#63 of 100 trips for 100 years - Purakanui Inlet 17 June 2023

 

The walk today was a short 7km stroll around the Purakanui Inlet which had 16 people enjoying the views and winter sunshine.  The walk was an easy one as it follows the track and some roads around the waters edge and we were able to stop often to admire the stunning vistas along the way.  Parking at the head of Purakanui Inlet, the track weaves it's way around the coast, in and out of a number of small bays. 

The tide was in and the water was lapping at the path in places but our feet remained dry and we were able to see the bottom in most places. With the winter sun shining brightly and the blue skies made the temperatures feel warm so we stopped at regular intervals to really appreciate the beautiful setting.

After 20 minutes of walking, we reached the township of Purakanui and continued following the track around the waters edge where we passed a number of boat houses including a 140 year old historic cottage nestled on the edge of the inlet. The beautifully kept cottage is an airbnb and would make an idyllic place to stay for a summer's weekend. 

After the Purakanui township, we descended the track from the corner of Hill Street and continued around to Potato Point along a narrow, grassy trail.  As we reached the end of the grassy trail, a few of the group opted to stop and have a snack at a seat slightly uphill, away from the high tide mark. 

The rest of the group continued on rock hoping around to the bluffs of Potato Point.  The tide was turning with the waves crashing onto the rocks making for an exciting journey around the point. Once we had reached as far as we could go, those that had carried on this far, found a spot out of the spray and settled down for a brief snack break before turning around and retracing our steps back to the seat where we had left the rest of the group.

The return journey back to the cars saw us following the same track around the edge of the inlet, weaving in and out of all the small bays.  Of course there was time to stop to admire the views with different lighting from the lowering sun. It was also a good opportunity to walk and chat with different people and the time passed quickly. 

Before we knew it, we were back at the cars two and a half hours after starting out.  Everyone agreed that this had been a perfect walk on a sunny winters afternoon with a great group of people and is a trip that I'd be happy to do again.

#62 of 100 trips for 100 years - Government Track 11 June 2023 (by Jade Pettinger)

 

Winter has well and truly arrived in the south! A week of negative temperatures and thick frosts didn’t stop 19 hardy trampers from gathering at the club rooms bright and early on Sunday morning, keen for a day in the hills. Pleasantries were exchanged, plans were made and trampers were bundled into cars, ready to hit the road.

The usual cruisy drive along the Taieri Plains was made slightly more treacherous by the thick frost from the night before. Before long we were winding our way up the Waipori Gorge, in the shadow of the hills towering above us. It was like emerging into a winter wonderland - we were surrounded by a beautiful hoar frost, making everything look like it was part of a fairytale. Our child-like excitement meant we didn’t even feel the cold as we set off, instead our energy was focused on admiring the beauty around us

The Government Track was built in the 1860’s to provide access to the Central Otago Goldfields. With the main mode of transport in the 1860’s being bullock, the track gently climbs up the hill as opposed to the steep, scrambly tracks we are more used to. The track starts with a small, steep section of switchback, but once we had conquered that it was time to begin the long slog up the hill. From here, the wide track meanders through the bush as we traversed through beech and mānuka forests above the Waipori Gorge. Although the gradient was gentle, the climb felt relentless as we had around 500m in elevation to gain in just 9km.

The steady climb soon got the blood pumping and despite the near negative temperatures, layers were starting to be shed. Around the 45 minute mark, we emerged from the bush onto a frozen paddock, with our first (and only) viewpoint in front of us. The layers of the Waipori Gorge were striking, highlighted by the morning fog that was lingering in the depths of the valley. One bonus about winter tramping is we are often walking on top of frozen mud, rather than trudging through ankle deep sludge, which was exactly the case as we crossed the exposed pasture.

We found a sheltered perch on the side of the hill to have a quick nibble, this was also a chance to mingle with friends who we hadn’t yet had a chance to talk to as they became lost in the line of trampers. A passing shower meant wet weather gear was donned before continuing our long trek uphill.
 

