Quarantine and Goat Island in the middle of the harbour.

While the temperature was cool, the climb up the hill had warmed us and most had stripped off our jersey before we had reached halfway.  Once we had climbed most of Camp Road we crossed into William Larnach's farm which he had purchased in the 1870's.  In 2008 the Dunedin City Council bought the land and the Hereweka Harbour Cone Trust have developed a series of walking tracks through the land to allow public access to heritage sites on the property.  We followed one of these tracks which took us past an historic cow byre which was built in 1880's and is the only remaining farm building left on Larnachs farm. 

We still had some height to gain to reach Highcliff Road but as often happens, there is always a down when going up and that is exactly what happened for us.  We dropped almost 100m down through the, at times, boggy paddocks to cross the gully and then climb back out up to Highcliff Road. Despite loosing so much height, we were still reasonably fresh and it didn't take long to regain the height and reach Highcliff Road in good spirits.

The next part of our journey took us around Highcliff Road, dodging traffic for a couple of kilometres, turning off to have lunch at the historic lime kilns.  It was here that the jersey's we'd taken off earlier were quickly put back on as we cooled down.  It was good to refuel with lunch but knowing we still had a long way to go, we packed and headed down the road, turning off onto Ridge Road and continuing down to Sandfly Bay

While Sandfly Bay is a very popular beach for watching sea lions, the track from Ridge Road is not often used and we had the track to ourselves.  After crossing from the gravel road into the paddock, we followed the fence line for around a kilometre, doding the muddy, boggy bits, until we reached the reserve and beach.  Reaching the beach was a bit of a milestone as we had started at sea level and walked from one coast of the peninsula to the other - we were now half way.

Despite there being a few sea lions on the beach, we continued on our way, skirting around the sand dunes before climbing 100m to the car park and continuing along the road, turning onto Braidwood Road. By now the feet and legs were starting to get a little tired, most likely from all the road walking but there was no choice but to continue and the beautiful coastal scenery surrounding us kept us upbeat as we began the descent back to sea level at Boulder Beach.

No one wanted to take the 15 minute detour to the beach so we sheltered under a large tree for an afternoon snack and drink break, filling up on sugar in an effort to revive the energy levels for the final 300m climb up the Paradise track, back to Highcliff Road.  The Paradise track is an unremarkable grassy climb for the first 100m before turning into a muddy, head high, flax tunnel for the next 100m.  The gradient eases off for the final 100m but it's still muddy and slippery with attention being needed on foot placement to keep upright.

It was a relief to reach Highcliff Road because there was no more climbing ahead of us - it was downhill all the way back to the car.  We wandered along the edge of Highcliff Road till we reached the Greenacres track.  I had never been down this track before and it was a bit of a surprise to see the steepness of it.  Thankfully, for us, we were headed downhill and it was reasonably dry underfoot.  Finding a swing on the steepest part of the track was a highlight and of course it had to be tested. 

By now, everyone was focused on reaching the end and we walked in ones and twos, bouyed by our achievement, happy when we finally reached the cars.   The trip had been billed as 'all day on the peninsula' and it was with having walked 23.5km from one coast on the peninsula to the other coast and back to the first coast again, with over 900m of elevation gained and lost.

#78 of 100 trips for 100 years - Head of Race (Whare Flat) 12 August 2023

 

There was always going to be a good chance that most of us were going to get wet feet but getting them wet within the first five minutes of starting was a bit much for most of the 10 people who knew straight away that the water was deeper than the top of their boots.  Most bravely gritted their teeth and waded across the ford with the icy cold water quickly making it's way into boots, and emerging on the other side with feet that felt like they were encrusted in blocks of ice.  Walking was the only option to warm our feet  so when we came to the second river crossing, everyone (unsurprisingly) opted for the bridge. 

