18/02/2026. Sandymount. Grade 3. Trampers. Leaders: John Gardiner & Graeme Souter.
With 93.6mm of rain on Tuesday, the prospects for Wednesday’s tramp weren’t great. However, after a cool and overcast start, the weather improved to comfortable, if at times slightly windy, conditions.
The “mostly on sand”, nature of this tramp, ensuring dry underfoot conditions. At 9.25am five cars left the Bayfield Park carpark, (three from Dunedin, two from Mosgiel.) By 9.45am we were at the Sandymount carpark, where we were joined by a further two cars, (one from Mosgiel, and one from Macandrew Bay.) Seventeen trampers began the tramp, at 9.55am, initially heading uphill to arrive at the “Trig” for morning tea at 10.05am.
By 10.30am we were on our way again, where we met two tourists on the track, one from Austria, the other from Germany. The walk downhill was completed uneventfully, seeing us arrive at the beach by 11.15am.
A leisurely stroll south along the beach, saw us reach the outflow “stream” by the beginning of the Ridge track.
We then walked back along the beach. A busy day for this beach, a few Sea Lions, and a number of tourists sharing it with us.
Lunch was enjoyed on the rocks at the northern end of the beach, in the distant company of a solitary Fur Seal.
Having been ably led up to this point by Graeme, it was my turn after lunch, for the “climb” at least.
This climb is a bit of a “grunt”, with a few false summits. A number of re-groupings stops on this section, saw us at the two-arrow marker by 1.15pm. From here it was on to the Lookout, where we stopped to admire the amazing views of cliffs, Hooper’s Inlet and beyond.
From here Graeme took over as leader again, and we were soon walking through the iconic “Macracarpa tunnel”, arriving back at the cars at 2.12pm.
During our lunch break Martin commented that the Chills, Pink Frost video was recorded in this area, the Macracarpa tunnel, featuring prominently. Once I got home, a quick investigation, revealed that the video was indeed shot in the Sandymount and Taiaroa Head areas. The scenery praised for its “Gothic grandeur”, adding to the video of the song that Martyn Phillipps himself described as: – “It is the song we shall be remembered for. It’s my choice anyway”. Afternoon tea was enjoyed at The Cove in Portobello.
The Statistics: –
Distance – 8.78 km.
Moving Time – 3 hours 22 minutes.
Elevation – 486 metres.
The elevation, tipping it up from a 3 to a 3.5 Grading.
Reflecting on today’s tramp, words from “Rolling Moon” by Martyn Phillipps and the Chills, seem appropriate: –
“We wander lost forgotten hills,
Blue sky, green grass, we are still.
The mists enfold us, gently smelling,
Breeze in our ears, softly telling.”
John Gardiner
Link to background information and earlier tramps and hikes in the same area.