#102 of 100 trips - Ben Rudd's 22 October 2023

 

As part of the centenary weekend, 70 people gathered at the Bull Ring for the walk to the OTMC Ben Rudd property. The day was inclusive for all as the less active people were able to get a ride in a 4WD to the property while those more able took the extended walking option and walked up the Pineapple Track to Flagstaff before heading over to the Ben Rudd property.

I was part of the group to take the extended walk and headed up the 160m climb from the Bull Ring car park to the top of Flagstaff.  Initially the walk up is steep and soon had the group spread out but no one was in a rush and groups were happy to stop and take in the views of Saddle Hill bordering the flat of the Taieri Plains which surrounds the township of Mosgiel and golden tussock in the foreground.  The fitter ones carried on to the top of Flagstaff while the others kept some of the older members company as they took their time and the pace picked up as the gradient leveled out.  No one minded waiting at the top for everyone to regroup as the weather was warm and calm and there was plenty of time to admire the view of Dunedin city spread out before them.  While I had seen this view many times, particularly over the #100 trips, it was the first time in many years for most of the past tramping club members. 

The top of Flagstaff is also a significant place for the OTMC as it is where the plane table was installed in 1973 for the club's 50th anniversary highlights the surround peaks and geographical features.  It was nice to be here today for the 100th anniversary.

This was also a good spot for a team photo of those that had opted for the extra walk before heading down the hill to the Ben Rudd property.

The next stage of the trip took us down the Pineapple Track to the dip where we followed the Cross Track to the Firebreak and the corner of the Ben Rudd property.  This was also another good opportunity to walk and talk with different people to those we had walked up the hill with. 

Once at the Ben Rudd property we met up with those that had come up in the 4WD vehicles and others who had chosen the shorter route and walked up the Firebreak track.  There was quite a crowd at the site where there was a short speech about the significance and history of the property followed by a cake cutting with an ice axe.

 People took the opportunity to check out the panoramic sign which named all the surrounding hills  including the Silver Peaks.  This prompted more conversations and stories from the past which were shared during lunch.   After lunch some people opted to take the short detour to the Ben Rudd Shelter while others chose to continue conversations with people they hadn't seen for a long time.  All too soon the event was over and everyone wandered back along the Firebreak to the Bullring.  It had been a wonderful day that had involved a lot of talking and chatting. 

#101 of 100 trips - Pineapple Point 21 October 2023

After the wonderful build up of #100 trips for 100 years, the centenary weekend for the Otago Tramping & Mountaineering Club had arrived and what a fantastic weekend it turned out to be.  Around 200 people enjoyed a number of events during Labour Weekend 2023 with a walk to Pineapple Point being one of them.  Over 70 people gathered for the moderat walk up the Pineapple Track from Booth Road.

The mood was cheerful and there was much chatter as everyone met and was reacquainted with tramping buddies from years past.  The start of the Pineapple Track is a moderate 100m climb to the water treatment station where the faster group walked along happily chatting and finding a pace that suited.

Once past the water treatment station, the track enters the native podocarp forest and winds it's way up hill, climbing another 200m in height before reaching Pineapple Point.  While most of the group kept together and chatted as they walked, some of the older members of the group dropped behind and took their time, stopping often to catch their breath and look around. 

For these older club members it had been more than 40 years since they had been up the Pineapple Track.  I walked with this slower group and it was good to hear their stories and look through their eyes at the landscape around us. For most the walk up the hill takes around 30-40 minutes but for this slower group it took closer to an hour.

As people emerged from the bush, they took the short detour to Pineapple Point and enjoyed the view while continuing to chat while waiting for everyone to arrive.  It is amazing how much there is to talk about with people that you haven't seen in many years and no one minded waiting for those slower to make the journey to the Pineapple Point.

Once everyone had arrived at Pineapple Point, snacks and drinks were consumed before a short speech welcoming everyone and a recap the history of Pineapple Point including the recent installation of the seat and lookout. 

Then there was time for more chatting and photos before the group broke up with some heading up to the top of Flagstaff and others taking an alternative route back to the cars.  Those older and less fit in the group opted to return the same way they had come up, by the Pineapple Track.  We joined these people and took our time down the hill, stopping often and enjoying their reminiscing as we walked slowly down the hill. While it was only a short walk and one that we have made quite a few times over the past year, it was memorable, especially with the fantastic company and I loved talking and walking with the older people who had been in the tramping club in the 1950 & 60's. 

