#98 of 100 trips - Ship at Anchor 8 October 2023

 

The Ship at Anchor is a large, distinctive rock tor on the Lammermoor range near Lake Mahinerangi and is also part of the Te Papanui Conservation Park.  We had been to the southern end of the conservation park during trip #54 and were looking forward to exploring the northern end today.  The drive to Te Papanui Conservation Park takes around an hour and because there are not many trips to Ship at Anchor, it wasn't surprising to have 14 people bundle themselves into cars to make the journey.  Getting out of the cars at the locked gate on the edge of the Conservation Park was a little disconcerting as the cold wind buffeted everyone as they hastily put on more clothes, rain jackets and hats.  The start of the track involves crossing the locked gate and following a four wheel drive track through the tussock and past the large pipes that take water from Deep Stream to Dunedin. 

 

The track steadily climbs 180m to the top of the Lammermoor range before dropping to the weir intake.  It was here that the group gathered behind a small communication hut to shelter from the wind and rain to regroup and taking into consideration the deteriorating weather, the distance and terrain still to go along with the fitness of some of the group, the decision was made for the slower members to leave the main group who would carry onto to Ship at Anchor while the slower group would take an alternative route to the  gold diggings.  Being one of the few who had been to the area before, I volunteered to lead the slower group and this meant that we needed to retrace our steps down the hill and take a side track through the golden tussock following a wide, broad ridge down to Barbours Stream

There is very little of the gold diggings left, just piles of tailings and stone walls are all that remains.  We found a sheltered spot out of the wind to eat lunch and wondered about the hardy people that would have lived and mined here.  We could see the odd rain shower further up on the hills but we were dry, happy and warm beside the stream.  Once replenished with lunch, we faced an almost 200m climb out of the stream back up the wide, broad ridge to the four wheel drive track.  We took our time, stopping often to look around and marvel at the wonderful landscape of rolling hills covered in tussock that changed colour from gold to brown as the sun and cloud chased each other across the sky.  The cold wind continued to buffet us around and we could see dark clouds gathering in the distance so picked up our pace and made it back to the cars before the cold rain and hail arrived.  The fitter group arrived about an hour behind us, cold and wet from having been caught in the rain and hail.  While it was not quite the trip that I had planned, it was still an enjoyable day out in a picturesque place - a place that I hope to revisit on a sunnier and warmer day. 

#97 of 100 trips - Opoho Creek - Signal Hill - Ravensbourne (loop) 7 October 2023

 

The day was warm and despite the trip starting a little later at 1pm, 10 people arrived keen to explore the area behind Logan Park.  Starting on the Big Easy mountain bike track, we followed Opoho Creek for about a kilometre, past the historic pools of the trout hatchery dating from 1868 were we stopped to learn that this was the birthplace of brown trout being introduced into New Zealand using eggs transported from Tasmania.  The hatchery is no longer in use but the rock lined pools are still clearly visible.  We continued along the Big Easy which is the uphill mountain bike track zig zagging it's way through the native bush at a gradual gradient that belies the height gain.  We took every opportunity to stop and check out the views of the city at every clearing in the bush. 

A steady pace was set and we were able to walk along chatting to others quite happily, stepping aside occasionally for the odd cyclist making their way up the hill.  About an hour of this enjoyable walking saw us reached the Plateau with around 200m of gentle climbing.  The Plateau is a lookout just over half way up hill with seating, drinking fountain and bike repair station at a junction of a number of bike tracks on the flat shoulder of the ridge.  This proved to be the perfect place to stop for a snack and drink with a wonderful backdrop of the city while we were entertained by the mountain bikers heading very fast down hill, some going straight over the jumps while others took the twists and turns at great speed. 

Keeping well clear of the mountain bikers we packed up and quickly crossed the bike paths and were onto a track that we had walked in the other direction nearly a year ago on trip #4  .  We had good views of the harbour all along the track as it dropped in height down to Ravensbourne.  Once we left the track and came out on the streets at the top of Ravensbourne, it was just a matter of following the streets down to the harbour and down it certainly was!  The streets on this side of the hill are a complete contrast to the Big Easy bike track's gentle climb, instead it is a knee jarring, drop down to the Otago harbour. 

Once down the hill, we crossed the road and were onto the cycle/walking trail around the harbour.  From here it was an easy flat walk along the cycle/walk way for a couple of kilometres.  We had walked along here for trip #19 and like that time, there were a number of other walkers and cyclists also using the joint path.  The walking on this section was easy and we made a fast time, turning off the walk/cycle way at the stadium and following the Water of Leith as it wound it's way beside Butts Road and back to the cars.  A fun shorter trip of 9 km over 2 hours and climbing 200m in height.

