12. 9/5/2018. Trampers. McKendry Road to Maungatuas tramp. Leader: Jill.
On a glorious May morning 13 trampers parked in Horsehoof Station’s paddock at the top of McKendry Road – and immediately began our ascent of “the Hill”.
Start. (Gordon pic.)
Gaining height quickly we were afforded great views over the Taieri.
Smoko break next. (Gordon pic.)
Morning tea was a welcome break from the climb – and time to take in the vista to Saddle Hill and the sea beyond.
Our climb continued before we turned left on to a track that took us down through a lovely beech filled gully and over a pretty stream.
Native bush. (Gordon pic.)
(Don’t think we need to include the photo of Margreet & the gorse bush!)
Then it was onward and upward and upward through native tussock country.
Long slog to lunch stop. (Gordon pic.)
We had lunch at the top corner of Horsehoof – on the boundary with the Maungatua conservation area.
Finally, LUNCH Break. (Gordon pic.)
We headed back down along farm tracks,
All downhill from Woolshed Road back to the cars. (Clive pic.)
We parked the cars under some Gum trees, & walked the short distance to the start of the climb up the “Old Coach Rd” to the top of the Maungatuas.
Climbing ‘The Old Coach Rd’. (Ken pic and caption)
This track was very hard going due to the damage done to it by cattle.
Muddy condition of ‘Old Coach Road’. (Ken pic and caption)
We stopped for morning tea part way up, then continued on for some distance, until deciding to go back down, as it was getting quite windy, & cold, with frequent light showers. We went back down to the Roseburn house, found a spot to have lunch,
Lunch. (Ken pic and caption)
View from lunch spot. (Ken pic and caption)
View from lunch spot (2). (Ken pic and caption)
View from lunch spot by house. (Ken pic and caption)
& then went exploring, to find a better way to the top. After exploring a number of tracks, & even although the farmer had told Doug & Sabina that there was no way up now because of overgrown tracks, we found a way up through an old logging site which would take us right to the top.
Close-up of correct track. (Ken pic and caption)
Correct track to top. (Ken pic and caption)
From there, it was back to the cars, & home again. – Ken.
A hot day with some early steep climbing, but not before George and Glenis led 10 of us down through Roseburn farm homestead to see a dozen or so alpacas. Great.
Alpacas on RoseburnAlpacas up close
Climbing out, we stopped for morning tea with a grand view from the shelter of pines
Cuppa time. Wendy, Ria, Hazel.
before emerging into paddocks exposed to a hot sun. It was then just continual climbing until we emerged at last onto Woolshed Road, a 4WD track along the top joining McKendry Road along the back with Horsehoof Station. It was still a bit early for lunch, so George led us down a 4WD track turn-off that headed towards Maungatua, to lunch under silver beech trees hugging a Woodside-bound stream. The trees provided a leisurely lunch- time shelter and rest.
Lunch. George, Lex, Pat, Wendy.Lunch snooze. Bill.
Climbing back out, we followed the Woolshed- McKendry road down, down, down, enjoying great views of Outram and the Taieri Plain on the way, to reach the cars again near Roseburn Farm. An enjoyable first real sunny day in a long time. – Ian
8. 28/6/2006. Trampers. Horsehoof to Maungauas from McKendry Road. Medium+.
7. 18/6/2003. Trampers. McKendry Road to Maungatuas, returning by farm. Medium. Leaders Shirley McN, Bill and Pat.
6. 27/6/2001. Horsehoof Station from McKendry Road. Medium+. Leaders: Claude, Bill and Pat.
