#42 of 100 trips for 100 years - Heyward Point 26 March 2023

The day dawned slightly overcast and with no hint of rain 11 of us set out to Heyward Point from Aramoana.  Starting at sea level, it was barely 50m of flat before a steep 200m climb with impressive views of the harbour and Aramoana opening out behind us with each step we took.  We stopped often to look back at the Mole, Aramoana and across to Taiaroa Head.

As we got higher, the upper part of the hill is not as steep and the climbing became easier.  One of our group who lived in the area, Gordon, was full of interesting bits of information and history about the area and he kept us amused with his stories as we continued to climb up the hill . We rested near the top of the hill and were able to watch as a pilot boat went out to meet a large container ship and then see the container ship make it's way through the harbour mouth and down towards Port Chalmers. Upon reaching the top of the hill  we were able to take in the grandeur of the sheer walled cliffs that we were heading towards. 

We walked along the top of these cliffs towards the headland that is Heywards Point.  The track skirts along the edge of the cliffs and through a stand of pine trees before crossing into a paddock where again, we rested with more fantastic views looking out towards the sea with the golden glow of the Autumn sun reflecting on the water.  The day was warming up and we were enjoying the calm day as often this area is battered by strong winds as evidenced by the nearby twisted, gnarly trees.

After a short traverse across the farm paddock we entered a reserve with a wide track taking us down through native bush.  This downhill part of the walk was peaceful and relaxing after all the climbing we had done.  A couple of piwakawaka (fantail) followed us along the trail making a grab for any small bugs that we stirred up as we passed.  All too soon we came to the end of the native bush section and emerged on a headland where we were able to look back at the steep cliffs that we had walked along the edge of.

It was here that we enjoyed a short morning tea break and again Gordon entertained us with stories of how there used to be a rope up the cliff that gave access to and from the beach below.  It's hard to believe that particular story when looking down the 100m precipice to the beach below where there is very little to hang onto when climbing up or down the cliff.  The next part of our journey took us through long grass down to the light beacon

The cliffs here are also impressive with some lovely rocky beaches where we were able to sit at the top and watch the seals lazing on the rocks below.  One particular rocky beach with a watery pool was surrounded by a large number of baby seals with a couple of large seals keeping guard.  Eventually we dragged ourselves away from the cliff edge to enjoy a long lunch in the sun.

After lunch we retraced our steps, almost 200m back up the hill and through the regenerating bush to the farm paddocks where Gordon pointed out some anomalies in the surrounding countryside.  We diverted from our route in by crossing the paddock (with permission) where we came across some large, soccer ball sized puffpalls. We couldn't believe the size of them and wondered what the weight of them would be.

The final part of our journey took us through a gate and down another farm paddock (with permission) where we followed an old 4x4 track on a circuitous route down the hill, chasing the sheep along in front of us. The best part of this route is that we had stunning views all the way down the hill and we came out near an old quarry. Our vantage point gave us a good view into the quarry and we were able to see how each level of the quarry had been created. Upon reaching the bottom of the hill, the only thing left was a short road walk back to the cars.  

All up it was a very enjoyable day's walk with warm, calm weather and spectacular coastal views.  Although it is a reasonably short 8.5km walk, there is a quite a lot of up and down as we started at sea level and climbed 200m before descending to the light beacon almost at sea level and our return journey saw us climbing almost 200m again before descending back to sea level.

#41 of 100 trips for 100 years - Fairy Grotto & Seal Point 25 March 2023 (by Jade Pettinger)

 

The first mention of the ‘Fairy Grotto’ was by Miss L. Tweedy in her tramping diaries on October 14, 1923 - just a couple of months after the formation of the OTC.

