#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.