#95 of 100 trips for 100 years - Nicols Creek to Pineapple Point by night 28 September 2023

The trip tonight was a change from our usual day trip as 12 people gathered at the Nicols Falls car park at 7.30pm for a moonlight walk.  We headed up the wide Nicols Falls track for about 7 minutes to the gorge  which is popular for glow worm viewing.  The damp air from the creek and the narrow, fern covered walls of the gorge are a haven for glow worms.  Sadly we were a little early as it was still too light for the glow worms so we ventured into the gorge further, keeping dry feet as we crossed the creek and spent 15 minutes eagerly watching the gorge walls, waiting for the mysterious glow worms to reveal themselves in the gathering gloom.  From the gorge we retraced our steps a few metres back down the track before turning off onto the track that wound it's way up hill, through the bush to Pineapple Point

Those that had the foresight to bring head torches turned them on and up the hill we continued, stopping every so often to keep the party together and ensure that no one wandered off at any of the track junctions that we passed.  On up the hill we went, through a grassy clearing and back into the bush, scaring a pig happily rooting in the undergrowth until we came along and off along the track it raced, disappearing into the dark once it reached the end of the light from our torches.  After about an hour of magical walking by torchlight where our focus was as far as our torches would light or, for those without a torch,  the pair of feet directly in front of us, we emerged out of the bush onto the Pineapple Track and made the short detour to Pineapple Point where we were rewarded with wonderful views of the city by night.  The lookout at Pineapple Point is the perfect place to lookout with the lights of the city strung out before us and the full moon overhead.  

We spent some time here, admiring the view before the cold wind drove us down the Pineapple Track into the shelter of the trees.  Not wanting the night to end too quickly, we took the McGouns Track, continuing our walk through the bush, lit only by our head torches.  Once back to the road, it was an easy 1km road walk back to the cars.  Everyone agreed that it had been a fun 2 hour, 6.5km walk in the moonlight and one they would happily repeat.

#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. 

#94 of 100 trips for 100 years - Hightop - Greengage - Raingauge - Swampy Ridge circuit 24 September 2023

 

Like so many other trips into the Silver Peaks, we started at Mountain Road with a 60m climb up to Green Ridge where we settled into a comfortable pace for the hour walk into Green Hut Site.  The track is a little muddy in places after all the recent rain but overall the condition has much improved from previous years.  Once at Green Hut Site we stopped for a morning tea break while the group of 5 watched Antony attach the plaque to one of the seats that had been erected at the site, ready for the centenary weekend in four weeks time.  

Once that task had been completed, we walked back along the track for about 5 minutes to the Greengage Track turn off which is a short but steep climb to point 588 where we stopped briefly to admire the views.  We had wonderful views in all directions with Pulpit Rock in the Silver Peaks dominating our view with other high points such as Saddle Hill Swampy Summit and Mt Watkin easily visible. We made the most of this, our last vantage point before dropping down the ridge to Silver Steam at the bottom. 

The next couple of hours saw us take our time dropping 400m steeply down Greengage ridge.  The track is easy to follow with recent maintenance, however the steepness of it meant that it became a game of moving from tree to tree and making sure of secure footing.  Even then, the slippery leaves underfoot meant that an unplanned sit down happened at least once for most members of the group during the descent.  The nearer the bottom, the steeper it became until we eventually reached a bluff with a rope dropping down to the stream at the bottom.  This tricky obstacle required some careful negotiation as the rope ended before reaching the bottom which meant a bit of a stretch/drop was required while dangling from the rope.  We were sadly mistaken if we thought our troubles were over because once at the bottom it was time for wet feet as the stream crossing reached just below the knees then it was a muddy scramble up the bank out of the stream.  There was no room to stop as we used the tree roots to pull ourselves up the next 200m near vertical to  the ridge.  It was quite tiring and we were glad when the ridge was gained and the gradient was not so steep.  We stopped at the first clearing for lunch which was the Greengage/Raingage junction where we enjoyed a chance to sit down and rest. 

From the track juction, we were onto a fairly easy track that wound it's way through the trees, climbing steadily as we continued towards Swampy Summit.  Once out of the trees, we were rewarded with fantastic views looking into the Silver Peaks and back over the area that we had just come through.  After about 45 minutes walking we reached the turn off that avoids the top of Swampy Summit and cuts around below the summit.  Now the fun really started as the track deteriorated into a muddy, boggy path which had been churned up by wild cattle.  While we did our best to avoid the worst of the mud, it was inevitable that we would all end up with mud half way up our legs at some stage. 

There seemed to be some sections of the track worse than others and we made good time on the drier parts and during these drier sections, we had time to look around at our surroundings.  We watched as the rain skirted around us but gave the Silver Peaks a drenching.  We were thankful to stay dry and keep our jackets in our bags while Pulpit Rock and other high points in the Silver Peaks were shrouded in rain.