October 14, 1923: Macandrew Bay - Seal Point - High Road - Andersons Bay
Meet: Dunedin Ferry Wharf, 10am
Leader: Mr Hayward
“Took 10am ferry to Macandrew Bay and climbed to High Road, very steep and very
hot. Along a mile or so then down to Seal Point (1pm). Boiled billy and had lunch.
Left again at 2pm and visited Fairy Grotto then back along High Road. Our party
went up to Monument (5pm) and finished our sandwiches then left again (5.30pm) for
car at Andersons Bay (6.25pm)
Glorious day and splendid view from High Road
Leader: Mr Heyward
43 members”

Despite being frequently visited in the early years, the OTMC has not been to the Fairy Grotto in 61 years, making the last visit in 1962 well before most of the current members were born. The name Fairy Grotto doesn’t appear on any maps as it was just a colloquial name given to the area by the OTC, so over the years it was slowly forgotten and until recently no one knew exactly where it was. Two members with a keen interest in the club’s history pored over maps and read old trip reports until they narrowed down the location of the Fairy Grotto to be in the vicinity of Seal Point on the Otago Peninsula. This was all we needed - we were off!

Knowing the club’s history with the Fairy Grotto, it comes as no surprise that this was a really special trip on the 100 Trips programme. The looming threat of forecast rain didn’t discourage the seven hardy trampers from gathering at the clubrooms at 9am for what was sure to be a memorable day.

The trip started with a gentle stroll down the Highcliff Track, accessed off Braidwood Road, before veering off to the left onto a paper road. Although Seal Point was in a straight line as the crow flies from where we parked the cars, we had to walk a big semi-circle around the coastline to ensure we stayed on paper roads and conservation reserve land. We certainly didn’t mind taking the scenic route though - the coastal views were stunning and a different perspective from other walks on the Peninsula. The towering cliffs between Boulder Beach and Smaills Beach were particularly impressive from this angle, and very reminiscent of the cliffs seen around Tunnel Beach. To the south we could see all the way to Taieri Mouth, with Sandymount and Sandfly Bay to the north.

After 45 minutes or so of wandering through the Yellow Eyed Penguin reserve, we encountered our first obstacle of the day. A large gully stood between us and Seal Point, filled with thick head-height scrub and guarded by a steep drop on both sides. We carefully picked our way down the side, clinging to flax and other bushes to prevent tumbling to the bottom. Once at the bottom, we were faced with thick scrub that seemed impenetrable. After a couple of false starts, we eventually found a thinner area of bush that we could push our way through. Although it was only about 20m or so, it was hard work and by the time we had dragged ourselves up the hill on the other side we decided we had earned a morning tea break.

The views were stunning and some of us just couldn’t sit still, so biscuits in hand we made our way down the hill another 20m or so to a penguin hide. While we didn’t see any penguins, we did see some seals playing in a wee pool up on the rocks which certainly made it worth the detour.

Setting off from morning tea, we followed the edge of a fence along the cliff top, making sure to stay on the reserve land. Shortly after we arrived at a big gulch, which Antony excitedly informed us was THE Fairy Grotto. Unfortunately, we were unable to descend down into the Fairy Grotto as it was very slippery and no guarantee we’d be able to climb out again. Another club member did in fact go inside the Grotto on a recce last year by way of climbing down a tree, but said it has been claimed by the seals.

We wandered around the top of the gulch, wondering how the OTC discovered the Fairy Grotto in the first place - it is not a well-known or travelled part of the Peninsula but perhaps that is what made it so attractive for those early members. It is a beautiful spot and it is easy to see how it came to be known as the Fairy Grotto as it does have an ethereal feeling to it.

Having marvelled at the Grotto, we continued on downwards towards Seal Point. As we were approaching the edge of the cliff, a furry face of a seal popped out startling us. After observing us for a few minutes the seal (thankfully) decided we were not prey so turned around and waddled down onto the rocks. It was only then did we begin to realise how many seals were on the rocks.

At first glance, the rocks in front of us looked just like rocks. Maybe the wind carried our scent down or our eyes adjusted to what we were looking at but suddenly the rocks seemed to be crawling with seals! From baby seals frolicking and playing in small pools to adult seals lazing in the sun, there were seals everywhere! Many excited delights and exclaims were heard as we spotted seal after seal, accompanied by the sound of cameras clicking as we all tried to capture the winning shot. It was incredible to see so many seals in the wild, totally unbothered by our presence, it’s not hard to see how Seal Point got its name.