#83 of 100 trips - Pineapple Point Workparty / Sign Installation 30 September 2023

As trip #83 snowcaving had been cancelled, a replacement trip was planned as a work party for the installation of the Pineapple Point signs ready for the Centenary in three weeks time.  Club work parties date back to 1927, when the OTC held a working bee on the Ferguson’s Creek Track. Since then, over 220 ‘official’ work days have been held, along with many informal days spent by members working on various tracks and huts. The variety of club work parties is quite varied, ranging from Flagstaff and the Silver Peaks right through to Treble Cone, Routeburn, Fiordland and Esquilant Bivvy.  This work party involved carrying the Pineapple Point posts and sign up the Pineapple Track and install them onsite.  Earlier in the week the four of us had already made a couple of trips up the Pineapple Track, carrying the posts and sign up to make it easier on the day. 

The day dawned cold with snow on the hills and rain on the roof but four hardy souls had made the commitment to be there and they were not to be deterred, arriving at Booth Road at 8am in light rain.  The tools and remaining sign were divided up amongst the group with Antony and Jade taking all the tools and heading straight up the Pineapple Track so that they could begin work assembling the large Pineapple Point sign and digging the holes for the posts.  This left Debbie and Dylan to carry the remaining post, which was also the heaviest of all the posts, up the hill.  The heavy post with signs attached was too heavy for one person to carry so a rope was tied around the post with a hand hold for two people meaning that Dylan and Debbie had to walk in tandem, carrying the post between them 300m up the hill to Pineapple Point.  Needless to say there were a number of stops to rest and change sides for the post carriers but they eventually arrived onsite to find that Antony and Jade had made great progress in assembling the sign.

Despite the falling snow, it wasn't cold and the effort of carrying things up to Pineapple Point had warmed everyone up and once the sign had been fully assembled it was time to dig the post holes.  Surprisingly there were very few rocks and the digging went fast with the large sign being installed relatively quickly despite the falling snow. 

Once the large sign had been put in place, our attention turned to the post with the small signs attached.  A suitable site was chosen and the hole dug, only to discover a large rock that was impossible to move so a new position for the sign was chosen and digging commenced again.  This time there were only a few smaller rocks to excavate for the post to be at the right height. 

During the digging of the post holes for the smaller sign, a cold wind picked up and those not digging kept warm by cutting some of the broom back from the track up to the point.  By the time the the post had been put in place, it was surprising to see most of the snow had melted meaning but the wind was very cold and we wasted no time in picking up all the tools and heading down the track to the cars and home for a warm shower. 

#93 of 100 trips for 100 years - Old Pineapple Track-Ben Rudds: 100 years since first meeting with Ben Rudd 23 September 2023 (by Jade Pettinger)

 

“Two parties set off for Whare Flat - one of which made the journey successfully, but the other was stopped and warned off by Ben Rudd, the old hermit whose property was long afterwards purchased by the Club. Scott Gilkison was one of those cut-off and still remembers the feelings of alarm as they encountered the stocky, bearded little man with the shot-gun. As a result of this, the Club arranged with Ben Rudd that he would cut a track through the manuka scrub, thus providing a route to Whare Flat while keeping members well away from Ben's property. For this he was paid the princely sum of £5, and the track was under very heavy use for the next 11 years until it was blocked by extensive scrub fires in 1935.” -  recollection of an OTC trip on September 23,1923

The 23rd of September is significant in OTC/OTMC history for two reasons - one being it is one month exactly since the formation of the club, the second being it is the day early members first encountered Ben Rudd, colloquially known as the Flagstaff Hermit. This started a long relationship between the club and Ben Rudd until his passing in 1930. The land he owned on Flagstaff became available for purchase in 1946, and was bought by the OTC, and is still owned and managed by the club to this day.

One hundred years to the day since the standoff with Ben Rudd, 16 of us gathered at Woodhaugh Gardens to commemorate the occasion. A number of recent trips have departed from Booth Road at the bottom of the Pineapple Track, so to make this trip different we opted to walk from Woodhaugh. The first section follows the Water of Leith - a usually slow-moving, idyllic river, however with the recent rainfall it was running a bit higher than normal. Crossing the bridge at Malvern Street, we entered the Ross Creek Reserve where there were a few ups and downs as we continued to wind our way alongside the Water of Leith. It wasn’t long before we turned a corner and were faced with a stone wall rising above us, with large metal stars dotted around which signalled we were (nearly) at the reservoir. The only obstacle that stood between us was a steep hill, so we gritted our teeth and got on with it. Thankfully this section was short and sweet and in what seemed like no time at all we were leaning against the fence surrounding the reservoir catching our breath.

