07/08/2024. City to Surf. Grade 2. Combined. Leaders: Gail Williams, Karen McInnes, Jenni and Bruce Wright.
Was it a record? Forty six keen members, including one visitor, met at the Otago Yacht Club carpark in Magnet Street for the City to Surf Combined Trip. The intention was to walk at a steady pace so we could all keep relatively together, hikers and trampers mixing and mingling, and this worked well. The chatter along the way was evident and hopefully a good chance to catch up with some we’d not seen for awhile. Luckily too, there weren’t many cyclists such as we encountered on the reccie. The historical information prepared for the day was unable to be shared because of the sheer number of us and the noise of passing traffic so we have incorporated it into this report.
Much of the wharf area was built on reclaimed land in the early 1900’s. The Loan and Mercantile building was built in 1872 for stock and station agents, Drivers Stewart and Co. The HM Custom Wharf Office was built as the Wharf Office of the Customs Department in 1938 at a cost of 4,000 pounds by Love Construction. It is registered as a Historic Places Trust building. The Harbour Basin Office Building, built in 1980, was designed by Mason and Wales Architects. They are the oldest architectural firm in NZ.
Morning tea was at the Harbour Basin which provided an opportunity for some to have coffee, tea and pickings from their lunchboxes whilst others used the one loo.
Setting off again, traffic was relatively light around the harbour area and allowed us to make our way to the Harbour Mouth Molars. Love them or hate them, they were and still are, hugely polarising. They were constructed in 2010 by Regan Gentry and were inspired by the University Dental School and the Peninsula’s volcanic origins, the sculptures combine ideas of painfully emerging teeth and new landforms thrust up by volcanoes. Sad day when we don’t learn something!
On along Portsmouth Drive, stopping to view the map of the Peninsula before crossing to the Rongo Stone Memorial. Read more of the variation of stories here: https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/historic-caves-have-story-tell
We carried on along Portobello Road to Andersons Bay Road and then along to Marlow Park Playground, arriving at 12.02 p.m. Perfect time for lunch. People were in tidy groups and the many of the men congregated in one area to sort out the ways of the world and the playground afforded many spots to sit in comfort.
Sandy defied the odds and slid down the famous dinasour. Ross and Wyn looked a bit sheepish as they made their way back down from the sand dunes as Bruce was still trying to locate them to get them to an earlier bus. The buses from St Kilda to the hub incidentally were 15 minutes apart so we divided into roughly two groups, so we wouldn’t hog all the seats for the non-TRTC travellers.
At the hub, we travelled along St Andrew Street and Anzac Avenue to the parked cars via the Stadium. The last group arrived at the cars just on 2 p.m. We then made our way to Emerson’s Brewery who had no problem accommodating such a large crew.
Distance travelled on foot was about 10 km. The weather gods were kind and it was pleasant walking conditions. Thanks everyone for your company, banter and friendship. Jenni, for Bruce, Karen and Gail.
Link to background information and earlier tramps and hikes in the same area.