#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.

#89 of 100 trips for 100 years - Nicols Creek - Powerline Track - Morrisons Burn 9 September 2023

 

While the trip today was over part of last weekend's route, the weather was a complete contrast - from last weekend's mist with no views to stunning blue skies and spectacular views galore!  Seven of us set off from the Nicols Creek car park with the first 1.5km being a road walk up Leith Valley Road to the Morrison Burn track, which we had come down on trip #15.  After passing through the gate, the Morrison Burn track follows a maintenance road for a short distance before turning off onto a track through the native bush.  The track winds it's way uphill, over tree roots and through the odd muddy section, under gnarly fushia trees, through ferns and beneath the giant fern leaves of the punga.  After about half an hour we emerged out of the bush onto the Powerline track, which as the name suggests, follows a row of powerlines to the top. The higher we climbed, the more the views opened out behind with the vegetation changing to the flax. 

Taking our time we continued uphill climbing 600m from the car park to the top of Swamp Summit where we stopped for a breather and take in the views.  Deciding that it was too early in the day to head back down, we took a detour over the top of Swampy Summit.  First we followed the gravel road to the Flight Radar or UFO as it is commonly referred to.  From here we could see into the Silver Peaks, up the coast to Karitane and inland to the Rock and Pillars. The panoramic views really are spectacular from here.

Next we took the detour through the tussock to the Swampy Lagoons which we had been to on  trip #9.  There is no track to the lagoons and the ground under foot was mostly sphagnum moss so was very wet . The trick was to try and judge which bits would sink and which would bear your weight - we each had our own method with varying degrees of success.  There are a number of small lagoons and a couple of larger ones and we arrived at the larger one with mostly dry feet.  The colours in the lagoons is breathtaking with the calm, black water of the lagoon perfectly reflecting the browns, greens, yellows and oranges of the surrounding tussock. 

We each found a dry spot for lunch and enjoyed the beauty of the place while munching on our sandwiches.  After lunch, we were faced with the problem of finding the track again so we made our way through the wet, springy moss, tussock and low scrub as best we could to the track which we followed down Swampy Summit to the Moon Track.  The top part of the Moon Track passes through the tussock, beside an old fence and onto the  mountain bike track which zig zag's down the hill, winding through the large rock tors before passing into the native bush .

At bush line, we diverted off the mountain bike track, onto the walking track which takes a much more direct route down the hill.  The walking track crosses the bike track regularly so care is needed to stick to the walking track.  Despite having seen a number of mountain bikers setting off early in the day, we saw or heard no one on either the walking or biking track. The Moon Track initially drops 300m to a lovely vantage point where we stopped for a short break to take in the stunning views of the city.

Then it was down another 200m back to the cars, passing Nicols Falls where we stopped in the cool of the gorge to catch our breath.  The final push saw us back at the car 6 hours and 16.2km's after starting and no wonder we were feeling a little tired, after having climbed/descended nearly 800m. 

#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