The tracks from here are a bit of a maze, with a junction every 100m or so. It is the type of place where if you don’t know where you were going you could easily become lost. We studied the map meticulously at each intersection to ensure we were on track - how embarrassing would it be for the OTMC to become lost on a well-marked and signposted track so close to the city! Thankfully some of our party were very familiar with the area and were able to navigate us safely to Booth Road.

We raced up the now familiar gravel road to the water treatment station, by this point the weather was changing and a fine layer of mist descended upon us. Most of us opted to tough it out without raincoats at this point as we were headed into the thick bush of the Ross Bush Track, where the towering trees would offer protection from the elements. Despite the dampness in the air, we soon warmed up as the track climbs steeply through the lush forest. The Ross Bush Track is also known as the old Pineapple Track, and was used as the main route up Flagstaff until the installation of the current Pineapple Track. Having been up the Pineapple Track many times in recent months, it is always nice to use an alternative route to climb Flagstaff. We indulged ourselves in a couple of stops to catch our breath and admire just how green and lush the bush around us was, reminding us just how lucky we are to have places like this so close to the city centre.

It wasn’t long before the bush started to thin out and it was lighter which could only mean one thing, we had made it to Pineapple Point. Emerging from the sheltered bush, we were shocked at how much the weather had deteriorated in such a short amount of time. The fine layer of mist had turned into a persistent drizzle obscuring the view from the lookout, and the cold wind straight from Antarctica had picked up leaving us scrambling to don our jackets, hats and gloves.

With the cold wind biting into us, we didn’t hang around long at Pineapple Point before continuing up the hill. We were pleased to be heading uphill as we soon began to warm up again, and enjoyed chatting to those around us while we walked. In what seemed like no time at all we had made it to the junction at the top of the hill - from here we could either head towards the summit of Flagstaff or towards the track that links up with Swampy Summit, both of which would take us to our destination of Ben Rudd’s. After consultation with the leader, we opted for the latter option. The standard of this track was a change from the well-maintained Pineapple Track - it was muddy and slippery in places, meaning you had to concentrate in order to stay upright.

We continued our speedy pace from earlier, arriving at the skid site in record time.  The original plan had been to have our lunch at the skid site, however with the inclement weather we opted for the drier option of dining in the Ben Rudd’s shelter which is another 15 minutes down the track. We wasted no time in getting down there as our tummies were starting to grumble, having missed morning tea in our attempts to stay warm.

As this was a celebration of the first encounter with Ben Rudd, this was a special occasion! We were treated to some live music during lunch, thanks to Ricky Kim. Some early OTC trips had a piper accompany them over Flagstaff and whilst we do not have any pipers in the current club, we do have a keen flute player in Ricky and he delighted his audience with two musicals.  Once replenished with food and Ricky’s musical performance was over we packed up and headed back up the track to the skid site before heading to the Cross Track which joins back up with the Pineapple Track.  As the weather continued to be wet, we wasted no time in heading down the hill, past Pineapple Point where we saw a couple of people up at the seat not that they would have seen much with mist starting to swirl around below them.

The lower we went, the faster our pace picked up and we reached the Booth Road warm and in good spirits.  We crossed the road and dove into the shelter of the Ross Creek Bush, taking a different track to one that we had come up but that isn’t surprising since there are so many tracks criss-crossing their way through the bush.  Eventually we reached the dam and rested for a few minutes for everyone to catch up before continuing down the hill, past the stars and along the side of the river back to Woodhaugh and the cars. 

By Jade Pettinger

#87 of 100 trips for 100 years - Nicols Creek-Unnamed Track-Pineapple Track 3 September 2023

 

This trip had been planned for those who couldn't make it to the Pineapple Point seat opening on 1 September to visit the site.  Waking to Flagstaff covered in cloud didn't bode well for good views at Pineapple Point but that didn't seem to deter the 10 people that turned up to explore some of the lesser used trails on their way to Pineapple Point.  The track starts at Nicols Falls carpark and follows an old 4x4 wheel drive track to the sheer walled canyon popular with night walkers for the glow worms.  Before reaching the canyon, the track to Nicols Falls branches off on the left and climbs steadily in a series of zig zags before cutting into the gully and crossing the creek below the falls.