The remainder of the uphill trek passed by quickly, and rather uneventfully. The dense bush surrounding us, along with the many voices bouncing off the steep walls of the gorge made it easy to get a little disorientated, although thankfully the track was well-maintained so it was near impossible to wander off in the wrong direction.  The occasional windfall or small stream to negotiate kept us on our toes, while searching for fungi kept our minds occupied. Some eager eyes spotted a violet pouch fungus - a magnificent purple mushroom, unlike any I had seen before.

All of a sudden we rounded a corner and found ourselves at the end of the track. And just in time as well, it was past lunchtime and our stomachs were starting to protest. Lunch was a fairly quick affair as we shivered in the shade of the hill, keen to get going. While we could have returned via a different track, we opted to head back the same way we came as we would be less exposed should the weather turn earlier than forecast. As it was all downhill, we made good timeand before we knew it was emerging onto the paddock we crossed early this morning. What a difference a few hours makes - the sun was streaming down on us and not a trace of the frost from earlier this morning.

Afternoon tea was enjoyed soaking up the late afternoon sun before slipping and sliding our way down the hill. As the ground beneath our feet had thawed, so had the mud which turned our relatively straightforward walk into a treacherous mud pool. We each had our own strategy on how to best avoid the mud, some were arguably more successful than others but we all managed to stay on our feet.

5 ½ hours and 19.3km later we arrived back at the cars, pleased to be able to rest as our feet were beginning to feel a little weary. To our surprise the hoar frost had melted, however it certainly didn’t feel any warmer in the depths of the gorge so we wasted no time in climbing into the vehicles and heading home. 

Written by Jade Pettinger

#61 of 100 trips for 100 years - Hoopers Inlet & Nyhon Track 5 June 2023

 

About 30 years ago, in the early 1990's I had helped put a sign in at both ends of the Nyhon Track but I had never actually walked the track so I was keen for today's walk. There hadn't been a trip to the Nyhon Track for a while which is maybe why there was a large group of 17 leaving from Hoopers Inlet to walk across a land bridge over the salt marsh. 

At the end of the land bridge, we crossed a style and the gentle slope turned abruptly into a very steep 200m climb straight up Dicks Hill.  The track follows the fence line and is a slippery climb up through paddocks with care needing to be taken to ensure we stayed upright.  The slope was unrelenting and as we climbed higher the view began to unfold behind us with a panoramic view of Hoopers Inlet, Allans Beach  with the bulk of Mt Charles/Poatiri dominating the skyline.

Reaching the false summit  just below Dicks Hill was a welcome place to rest, catch our breath and take a few photos before continuing on to the top where we crossed another style and followed the track down to Sandymount Road where memories were retold and photo's taken as we took the stairs down the bank to the road that I had helped dig 30 years ago.

The next section of the trip was a short road walk up Sandymount Road to the historic lime kilns where we took the 5 minute detour to see the kiln which had been built in the 1860's and was in use until the early 1900's.  As the weather was nice and it was a warm, sheltered spot so we took the opportunity for a morning tea break. 

After our short break and a team photo or two we headed back to the Sandymount Road which we followed it uphill to Highcliff Road and then another 20 minutes to the Harbour Cone track. It was along this stretch of road that a light misty rain started to fall and then the cold wind picked up so the possibility of climbing Harbour Cone was dismissed and instead we plunged down the hill, threading our way through some ancient marcrocarpa trees to the stone ruins of an historic house where we each found a sheltered spot amongst the stone walls to eat lunch.  

Thankfully the light rain had stopped but the temperature remained cold so lunch was a rather hurried affair with  everyone keen to move on before becoming too cold.  After lunch we back tracked for a short distance before following the fence line down into a gully which had us scratching our heads a little as the track seemed to lead into a patch of native bush with no obvious way out.  In the end we took the path of least resistance that headed in the direction we wanted to go i.e. downhill.  It took more time than expected to get down through the bush with 17 people clambering over roots and through vines while slipping and sliding down the hill.  Eventually we all emerged from the bush at the bottom of the hill where we regrouped before wandering through the paddocks, around the boggy bits, crossing a couple of fences and over a small hill or two.  