#96 of 100 trips - Sandymount to Smaills Beach 1 October 2023

 

The change in weather from yesterdays snow and wind was encouraging enough that 10 people turned up for the start of this trip, a coastal traverse on the Pacific Ocean side of the peninsula which also includes some of the places visited on earlier #100 trips.  Starting at Sandymount (trip #71) we headed straight for the 300m descent down the sand dunes to Sandfly Bay.  It's surprising that so much sand has made it's way so far up the hill and it makes for a fun walk down, with some releasing their inner child  by taking long strides and running while managing to stay upright on the way down while others took a more sedate descent. 

Negotiating your way through the sand dunes is reasonably straightforward, as long as you follow the makers which are designed to keep people away from the penguin breeding places.  Once on the beach at Sandfly Bay we had to make a detour or two to avoid some large sealions sunbathing on the beach, near the walking track.  We were treated to a real spectacle with around 20 sea lions on the beach with some lounging on the warm sand and others cavorting in the waves.  We made the most of  this spectacle by choosing a large washed up log on the deserted beach as a good place to sit for a snack break and enjoy the show that the sea lions put on for us.  

Knowing that we had only started and still had a long way to go, we reluctantly continued along the beach, stopping often to watch the antics of the sea lions or take a detour around those that were relaxing in the sun.  As we neared the end of Sandfly Bay we had the 100m climb up the sand dunes and it was here that we started to encounter large numbers of people heading down to the beach.  Sandfly Bay is a popular beach for seeing sea lions and the warm, sunny weather was obviously bringing the people out.  We were glad that we had been there so early.  We stopped to catch our breath at the lookout and admire the view over Sandfly Bay.

The next part of our walk involved some road walking which we had already done on trip #79 so we knew what to expect and walked along in small groups taking this opportunity of easy walking to chat and look around. We passed paddocks with sheep and lambs bouncing around while looking ahead we could see the road leading us to the hill we would need to climb.  This time of year really shows the extent of the problem that gorse has become is highlighted by it's bright yellow flower. 

Following the road right to the end takes us down the hill to Boulder Beach where we had been on trip #57 when the weather had been wet and misty.  Today it could not have been more different as the earlier clouds had cleared and the temperature was starting to rise.  Once near the bottom of the hill, we took a path that twisted and turned through the vegetation to the Boulder Beach where we scrambled over the rocks to the deserted beach which seemed the perfect place to stop for a lunch break.  

While the beach looked deserted we soon discovered that there were a few sea lions sunbathing away from the waters edge.  Often the sleeping sea lions look like a log until one of their flippers is raised like a sail to test the breeze then a head would pop up to check that nothing of interest is happening then after all that effort, the sea lion would lie back down to continue it's snooze.

We spent more time at Boulder Beach than we probably should have but we were in no rush to leave and  packing up after lunch was slow which probably wasn't the wisest choice as the tide had turned while we had enjoyed our relaxed lunch and it was starting to come in, lapping around the edge of the rocky shore of Boulder Beach.  With most in the group never having been all the way along Boulder Beach the decision was made to walk along the beach to the cliffs at the end and then find our way through the vegetation back to the track. 

Again, this was not the wisest decision as  we could not find a track at the far end of the beach despite scouting around looking for one.  In the end we had to climb over the tussock and brush covered sand dunes while being careful not to disturb any hidden sea lions.  There were times we thought we had stumbled onto a track only to discover that it was a track made by a sea lion and we were left to scout around for a better way again.

 After a few false turns, we eventually stumbled onto a trapping track which lead us back the main track.  The temperatures were really starting to rise as we eyed the hill ahead of us. Up close the climb up the hill did not look as daunting as it had from a distance with the track climbed steadily 120m upwards with frequent stops to catch our breath in rising heat and admire the views opening out behind us. Reaching the top of the hill we again took time to sit and soak up the fantastic views, particularly since we could see where we had started at Sandymount earlier that morning (the hill slightly right of centre in the distance) and Boulder Beach was spread out in front of us. 

It would have been nice to stay here for longer but we still had a few kilometres to go so we reluctantly dragged ourselves away and rounded the headland where we again stopped to admire more spectacular views.  We had been spoiled with wonderful vistas today starting at Sandymount with views looking over the harbour towards the harbour mouth, then along the coast over Sandfly Bay and Boulder Beach and now we had the city with Saddle Hill  and the coast line as far as Nugget Point spread out before us.

As we continued heading towards the Karetai Track (trip #53) ,  we were happy to notice that it was downhill all the way.  The track follows a paper road down hill to Smaills Beach and instead of following the paper road all the way to the bottom, we turned off at Pudneys Cliff to admire the sheer cliffs that plummet 100m straight down to the sea.  Thankful that there was not a breath of wind, we followed the narrow path along the cliff top and continued down to Smaills Beach where there was a tricky rocky scramble down a small bluff to the beach.  Happy to be back at sea level again, it was only a short 5 minute walk through the sand dunes back to the cars and everyone agreed that it had been a wonderful 16.2km walk in 5.5 hours with perfect weather and fantastic views

#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