Wallaces Farm on Hope Hill

Distance from car-park: 17 km.

Hope Hill, Wallace’s Farm – Information and Trips Library

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14. 25/1/2023. Trampers. Hope Hill. Grade 4 Leaders: Diane and Marijke

‘Hope Hill’ is a working farm located just south of Allanton. The owners over the years have given the TRTC permission to undertake tramps through their unique property. We parked in a paddock off the State Highway. The morning was clear and warm and 16 trampers were keen to get underway. Ahead of us was a winding farm track up to the top of the hill.  With a few stops along the way to appreciate the views of the Taieri Plain we reached our morning tea stop in around 45 minutes.

After morning tea we continued on the farm track for a bit more time and then we turned left and walked on grassy pasture toward the sea.

The interesting eastern view was unfolding for us and when we made our way up to a trig station we could see it all – Saddle Hill, Blackhead, Taieri Mouth, peninsulas beyond and forestry to the south.

After leaving the trig station we continued walking through the picturesque landscape with the ocean in the background. However, we had to leave this gentle part of the farm and tackle a steep downhill track that eventually led us to a large flat paddock. We followed sheep tracks through the paddock and eventually got to McLaren Gully Road. We turned right and had about 1.5kms to walk on the narrow, dusty gravel road. The road is used extensively by logging trucks. We were thankful that Lyn (one of our trampers) had contacted the haulage company and explained we would be on the road about midday, and they alerted their drivers to take extra care. We managed the road walk without incident. After passing wooded areas and an interesting old house the Hope Hill paddocks came back into view. We turned off the road and into the paddock at the earliest opportunity.

This side of the farm was drier and hotter and so it got a bit tougher for us. Our view now was the Taieri Plan, Dunedin Airport and surrounds.

Our aim was to reach the two prominent cell phone towers near the top of a ridge and have our lunch. However, there was a steep climb for us to reach the towers so needless to say we enjoyed our lunch break when it came.

After lunch we continued climbing but on a gentler slope and then traversed several paddocks back to the farm track we had come up in the morning. We descended the farm track back to our cars.

More downhill Caption and photo Neil

We walked around 14 kilometres and were all pleased to finish around 2.30pm as the day was getting hot and windy.

Thank you to Neil for all his work with helping us through fences and opening and closing gates.

Thank you also to Lyn for coming with us on the recce and helping us on the day.

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13. 28/8/2019. Trampers. Hope Hill. M. Leader: Gordon.

The Hope Hill farm tramp started off at 9.50am, after parking cars in a paddock south of Allanton with 19 enthused trampers.

We followed a farm track straight up a ridge for nearly an hour

which was pretty steep at times, arriving at the top for Smoko amongst some tussocks sheltering  us from a coolish breeze.

The sun was shining brightly and some great views were had from the south end of the Taieri down to Mosgiel. We then set off toward the coast which provided views of Blackhead, Saddle Hill, & Scroggs Hill until we came to the ridge which would lead us down to McLaren Gully road.

It was easy going for a start but got quite steep on the last half,

but thankfully no twisted or broken ankles or knees were reported after reaching the flats at the bottom from where we carried on to the road. After  walking on the road for a while we turned off to start heading back up toward the cell towers where a very welcome sunny spot was found for a much needed lunch break.

After lunch we started back up a gentle gradient track back to our morning smoko spot and down the track a bit further to where we turned off to go down a different ridge to the cars

so that we were walking on grass which most, felt easier on the feet than the gravel track.

We arrived  about 2.30pm, then on to Wals for a great social hour.

A great tramp, great workout, great views, great company. Distance 14kms. – Gordon.

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The tramp was on “Hope Hill” farm, just below Allanton and we parked in the paddock off State Highway 1. To begin, we had a 3/4 hour uphill walk on the farm road, and in doing so gained about 200 metres of altitude.

Morning tea was taken beside an old farm trailer,

giving us a rest after the uphill bit. The weather was overcast, and just touching the top of Maungatua at the time. There were very good views from up on top.

Moving on, after paralleling  the main road south for a short time, we changed direction towards the sea. We were able to view Scroggs Hill, Saddle Hill, Blackhead, and down to Taieri Mouth and beyond at times. The Peninsula was only vaguely visible in the misty conditions though.

Newly-weaned lambs were in the paddocks that we were walking through. Eventually we came to the boundary with the forestry, when the leader realised we had come too far. A little scouting found the top of the track we were to descend, requiring us to backtrack about 300 metres.