The track took us back onto flat land and by following the markers we completed a loop by reaching the path that we had followed on the way in, just where it reached the steep climb up Dicks Hill.  The temperature down in the gully, out of the wind was much warmer than higher on the hill and we were able to take our time and enjoy the scenery around us. 

From here it was only a short walk back down the gentle slope, across the land bridge and back to the cars four hours and 8.4km after starting.  This is a part of the peninsula that I had not spent much time on or  tracks that I had walked before and I had enjoyed the day with wonderful views of the surrounding landscape, particularly of areas that we have recently visited during the #100 trips

#60 of 100 trips for 100 years - Green Hut Site - 90th Anniversary 3 June 2023

 

Today's trip to Green Hut Site in the Silver Peaks was a special one as on this day 90 years ago, 3 June 1933, the clubs first hut, just below Green Hill was opened.  Taking just three months to build the hut, it became the main base of club activity in the Silver Peaks until the late 1940's when Jubilee Hut was built and became more important to the club.  Sadly Green Hut was removed in 1988 due to vandalism and today there is just a small clearing amongst the bush to mark the site. 

Maybe it was the promise of cake or maybe it was because the winter sun was shining  - whatever the reason, 21 people gathered at 10 am for the one hour walk to celebrate Green Hut's 90th birthday.  A mixture of older club members who remembered the hut, members from the Green Hut track cutting group and newer club members with no knowledge of the hut gathered  for the 60m climb up the hill.  Usually this first climb is at a fast pace but today with some of the older club members present, the climb was at a leisurely pace which gave us time to chat to the people in front and behind as the track wound it's way through the manuka. 

After reaching the crest of the climb, the track sidles around on the contour line and we were able to stop and admire the expansive views of the Silver Peaks. Our destination was visible, just below the dip in the ridge line with Green Peak slightly in front of and to the left of the Pulpit Rock which is the dominating peak from this angle.  (Green Hut site is marked with a red X in the picture below)

The trees have grown a lot over the 35+ years that I have been coming to the Silver Peaks and even more so from 90 years ago when Green Hut was built.  90 years ago, bullocks were used to drag a wagon over the tussock tops to the ridge above Green Hut Site and then the hut building material was carried by hand down to the site.  Today the landscape is completely different and the trees would make that task impossible.

There has been a lot of work on the track in recent years with the surface being a lot drier and not so much mud as in previous years, in fact despite being early winter and having had a number of wet days recently, the track is in surprisingly good condition.  Because the track was in such good condition we were able to take our time and look around, being rewarded with glimpses between the trees of wonderful views looking towards Swampy Summit on our left and to the hills inland on our right. 

After an hour of walking, we arrived at Green Hut Site which was to be the place of our celebrations. The area today is hardly recognizable as the original site as the trees have grown, covering the hill behind where the hut was as well as growing on the actual hut site.  We were very heartened to see the two seats that were recently installed by the Green Hut Track Group were still in place and some of the group wasted no time in making use of them.   As was fitting for the occasion, a couple of speeches were made giving a brief outline of the hut and it's history along with the establishment of the Green Hut Track Group who maintain the tracks in the Silver Peaks. 

After the cake cutting ceremony it was time to find a place in the sun for lunch and a chat with those around you.  Some of the fitter, more enthusiastic of the group decided to head up Green Hill, arriving back in time to join the rest of the group on the walk back to the cars.  We retraced our steps, stopping often to admire the views and enjoy the sun.

During the walk, it was great to see the camaraderie of the OTMC with those fitter, walking alongside and encouraging the older club members, swapping stories of past trips in the Silver Peaks and memories of Green Hut.  All up a shorter day trip with only two hours of walking and a trip I was very pleased to have been apart of.