All too soon we had to drag ourselves away for the return journey. Unfortunately, because of the private land, this was not a loop track so we had to retrace our steps back to the cars. An early lunch was had on the cliff top just past the Fairy Grotto, giving us more time to take in the stunning views from this rarely visited area on the Peninsula.

The return journey seemed to be much quicker than on the way there, and finding our way through the gully was certainly easier after we had trod a path through earlier that morning. While we had the threat of rain looming over us, it thankfully never eventuated which helped contribute to the perfect day we had. Seal Point is truly a hidden gem in Dunedin, but well worth the visit.

#40 of 100 trips for 100 years - Harbour Cone 19 March 2023

 

It couldn't have been a nicer day to climb Hereweka/Harbour Cone with blue skies and a calm, mirror like harbour we started our walk at sea level, parking by the harbour at Broad Bay and following Camp Road, firstly as a steep sealed road then onto a steeper gravel road before finally onto a narrow track with long grass.  The steady climb gave us outstanding views of the harbour including Quarantine and Goat Island nestled in the middle of the harbour. 

 

As we climbed higher, we passed into more rural land with paddocks of curious horses and timid sheep on either side before emerging on Camp Road 200m higher than when we had started.  There are a couple of handily placed seats on the way up the hill giving the opportunity to sit and take in the views while catching your breath. 

Once onto the upper section of Camp Road we followed the gravel road for a short distance before going through a gate and into the paddocks that were once part of  William Larnoch's farm which he 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 entered the paddocks through a gate near one of these historic sites which is the cow byre which was built in 1880's and is the only remaining farm building left on Larnachs farm (as seen in the photo below)

After dropping 100m down through the paddock and scaring the sheep to the other end, we climbed over a style and crossed Highcliff Road before approaching Hereweka/Harbour Cone which at 315m is the second highest point on the peninsula, with Mt Charles trip #35 being higher.  The walk up Hereweka/Harbour Cone is straightforward with a constant gradient to the top taking around 30 minutes after crossing the road. 

The top of Hereweka/Harbour Cone has columnar basalt rocks scattered amongst the grass, making the last 5 minutes of climbing a scramble to reach the trig at the top.  From the top we were rewarded with fantastic 360 degree views in all directions. 

The wonderful views, warm temperatures and no wind made the top of Hereweka/Harbour Cone an ideal place for lunch with most of us finding it difficult to decide which direction we wanted to sit for the views.  In the end, there were a number of us that would get up every few minutes and turn slightly to get a different view.  The views are truly spectacular from Hereweka/Harbour Cone.

Being such a prominent peak that is open to the public on the Peninsula, Hereweka/Harbour Cone is a popular destination and we met a number of families making the climb to the top.  Of course the top is also the perfect place for a team photo and we had a hard time deciding which direction to take the photo.

Eventually it was time to head down and we took a slight detour, taking a different route down, following a trapping line down through the scrub before scouting around the side and back down the Highcliff Road and then down the Bacon Street track onto Bacon Street which lead us back to the harbour.  The round trip of 8.4km taking us four and a half hours with a lot of that time spent looking at the great views.

#38 of 100 trips for 100 years - High Points of Silver Peaks 12 March 2023

 

On previous trips to the Silver Peaks we had completed three summits, then five summits and today was the ultimate seven summits.  It can’t have been a completely silly idea because 14 people agreed to join us on this challenge.  With clear skies we left the car park on Mountain Road and headed up towards our first summit of Hightop which at 531m was the lowest of our summits for the day.  From the turn off on Green Ridge the track to Hightop quickly runs out and becomes more of a bush/flax bash gaining 80m of height to the open golden tussock tops. This was our first real opportunity to look ahead to the other six summits and also to get the first team summit photo.