As we continued on towards the track junction with Green Ridge the mud seemed to get deeper and more widespread until it got to the stage where it was impossible to avoid.  Memories of trip #18 along this section of track back in December came flooding back along with the sight of huge hoof prints from the wild cows that roam the area. Thankfully we didn't see any of the animals that made those large hoof prints but we did hear them. 

Just when we had almost given up hope of reaching dry ground again we turned the corner and the ground firmed underfoot.  The next couple of kilometres of walking was easy and we made good time around the base of Hightop to the Green Ridge junction where we barely paused for breath before starting the final 1km stretch of track back to the cars.  When we had walked along this section of track this morning, we had done our best to avoid the odd muddy patch but now we knew what real mud was so just walked through the mud. All up it was a really good day's walk of 15.3km over 7.5 hours which also included 1000m of ascent/descent

#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

#92 of 100 trips for 100 years - Dunedin to Waitati to Dunedin 17 September 2023

Today's trip follows on from trip #22 which was to recreate some of the ways that the early Otago Tramping Club members got to their tramping destination - with a long road walk.  This time we recreated the walk from Dunedin to Waitati and return.  It was an early start at 7am because we wanted to avoid most of the traffic on the narrow Mt Cargill Road and not surprisingly there were only four of us undaunted in the rain, sheltering under the veranda at the Gardens Mall at 7am.  By the time we started walking, the rain had stopped and we enjoyed an easy gradient for the first two and half kilometres up North East Valley.  Once at Normanby, we followed in the early trampers footsteps by continuing along the flat of Norwood Street before taking our jackets off and starting the steep 200m climb to Upper Junction.

The higher we climbed, the more the views of farmland opened out around us.  We passed a couple of paddocks of curious cows who watched us with the hopeful look of being fed.  On we continued until we reached historic Upper Junction where we visited the site of the Upper Junction School and war memorial site in memory of former pupils killed during the first World War  as we had done on trip #19.  Knowing that the roads from here are narrow and wanting to get as much of this section of road done before the traffic started, we didn't stop for long.  This part of the walk was quite enjoyable as the gradient continues to climb slowly while the road traverses around the side of the hill with wonderful views, looking over the Otago Harbour,  Harbour Cone and Mt Charles.

We stopped at top of the Grahams Bush track for a morning tea break and were happy with our progress and especially the lack of traffic on the narrow road.  By now we had done all the climbing on this section of the trip so we were able to relax a little as we started on the gentle downhill, past the quarry and along the narrow road with only a couple of cars passing us.  During this part of the road walk we were rewarded with views of Rocky Ridge, the back bone of the Silver Peaks as it stood out against the skyline.

The further around the hill we walked and the lower we dropped the warmer it felt and we marveled at the change in weather from the cold rain first thing this morning,  Dunedin was living up to it's reputation of four seasons in one day.  As we dropped down towards Waitati we had good views of Warrington and Blueskin Bay where the tide was out, exposing the sandy bottom of the bay. 

We left the sealed road and started down on the gravel of Donalds Hill Road, where we could look across to the Northern Motorway which we would be crossing soon at the bottom of the hill before winding our way up Waitati Valley Road.  During this section of the walk, we were enchanted by the new born lambs gamboling about the paddocks on legs that looked too long and unsteady while their mothers kept a weary eye on us.

Once at the bottom of the hill, we had to watch for a gap in the traffic as it zoomed past on the motorway, waiting for our opportunity to dash across and on to the relative safety of the graveled Waitati Valley Road.  It was a nice surprise to realise that we were over half way in our journey and it had only taken us 3.5 hours.  With that happy thought in our heads, we elected to stop for a second morning tea break.  Once replenished with a snack and drink we started the long nearly 400m uphill climb to Leith Saddle over 6 km of road walking.  The gravel road hugs the hillside, winding in and out of the gully's as it climbs steadily forever up the hill.  

We started to have more cars passing us on this section of road and thankfully we could hear them coming so could move out of the way.  Apart from the constant climbing up, this section was quite pleasant to walk as we were serenaded up the hill with birdsong and there was plenty of farm life to look at as we passed.  As we climbed higher the views started to open again and we were able to look back down to Waitati and Blueskin Bay with the rolling farmland in front.

Reaching Leith Saddle was a milestone as it marked the end of our climbing for the day - it was all downhill from here and once we had crossed the motorway again, it also meant that we were on the home stretch. We stopped at Sullivans Dam for lunch and enjoyed the brief half hour sit down watching the light play on the water of the dam while filling our bellies.  The final 10km stretch saw us powering down Leith Valley Road until we reached the sealed Malvern Street where we were back onto city streets again and were able to admire some of the beautiful spring flowers,  magnolia and cherry blossom along the way.  We crossed over the Leith and into the Woodhaugh Gardens before reaching our cars 6.5 hours and 33.2 km after starting.