#59 of 100 trips for 100 years - Pine Hill Road - Leith Valley Road (via Cowan Road, Three Peaks, Cloud Forest Track) 28 May 2023

 

This day trip is mainly a road walk with the addition of the Cloud Forest of Leith Track and is part of the #100 trips as we follow in the footsteps of members of the OTC 100 years ago who would have walked similar distances  before they got to the start of the trip.  Like trip #22 we weren't sure how many would be keen for a road walking trip so were pleasantly surprised when 11 people gathered at Woodhaugh Gardens. 

Starting at only 20m above sea level we walked along the side of The Leith through Woodhaugh Gardens then along Malvern Street for a couple of kilometres before turning off onto Patmos Avenue. It is here that the real work began as we started on the 560m climb towards Mt Cargill/Kapukataumahaka.  Patmos Avenue winds it's way up the hill, passing from houses into farm land.  We managed to catch glimpses of Bishopsgrove which is a large historic home built in the 1880's for Dunedin's first bishop as we continued up the hill.  We only had a brief rest to admire the view of the city as we crossed the bridge over Dunedin's Northern Motorway.

After crossing the motorway there is a steep section of road before joining Pine Hill Road which marked the halfway point of the height we needed to climb. Luckily we didn't realise it at the time or maybe some of us would have turned around here but with the top of the hill beckoning we continued onwards and upwards.  Cowan Road was reached and this road is one of those roads that just keeps on giving with 250m of height gained over 2.5km on a straight road. It was deceiving as we thought we had reached the top but there was always another small rise to climb, eventually though at 560m we reached the turn off to the Three Peaks Track where we thankfully stopped for a drink and snack break. 

We had been down the Three Peaks and Cloud Forest tracks in February for trip #30 when the temperatures were over 30C, today it was much cooler with around 10C so the green tunnel of interlocking branches was not quite so welcoming as previously.  The track was slippery in places and required some concentration to stay upright but not to be deterred we plunged on down the track, coming out on a four wheel drive track that sidled around the hill to the power lines and a fantastic view overlooking Waitati, Warrington and down the coast to Karitane and inland to the Silver Peaks.

The next part of our trip took us down the Cloud Forest of Leith track which is a rough track through the forest, climbing over fallen logs, stepping around tree roots, forging through mud puddles and pushing through ferns.  This track has everything a forest in the clouds has to offer while winding it's way through the native forest, crossing a number of small streams with board walks covering some of the muddier sections. After a half hour of this fun, we emerged at Sullivans Dam covered in varying amounts of mud for a well deserved lunch break on the shore of the picturesque dam.

The final six or so kilometres is back to road walking with about half of that on a gravel road. The gravel road section follows the Leith down through a gorge with steeply forested sides allowing very little sunlight to reach the bottom during the shorter winter days while the sealed section is flatter with houses along the river bank.  As it is all downhill, a good pace was set and with very little traffic we could walk and talk with others in the group.  Eventually we had retraced our footsteps and arrived back at Woodhaugh where we had started about 5 hours and 18.6km of mainly road walking with around 680m of ascent.

#58 of 100 trips for 100 years - Hermit's Cave (Silver Peaks) 21 May 2023

There have been a number of trips into the Silver Peaks during the #100 trips and we had been past the Hermit's Cave on trip #5 but today we were going to take a detour to visit one of the caves used by the hermit of the Silver Peaks in the late 1950's  While there have been around 20 trips to the Hermit's Cave since 1967, it is rarely visited these days so it was heartening to have 12 people arrive for the start of what was to be an adventure to a part of the Silver Peaks that only two or three people on the trip had been to before. 

The walk started as most trips to the Silver Peaks do, with a one hour walk into the Green Hut site. Despite the track being wet underfoot and quite sloppy with mud, we made good time to the hut site where we were pleased to see that there have been two recently installed seats.  Most of us took the opportunity to sit on these new seats and enjoy a snack before tackling the next uphill section. 