We had been on Hightop a couple of times recently for trips #18 and #26 but not from this direction and it would be fair to say that our climb up and then descent down Hightop back to Green Ridge did not take us on a route we had done previously and involved more bush bashing  as well as taking us through a lovely standing forest of manuka which we nicknamed the Goblin Forest.  Once back on Green Ridge with a few extra scratches, it was a reasonably fast walk to our next summit turn off and an easier climb to the 588m summit We felt like we were cheating a little as the Greengage Track took us right up to the summit, and while the Greengage Track is steep in places there are a few steps and handily placed trees to aid the climb up (and then back down).  For the effort of climbing our second summit we were rewarded with great views of yesterday’s trip #37 to Saddle Hill and Mosgiel.

Back down to Green Ridge and it was onto our next summit, Green Hill for lunch.  The 90m climb up to Green Hill is a little steep in places and takes us out of the bush so we had panoramic views in all directions but mostly we focussed our attention towards the interior of the Silver Peaks where the remaining four summits beaconed.  Lunch was enjoyed in the sun but not for long as we knew that we still had most of the climbing still to do.

On our descent of Green Hill we opted for a slight detour and instead of following the track back to Green Ridge we bush bashed our way down to join Green Ridge further along, missing a section of the track.  Having descended from Green Hill we were faced with 180m climb up to Pulpit Rock.  The track up is consistently steep and also out in the open making the climb hot work.  Most of us took the slow and steady approach to reach the top of Pulpit Rock and still have some energy left to tackle the remaining summits.  At Pulpit Rock we had wonderful 360degree views over the Taieri Plains and inland to the Rock and Pillars, out to Karitane on the coast and around to Mt Cargill and Mosgiel.  We were able to pick out the peaks of Mt Watkin, Mt Charles and of course Saddle Hill which are the other summits we had climbed over the past couple of weekends.

Down from Pulpit Rock and it was only a short walk to our next summit of 744m.  This was one of the shortest climbs today as it is only about 40m higher than the track but is a steep scramble through the scrub and tussock to the narrow top.  We were feeling pretty elated as this was our fifth summit with the remaining two being within grasp. 

We headed back down through the scrub to the track and a fast pace was set towards Silver Peak, our highest summit at 777m.  Again we were rewarded with awe-inspiring 360degree views and for some this was a good place for a second lunch which they hadn’t had time to eat earlier.  Standing on Silver Peak, we had uninterrupted views looking down Christmas Creek and inland to Strath Taieri. The legs were starting to feel a little tired but with only one summit to go there was only one way to go.  

Our seventh and final summit  which was the no named peak with a trig on it and is only 10m lower than Silver Peak but requires a descent from Silver Peak, then a climb up to the trig.  We reached the 767m summit by taking a little used trail off the main track that wound it’s way up through the tussock to the trig.  With a small detour to a little off the summit we were able to see down Cave Creek  to Jubilee Hut in the valley below.  There was lots of smiles as we posed for the final of our summit photos.  We were all buoyed by the knowledge  that we had achieved our goal of 7 summits in 1 day.

The return journey back to the cars was straightforward as we didn’t have to make any detours to summits and we followed Green Ridge down to the Green Hut Site where we had a brief rest and snack (or third lunch for some who hadn’t already eaten all their lunch).  The final hour was a brisk walk along Green Ridge and back to Mountain Road and the cars.  A tiring but enjoyable day that saw us walking nearly 17 km, and climbing 7 summits over nearly 7 hours. 

#37 of 100 trips for 100 years - Saddle Hill 11 March 2023

 

Today's trip to Saddle Hill/Makamaka was special for a number of reasons.  One being that it is a prominent landmark seen from many parts of Dunedin, another that it is privately owned land with permission needed and finally, that there have been over 60 club trips to Saddle Hill in the past 100 years.  Being another beautiful, sunny Dunedin day meant that 23 people gathered at the club rooms with high hopes of spectacular views from Saddle Hill/Makamaka.  After the short drive to Saddle Hill/Makamaka we met up with the land owner whose grandfather had lead a club day trip to the area nearly 30 years ago and he was to be our ‘guide’ for the walk. In order to make it more of a 'round' trip, we walked back down Saddle Hill Road for a short distance and turned off to walk through a farm paddock where a bag of mushrooms and a few four leaf clovers were collected before the real business of climbing up the hill began.