#91 of 100 trips for 100 years - Mt Grand from Frasers Gully 16 September 2023

This short afternoon walk was based on a trip from 100 years ago where 35 club members walked from Burnside to the Southern Reservoir then over paddocks to Mt Grand Reservoir and back to Kaikorai via Frasers Gully.  Despite the forecast for afternoon showers,  11 of us turned up at Frasers Gully enthusiastic for an afternoon's walk.  The sky was overcast but the temperature was warm and we wasted no time in tackling the Fraser's Gully track which starts off wide and flat walking alongside the Kaikorai Stream.  This area is popular with dog walkers and today was no exception as we passed a number of dogs and their owners along the way.  As the track climbs the 140m to Dalziel Road, it narrows significantly, being wide enough for only one person at a time, although it stays dry underfoot with no mud in sight.  We reached Dalziel Road before we knew it and the walk along Dalziel Road took no time as we reached Mt Grand reservoir  45 minutes after leaving the cars at Fraser Gully. 

We had a quick drink and wondered if we would be able to circumnavigate the reservoir but then spied a locked gate blocking our access so we elected to return back to the cars. The return journey saw us taking an alternative route, down the other side of the Kaikorai Stream.  The track follows the contour as it wanders around behind the houses of Brockville before reaching an open area  that has recently been replanted in native bush and this marked the start of the descent down to the creek.

Once at the bottom of the hill, we crossed the Kaikorai Stream at a dry ford so we were able to keep dry feet and then it was a short walk back to the cars, only 1.5 hours after leaving and 6.2km distance and not a drop of rain in sight.

#90 of 100 trips for 100 years - Trotters Gorge 10 September 2023

 

The first OTC trip to Trotters Gorge was in 1930 where they traveled by train to the closest station, however with no train available today, twelve people took the easier option of a one hour car drive to Trotters Gorge.  The plan was for two short walks with each following a different tributary of Trotters Creek.  The first walk took us around the Trotters Gorge Loop Track which takes around 1.5 hours with the track entering the native podocarp bush at the southern end of the picnic area and follows the creek past impressive river sculptured cliffs and caves. Leaving the creek, the track climbs 100m through broadleaf forest to the ridge where we made the short detour to the bluffs which are hard, rough rocks with fossils visible. These ancient sedimentary rocks are very old and were deposited during the period when Zealandia was still separating from Gondwana.   We scrambled up onto the bluffs and were rewarded with views that looked out to the coast and further into the gorge itself, seeing the wonderful exposed rock formations that are the result of ancient braided rivers that deposited sediment en masse as the river flowed to the sea. 

We found a nice spot for a morning tea break before heading down the other side of the ridge, through native kanuka forest back to the gorge which we followed back to the picnic ground at the start.  Being too early for lunch we continued on our walk, first crossing the creek and following a narrow path through a rock tunnel and along beside Trotters Creek where we marveled at the clear water. This would be a magic spot during summer with so many perfect swimming holes, each surrounded by the lush, green bush.  

After crossing the creek several times, although none were difficult crossings with the creek being so low,  we reached the Otago University Tramping Club's hut where we stopped for an early lunch.  This hut and large flat area in front of it has been popular for OTMC socials and picnics over the years, particularly with the deep swimming hole right out the front of the hut.  Sadly today, the swimming hole is no more as it has been filled with gravel as the result of numerous floods over the years, despite this, the hut is still a nice place to visit and we made use of the deck for lunch.  After eating, we headed further up the creek, crossing a couple more times before climbing a small hill to a rocky outcrop where some of us ventured out onto the rocky promontory for more great views. 

From this vantage point we were able to see more of the wonderful rock bluffs that had been carved out many millennia ago.   The wilding pines and gorse are getting a good foothold on the cliffs and it will only be a few more years before the impressive rock bluffs are lost behind a wall of trees. From this vantage point we were able to look down onto the track that we walked along before climbing up onto the rocky bluff. 

Knowing that others were waiting on us, we scrambled back along the rocky shoulder to the safety of the trees and clambered back down to the track where we able to look back up to where we had been standing earlier.  Impressive to see the sheer rock cliffs that we had been standing on and glad to be back on firm ground again, although it is sad to see the wilding pines taking over.  

Once back at the bottom of the cliff it was a fast 40 minute walk back along the side of Trotters Creek with it's numerous crossings before we caught up with the tail end of the group just as they were arriving back at the picnic area.  It had been a fun day with two short walks that had only whetted our appetite to come back and explore the area a bit more.