The track from the Green Hut site climbs up a number of extremely muddy steps through the last of the bush to the ridge where the views started to open up with Pulpit Rock ahead of us, Mosgiel and Saddle Hill to the left and Waitati and the coast line to the right. The climb towards Pulpit Rock is a steep 200m climb along an exposed ridge where the recent heavy rains had scoured out the track .  The pace up the hill was relentless and we regrouped at the base of Pulpit Rock giving us time to look around and admire the view.  From this great vantage point we were able to pick out places that we had recently been to during the #100 trips.

The next section of track is a sidle around the head of the Painted Forest to reach the turn off along Rocky Ridge.  The Painted Forest is another little visited part of the Silver Peaks and got its name because the green forest looked painted amongst the silvery/gold tussock of the Silver Peaks.  Today the tussock tops are being taken over by scrub and the painted forest doesn't look as out of place as it once did. 

The turn off to Rocky Ridge is not marked and is often overlooked, however  it is obvious for those who know what to look for.  While most people on on this trip had not been along Rocky Ridge, no one showed any hesitation to take the indistinct trail and we were soon swallowed by the head high scrub as we tried our best to stick to the obscure and unmaintained track.  In places the track can be difficult to follow but once your feet find the track, it's best to trust them and just keep going while pushing through the scrub.

It was along Rocky Ridge that we started to really feel the cold wind blowing over the exposed ridge.  One way to keep warm was to simply keep moving.  Once amongst the Cat's Teeth we were able to shelter behind the large rock tors while waiting to regroup.  On a fine day such as today, the views all along the ridge are spectacular and. it is easy to see where the name Rocky Ridge came from. In places we were able to look a head to the rocks that are home to the Hermits Cave - that is if you know where to look.

 

Before we knew it, we had reached the turn off to Hermits Cave and again, this was another of those indistinct routes that you would miss if you didn't know where it was.  What can only be loosely described as a vague route drops steeply off the side of the ridge and requires both hands to keep yourself upright as you slip and slide your way down through the vegetation.  The best form of attack was to keep the person in front of you within sight but this was difficult as at times small trees appeared to swallow the person and it was a matter of pushing through and keeping moving.

 

The small cave about 30m down from the ridge is often mistaken for Hermits Cave but those of us who have been there before know to continue steeply down the hill for around 120m  before sidling to the right under the rock bluffs and eventually (after most have given up hope) you will stumble across the entrance to Hermits Cave.The descent to Hermits Cave requires a sense of adventure and confidence in your navigation skills.

It is obvious that this is the real Hermits Cave because it is dry, very sheltered on all sides and has more 'home comforts' than any other cave in the immediate vicinity.  From my last visit here 4 years ago, the chimney is no longer standing but there are more  bottles and billies for water collection and there is the addition of an indoor plant.

Hermits Cave was a good place for lunch as it is sheltered and enough room inside and out for such the large group.  There was lots of discussion about what it would have been like living here for 3 years, including surviving 3 cold winters by yourself in this remote part of the Silver Peaks.  All too soon lunch was over and it was time to head back up the hill to the ridge.  What had seemed steep on the way down, was just as steep going up and required both hands to help pull yourself up the steepest parts.  After a lot of huffing and puffing, all 12 of us were happy to regain ridge.  The wind was still cold on the ridge and we didn't linger long before retracing our route as best we could along the indistinct track on Rocky Ridge.

After Rocky Ridge, reaching the main Silver Peaks track is like walking on a highway and while the track is still muddy in places and gouged out by recent rain, it is easy to follow and you have time to look around and appreciate your surroundings.  We made fast time down the main track to Green Hut Site where we took the opportunity to sit on the new seats and have an afternoon snack and while it was still cold, we were out of the wind. 

The final hour of walking is along Green Ridge from the hit site to Mountain Road and we have completed this part of the track a number of times over the #100 trips.  It has been interesting to see the changes of the track from a hard, dry surface in the summer to wet and muddy now. There has been some track maintenance with trees being cut back along the sides of the track and the colours of the manuka forest have changed with the different weather and progression of seasons. Over all it was an enjoyable day in the Silver Peaks where 18km and around 700m of ascent was covered in 7 hours.