After crossing the paddock, we went through a gate into the cool of a native bush reserve. From the gate the track zig zagged up the hill under the shade of the mature fushia trees to the chorus of native birds. The gradient wasn’t overly steep making it easy to chat while walking.Once at the top of the reserve, we went through another gate into a farm paddock where we were rewarded where the views really opened out from Black Head Beach down to the Catlins.

We spent some time here drinking in the fantastic views and were hesitant to leave this wonderful spot but the top was calling. The track lead us around the base of the top of the hill where we had more spectacular views, this time looking towards the city and Mosgiel from an angle not often seen. The streets of Fairfield and Green Island with the dividing motorway were laid out in front of us.

The final push saw us clamber over a rocky section to reach the trig at the top of Saddle Hill/Makamaka. This was the perfect place to sit for a snack and admire the views over the Taieri Plains that were stretched endlessly in front of us. We could see the hills that we had climbed last weekend – trip #35 Mt Charles and trip #36 Mt Watkin and also where we were headed on tomorrow’s day trip into the Silver Peaks for 7 summits.

After the compulsory team photo at the top, we were reluctant to leave such a magical place but time was getting on and we started the final downhill section which took us along an old farm track that zig zaged down to the landowners house and back to the cars. Despite being a shorter day of 4.5 km it was a memorable trip with lots of stopping time for amazing views in all directions.

#36 of 100 trips for 100 years - Mt Watkin 5 March 2023

Mt Watkin/Hikaroroa is the prominent rounded peak inland from Waikouaiti and eight of us were keen to explore this little visited area.  We took the easy way up by driving on the gravel road and parked about 200m below the summit of Mt Watkin/Hikaroroa.  We could see the trig on the top of Mt Watkin/Hikaroroa and with no marked track to the top  we decided the easiest way was to cross the farm paddock and go through the gate into the reserve. 

Once through the gate it was onto the reserve land and the real fun began.  Firstly we negotiated our way around the head high tussock and gorse to the base of the columnar basalt rock field.  The slopes of Mt Watkin/Hikaroroa are the same rock as the Organ Pipes with large open sections of jumbled columnar basalt. The rocky scramble up the basalt rock field tested our balancing skills as the overnight rain had made the basalt rocks slippery and care was needed to ensure that each foot was securely placed before moving on.  Most of us found it easier to use four points of contact by utilizing both hands and feet for the climb up the basalt rocks.

 

The height to be gained through the basalt rock fields was only a hundred or so metres but for some of us it was slow going, especially when the spear grass and bush lawyer interspersed amongst the basalt rocks.  The sharp points of the spear grass drew blood from almost everyone in the group but the reward of the great 360 degree views from the top were worth the effort. 

We reached the top in good time and stopped for a snack and drink while we took in the views. With clear views in all directions, we couldn't decide which way was the best direction to be looking.  We could see rain clouds towards the Silver Peaks but it looked clear towards Waikouaiti and the coast.

This was the first time on top of Mt Watkin/Hikaroroa for most of us and it was surprising how far we could see after such a short climb.  Despite the odd rain drop, the sun was trying to shine on us and we were reluctant to leave.  Not wanting to go down the way we had come up,  we opted for a 'round trip' and headed down the opposite side of Mt Watkin/Hikaroroa which was easier to travel as the columnar basalt rocks were hidden under tussock, spear grass and flax meaning we had something to hang onto as we stumbled down the mountain, even if our hand holds were a little prickly at times. . 

Reaching the road and cars only a few hours after leaving them, this was one of the shorter day trips but it was still worth coming as everyone agreed the views were stunning.