After the bridge, the track was easy to follow as a muddy trail through the long grass before reaching the turnoff to the lower weir.  As the weir is part of an historic water race with nearly 30km of water races built in 1877 until the 1960's, the weir is looking a little neglected with parts of it missing.  Since most of the group already had wet feet, they waded through the second crossing without a thought while a few others tried to walk over the weir, although the missing parts were daunting and made for a long jump. 

After the second river crossing, the pace picked up in an effort to warm the feet again and we wandered through an open grassy area before heading back into the native bush.  The track to Powder Ridge is muddy in places and marked with some tree fall but nothing that couldn't easily be negotiated. We stopped at the Powder Ridge turn off to refuel before continuing on for another 100 metres or so and another stream crossing - just as our feet were starting to feel warm again.

Once the 40m of height was gained to reach the water race, it was reasonably easy as we followed the water race for another 2km's to the top weir.  The track is wide and easy to follow with the overgrown water race on the right and a steep drop down to the Silverstream river on the left.  Along the way we were able to see how dilapidated the water race is with minor slips and broken pipes showing how much work it must have taken to keep the water race in working order.

After a couple of kilometres of this easy walking along the water race which generally drops 1 inch in 16 feet, we reached the top weir. We had been here back in April and it was interesting to see how much more water was flowing over the weir.  The noise of the water over the weir is quite loud in the narrow confines of the valley  where very little sun reaches at this time of the year.  

Reaching the top weir was the halfway point in our trip and we retraced our steps back along the water race for about a kilometre till we reached a dry, sheltered spot on the track that was wide enough for all of us to sit and chat while eating lunch.  As often happens in winter, once stopped it doesn't take long to cool down and as soon as lunch was eaten, it didn't take much encouragement for everyone to be happy to continue on our way. 

We had the option of making the trip longer at the McRaes Weir track junction but the unanimous decision was to take the shorter route so detoured the from water race and dropped 60m down to Silverstream.  After about a kilometre we came to another track junction with some in the group opting to take the dry route over the bridge while those of us already with wet feet happily took the river crossing option.  

The final kilometre was an easy walk that gave enough time for feet enough time to warm up again before reaching the car.  An enjoyable walk on a colder winter day with over 14km of walking in 4 hours. 

#77of 100 trips for 100 years - Spiers Road & Ross Bush Track 6 August 2023

 

Spiers Road was the start of the old bullock track, also known as the Snowy Mountain Track, and was the first road northwards out of Dunedin until the coastal route was established.  Our mission for the day was to follow the Snowy Mountain Track from Spiers Road, across the tussock to the OTMC's Ben Rudd property before taking the Pineapple Track to Pineapple Point and down the Ross Bush Track.  It must have sounded like a good plan because a group of 16 people wandered up Spiers Road on an overcast Sunday morning.

Once we had crossed over the style and onto the paper road the going became a little rougher as the 'track' threads it's way through a gorse patch.  Navigation of the track was easy  but did involve pushing through some prickly gorse that blocked the way forward along with the occasional slippery muddy section. This slowed us down for a time but thankfully the gorse only covers the lower section of track. 

As we climbed higher the gorse thinned and the track became clearer and we started to get glimpses of the city opening out below us.  After climbing 100m from the start of Spiers Road, the gradient flattens off and the gorse gives way to paddock and we were rewarded with panoramic views of the city.

The wintery sunshine warmed us as we crossed the open and we found a good spot to stop for a break and catch our breath.  We chatted while admiring the views in all directions with the city and harbour spread out in behind us,  the coast towards Taieri Mouth, the distinctive shape of Saddle Hill, the township of Mosgiel and flat of the Taieri Plains to the right - a real feast for the eyes.

We had to drag ourselves away from the view and turn our attention to the next part of the track which involved another small section of gorse before entering the native vegetation of the reserve.  The track through the head high flax and tussock makes navigation reasonably easy which is just as well because the gradient steepens as we gained another 120m in height before reaching the Pineapple Track.