We followed a very steep track down through the bush, to emerge into a large paddock of ewes, who baa-ed a greeting to us, wondering where their lambs had got to.

Across the paddocks to McLaren Gully Road. A road walk for a while

before venturing back into the paddocks to climb up to our lunch spot in the shelter of a hut beside the 2 cell phone towers. It was a stiffish climb up to there,

and lunch was eagerly anticipated. The breeze was cool and we sought the shelter. The weather was deteriorating now, the cloud lowering considerably. We were overlooking the airport, but the far side of the plain and far hills disappeared.

It seemed wise to make our lunch stop brief, but we had only started off again when fine drizzle arrived with the cool breeze we were facing into. We were still climbing for a while, but it was a gentle slope. Not too unpleasant.

Return to the cars was planned to take a different route, but we changed our minds due to the conditions, and descended the farm road that we had begun on – not so nice going down on it though.

It started to rain just as we got to the cars, so the timing was good. Keith’s distanceometer indicated that we had walked 14.2 km. A good tramp, giving us all a good workout on the hills – and it had been quite enjoyable, too.

Arriving back in Mosgiel, the cars detoured into “Wals” for a little while. – Art.

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11. 20/4/2016. Hikers. Hope Hill from McLaren Gully Road. M. Leaders: Lester and George.

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10. 16/2/2011. Hikers. Hope Hill from McLaren Road. Moderate. Leaders: Peter and Wendy.

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9. 21/1/2009 Trampers. Wallaces’ Farm on Hope Hill and Forest tracks. Medium. Leaders: Keith, Glenice, George

The Harvard crashed during a flight from Taieri on 16 Sep 1954. Both occupants of the plane, married airmen, were killed instantly when their night trainer hit the hill at an altitude of 2000ft. The men were Flying Officer Roanald Arthur Slade (30), of Dunedin, a territorial officer and Leading-aircraftman R. H Lester (30), a radio mechanic of the Taieri Air Force Station. The aircraft was one of three which left Taieri at 10.15 pm. on a training exercise. (ODT Sat 6 Sep 2009 “Within Living Memory” section).

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8. 28/5/2008. Trampers. Hope Hill from McLaren Road. Easy+. Wallaces’ Farm on Hope Hill Leaders: Ian, Pat

A chilly start in the carpark for a healthy turnout of hikers, trampers and walkers. We celebrated an 80th birthday for Anne Rose, who looked about 50, with several comments along the lines of “Hope I look like that when I’m 60 never mind 80″… A very good advert for the benefits of hiking!

We parked our cars on McLaren Gully Road and started the steep climb up Hope Hill, with someone saying no wonder it was called Hope Hill because you just hoped you would make it to the top. Morning tea was overlooking the Taieri Plains with the Taieri River and the airport down below and a panoramic vista in all directions. George gathered us together on one of the high points to tell us about a tragedy that happened here in the 1950s. A Harvard training aeroplane with 2 people on board crashed into the top of the hill, nose diving into the ground. It was found at the inquest that carbon monoxide had leaked into the plane from a pipe that ran through the cabin overcoming the pilots, probably before the plane crashed. Several people remembered the accident. We continued through Wallace’s farm, in places quite wet and muddy. At a trig we were able to see all along the coast as far as the peninsula, trying to name the headlands we could see. Then we wended our way down to a sheltered spot among some trees for lunch. We were a bit wary of the tall trees, as at a previous spot a large branch had crashed down making us all jump.

After lunch it was down, down, down a steep paddock and then a very steep track

through bush until, along turnip paddocks and wet, wet, wet, we hit McLaren Gully Road again and made our way back down to the cars. Thank you to Pat and Ian for doing the recce on Saturday and Monday and making it a good circular walk. – Tash

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7. 14/6/2006. Trampers. Hope Hill. Easy+. Leaders: George, Bruce.

6. 17/11/2004. Both. Hope Hill from McLaren Road. Leaders: Hazel, George, Lesley G, Lesley S.

5. 10/4/2002. Hope Hill. Medium. Leaders: George, Ria L, Elaine.

4. 13/6/2001. Hope Hill. Medium. Leaders: Myrie and Doug, Audrey K

3. 11/4/2001. Hope Hill. Leaders: Les and Margaret, Bev H.

2. 27/3/1996. Hope Hill. Medium. Leaders: Margaret and Les, Bill H, Lesley S.

1. 7/7/1993. Hope Hill. Easy+. Leaders: Les and Margaret, Ivan and Bev.