Aug 09 2017

Millennium Track

Published by under Both Hikers & Trampers

Click !!!Taieri River Geology!!! for background information.

Wardells’ Cottage abt 25 km from car park.
High tides flood the access road and this has happened to us more than once. N.B. Programme Committee! Avoid high tides forecast near the the hours of 9.00 a.m. or 2.00-3.00 p.m.

17. 9/8/2017. Hikers. Millennium Track. Leaders: Bob and Lesley.
20 Hikers set out on this bush walk along the Taieri River. The usual wet portions were muddy following all the rain. There were a few small slips onto the track and a few bites out of the lower side, but all negotiable. The track was carpeted with leaves and twigs. Morning tea was at the usual spot down beside the river…

(Wyn pic.)

…and lunch at John Bull Gully.

(Wyn pic.)

This track with many silver ferns and birds is a favourite for many members. We ALL adjourned to The Black Swan for refreshments. – Lesley.

16. 29/7/2015. Hikers. Millennium Track. Leaders: Helen, Bev.
iPhone GPS route map

iPhone Nike app route map of Millennium Track trek.

Our day started with some rain so we had morning tea early at house at start.
Morning tea out of the rain

The 20 Hikers having morning tea out of the rain (John pic)

!!!Click here to get John’s video of us sheltering in the old house verandah!!!

By then the rain had stopped so had a lovely walk led by Helen at front and Bev at the back. Lunch in the ordered sunshine at the tables at John Bull’s gully.

Lunch (1) (John pic)

Lunch (1) (John pic)

Lunch (2) (John pic)

Lunch (2) (John pic)

Slight rain as we started back then the sun again.Nice to see the river through the trees with the leaf drop. Back to cars and through some water on the road. High tide.
Coffee at Wal’s ended our enjoyable day. – Helen

15. 5/10/2014. Both. Millennium Track. Leaders: Les and Margaret.
Tea break

Tea break

Lunch at John Bull Gully

Lunch at John Bull Gully

14. 24/7/2013. Hikers. Millennium Track. Leaders: Les and Margaret.
13. 15/6/2011. Hikers. Millennium Track. Leaders: George, Dorothy
12. 18/8/2010. Both. Millennium Track. Medium- Leader: Lesley St.
Four Trampers unable to do their tramp came with Hikers but walked further to the seat. – Ian
11. 9/9/2009 Hikers. Millennium Track. Medium-. Leaders: Evelyn, Graham
10. 21/1/2009. Hikers. Millennium Track.  Easy+. Hikers Leaders: Les, Margaret, Bev
9. 2/4/2008 Leaders: P McLean, L Gowans
Should we split up?

Should we split up?

Being the first tramp of the month, trampers and hikers combined to walk a good old standby, the Millennium Track down the Taieri River from the old Wardells house. It was a substitute for Berwick Forest which is presently difficult to gain access to. Although only 16 turned out, with many trampers noticeably absent, it was still a good day out, starting cold but improving. In spite of being a frequently used tramp, it’s a lovely piece of bush to take your time in and enjoy and the bird life is a joy to hear. A feature of the walk for the trampers was that 11 walked on beyond John Bull Gully to sample the recently broadened track as far as the seat at the high point of the track. The gradient had been realigned with all steps eliminated, sometimes however making for steep slopes. With the pine plantation gone, we were surprised to see that bullibulli

Bullibulli colonising the slop

Bullibulli colonising the slope

has largely colonised the area. A delightful surprise on the return walk was a juvenile harrier hawk (?)

Juvinile Harrier Hawk?

Juvenile Harrier Hawk? (But see comments below post.)

perched on a broken trunk which quite calmly allowed us to photo it. The 5 of us who chose to go just to the picnic spot by the river really had a very happy time, taking in the scenery, having our lunch and walking back to cars in a leisurely way. – Bev and Ian

8. 5/12/2007. Both. Millennium Track. Easy. Leaders: Lex, Dot T
Wood Pigeon nr track start

Wood Pigeon nr track start (5/12/2007)

Tea stop. Doug M, Neil, Bob H

Tea stop. Doug M, Neil, Bob H (5/12/2007)

Track through newly-cleared plantation. Doug M, Bill

Track through newly-cleared plantation. Doug M, Bill (5/12/2007)

7. 7/3/2007 Leaders: Evelyn C, Bob & Evelyn
6. 13/9/2006. Hikers. Millennium Track. Henley. Easy. Leaders: Lesley G, Chris
5. 19/10/2005. Both. Millennium Track from Henley. Leaders: Ray and Diana, Dorothy S
4. 12/1/2005. Hikers. Millennium Track, Henley. Leaders: Betty B, Dot T
3. 17/4/2004 Trampers. Millennium Track, Henley. Trampers. Medium. Leaders: Glenys P, Wendy B. Easy. Hikers: Jack & Rosemary
2. 7/5/2003 Both. Millennium Track from Henley. Easy. Leaders: Evelyn C, Wendy J, Ray, Les W
Reflections

Reflections

Bull Creek lunch. Evelyn, Bill, Lex, Doug Pat

Bull Creek lunch. Evelyn, Bill, Lex, Doug Pat (7/5/2003)

1. 21/8/2002. John Bull – Taieri Mouth from Wardells Henley. Medium. Leaders: Claude, Ian, Donny.

6 responses so far




6 Responses to “Millennium Track”

  1. falco1  Steve Lawrenceon 06 Oct 2009 at 10:38 am

    hi, the photo of the ?juvenile harrier hawk looks more like a falcon- even better! Cant tell from the photo if it is a juvenile though.

    Reply

  2. ianf  Ianon 06 Oct 2009 at 11:21 am

    Thanks for that, Steve. I will ask our club bird expert (who wasn’t with his when I took that pic, and who is presently on the Galapagos Islands (!!), when she returns, to confirm your identification.

    Reply

  3. ianf  Ianon 30 Oct 2009 at 5:08 pm

    Lesley Gowans’ reply: “Hi Ian,I’ve had a great adventure and it’s good to be safely home. I agree with Steve that the photo is of a Falcon and should be reported to Dave Bell who is collating national Falcon sightings.He is at dave.bell@xtra.co.nz Lesley Gowans.”

    Reply

  4. ianf  Ianon 01 Nov 2009 at 10:03 am

    Thanks Ian, always great to get sightings in from coastal Otago.

    If you want to know more about what we are up to and information on falcons you can check out the website http://www.nzfalcon.org.nz

    Dave

    Reply

  5. avtecracing  Shawnon 08 Jul 2010 at 4:27 pm

    Me and a friend walked along this track for a few minutes b4 running into a wild boar and quickly retreating.

    Is this common? What can we do to ensure our safety while on this track?

    Reply

  6. ianf  Ianon 08 Jul 2010 at 5:32 pm

    Thanks for your query, Shawn.
    A member of our club, an experienced hunter, replies as follows:
    “Pigs have very poor eyesight but good hearing and smell. So if you are a reasonable distance away from them, and just stand perfectly still and quiet, they will probably not see you.
    Also, if they have a means of escape, they would probably choose that instead of charging.
    I would think that they would only charge if they were angry or cornered.
    Common? No. Still, it is good to remember that when walking in the bush/countryside, it is possible to come across wild animals at any time.”
    Good tramping.

    Reply

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