We regrouped before starting our next part of our trip which involved us going 'off track' to follow the old bullock track or Snowy Mountain Track, the first road northwards out of Dunedin.  While this road is no longer used and has mostly been swallowed by the native vegetation, there are still some parts visible and our aim was to follow this indistinct trail through the tussock and flax.  Any one watching from afar might have thought we were wandering aimlessly through the tussock but using a GPS we stayed on the old bullock track.

During our wander through the tussock we were dismayed to notice the dark clouds and a few rain drops falling which resulted in a rush to don rain jackets but thankfully the rain didn't last long. While it would have been much quicker to stick to the Pineapple Track, we all enjoyed our trek along the old bullock track and were a little sad to reach the Firebreak track which felt like a highway after wandering through the tussock. 

We followed the Firebreak track to the seats on Ben Rudds where we stopped for lunch. Some sat at the low seats while others climbed the bank to the higher seat which had a panoramic sign showing all the areas/hills of significance.  A lot of the #100 trips have already been to many of these areas/hills and we were able to sit and reminisce about those trips while eating lunch.  These areas included Swampy Summit, Silver Peaks including Pulpit Rock and The Gap,  Mt Cargill/Kapukataumahaka and Mt Watkin/ Hikaroroa

As much as we would have liked to stay longer, time was getting on so we packed our bags and continued along the Firebreak Track to the Swampy Summit/Pineapple Track turn off where we opted for the right hand track which took us back to the Pineapple Track.  From here it is a steep 100m knee jarring descent to Pineapple Point where we took the short detour to admire the views and newly installed seat.

After a brief stop at the seat we took the Ross Bush Track (also known as the old Pineapple Track) dropping 260m down through the native bush.  The Ross Bush Track is narrow, muddy in places and often overgrown with ferns but also much more interesting as it winds it's way past gnarly, papery fushia, large, straight Miro, ferns and broadleaf, before reaching the car park 4 hours and 8.7km after starting

#75 of 100 trips for 100 years - Outram Glen-Lee Stream 30 July 2023

 

While the temperature was cold, the sun was shining in a clear blue sky when 15 of us started along the Outram Glen Track alongside the Taieri River. The Taieri River has become synonymous with river crossing practice since 1955, especially as part of the OTMC Bushcraft Course, given it is the closest river of any size close to Dunedin. The normally placid waters of the Taieri River were fast flowing stretching from bank to bank - in winter this is not a river to be taken lightly but thankfully we weren't crossing it today, instead our plan was to walk for about 5km upstream on the track.  

The first couple of kilometers is an easy walk on a wide track that follows the river.  It is a well used track and is a few metres above the height of the river giving us good views of the turbulent waters flowing past.  Having been here a few times for river crossing over the years, it was quite a surprise at the difference in river height during the middle of winter compared to the low river levels during summer. We made good time on this section of track and soon found ourselves at the turn off to Lee Stream which climbs steeply gaining 80m in height over a short distance.  

The general chatter came to an abrupt end as we had to use all our breath for walking and once the height had been gained, the track narrows and undulates for the next couple of kilometres, rising and descending for short distances.  It's a lovely piece of track with tree roots and rocks to negotiate and a couple of small stream crossings.  A short morning tea break was called about 15 minutes before reaching our destination where Lee Stream joins the Taieri River. 

It was lovely to pop out of the bush into the sunshine and we spent sometime watching the river and marveling at  the volume of water flowing past.  It was interesting to see where the dark green waters of the Lee Stream joined the chocolate brown waters of the Taieri River.  We each found a comfortable rock in the sun to sit for lunch. 

The weak winter sunshine was no match for the cold breeze from the river so we didn't linger long over lunch before packing our bags and heading back into the bush on the return journey which started off with a gentle uphill climb.  Despite the winter conditions, the track is in very good condition with only a few muddy sections that are easily avoided. 

It is always a surprise when the return journey feels much shorter than the inward walk and that is exactly what happened today.  We reached the turn off to Lee Stream and joined the much wider Outram Glen Track in reasonably quick time and stopped to regroup before the final couple of kilometres back to the cars wrapping up a 10.9km walk in 3.5 hours.