The canyon and falls are quite impressive, especially if you make the effort to scramble over the moss  covered boulders for a closer look. Back onto the track which climbs steeply out of the canyon and then proceeds up onto the Moon Track. Care needs to be taken as the Moon Track crosses the mountain bike trails often and it is easy to take the mountain bike trail which winds it's way back and forth, traveling a large distance with relatively small height gain while the Moon Track heads more or less straight up the ridge. Eventually we emerged from the bush into the eerie fog and a brief break to refuel with snacks and a drink.

From here our journey became a little tricky as we negotiated our way to the start of an unnamed track that was more of a 'vague route'  through the bush as it sidles around the the top of the gully and heads towards the Pineapple Track.  This was the part of the trip that I was looking forward to as it is a track that I have not been on.  The unnamed track is a little muddy in places although easy enough to follow for those who have confidence in their foot placement.  The track is narrow, has plenty of tree roots and rocks to climb over with some steep drops off  to the side but also very pretty with ferns covering the ground and twisted fushia overhead.  We passed what must be the largest cabbage tree in the valley and it sure is one of the biggest and healthiest I have seen with a massive trunk reaching above the forest canopy.  From the cabbage tree, it wasn't far to the Pineapple Track and back to the newly opened seat for lunch, sadly with no view as we were still in the fog.

From the seat on Pineapple Point it is a 300m descent down the Pineapple Track to Booth Road. As we descended down the hill, we dropped below the fog and were able to see some of the city as it emerged from the fog.  We have been on this part of track a number of times over the past few months and it was good to be able to walk in pairs on the wide track and chat.  Once at Booth Road we had about a kilometre of easy road walking back to the cars.

#86 of 100 trips for 100 years - Pineapple Point Lookout 1 September 2023

 

 

September 1, 1923, was the day the Otago Tramping Club set out for it's first tramp, with a Saturday afternoon walk to Flagstaff via the Ross Bush Track and Pineapple Point. 100 years ago, around 50 foundation members joined the trip, and the day was reported as ‘most exhilarating’. To mark the 100th anniversary of that first tramping trip, a group set out at 1pm, taking the Ross Bush Track (also known as the 'old pineapple track') while a few others went up the more traditional Pineapple Track route. 

Our trip started at Booth Road car park and was straight into a 100m climb to the water treatment station and this is where our path diverged from those going via the 'new' Pineapple Track.  The Ross Bush Track (also known as the 'old' Pineapple Track), heads into the native podocarp forest directly behind the water treatment station.  We have been down this track on trip #72 and trip #77 however this was the first time we had been up the track.  The track goes almost in a straight line for a short distance till it crosses the McGowan Track and here the work really began. The track climbs another 160m up through the native forest on a narrow track that climbs over tree roots and rocks while winding it's way ever upwards, pushing through ferns and under the twisted, papery branches of the Fushia, eventually popping out of the bush, almost at Pineapple Point around 40 minutes after starting.

We met up with the group who had gone up the 'new' Pineapple Track along with a number others who had headed up the hill earlier in the day with the intention of gathering at Pineapple Point for the official opening of the seat and lookout at 2pm. All up there were 20 of us gathered at Pineapple Point for a speech by the current OTMC president Antony, who gave a brief overview of the significance of this place in, not just the club's but also the wider city's history along with the significance of the date in the OTMC history.  

Over 100 years ago, being about half way, Pineapple Point had been a popular stopping place on the way up the hill to Flagstaff where people had stopped for a rest, and where tins of pineapple had been consumed before pushing on further up the hill.  The used pineapple tins were placed on the top of the old fence posts marking the route to the top.  Sadly the point had been lost to an infestation of broom over the past 50 or so years and it was through a number of club work parties during the past year, clearing the invasive broom that had bought the stunning city and harbour views back.  

There were club members from different era's of the club present to mark this special date with some people who joined earlier this year, up to some that had joined in the 1960's and covering every decade in between. As seemed fitting, pineapple and pineapple lumps were consumed while admiring the view, chatting and reminiscing. 

The installation of the lookout would not have been possible without Antony who has dedicated countless hours since the idea was conceived in 2019 and has seen it through to its completion. Pineapple Point is sure to become a wonderful asset to our city and will be enjoyed by generations to come.   The OTMC gift to the city even made it into an article in the Otago Daily Times

#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.