Taieri Recreational Tramping Club
Mid-week recreational and social walking group based in Mosgiel NZ
2. 15 May 2024. Trampers. Mountain Road/ South Waikouaiti River. Grade 4. Leaders: Graham Thurlow and John Gardiner
Sometimes my grandmother would say something to me, and I’d ask,
“How do you know that?”
She used to say,
“A wee birdie told me.”
This report is a ‘wee birdie’ (a Fantail) told me tale: –
Waihola Area – Information and Trips Library Post
2. 2 August 2023. Combined. Waihola Hill and Lawlor Farm M Leaders: Anne, Lynne, Jenni and Barbara
The weather didn’t look too bad at seven in the morning so the decision was made for the tramp to go ahead. Some of the Hikers and Trampers at Peter Johnson Park decided to give the tramp a swerve and go swimming at Te Puna instead of going out in the winter elements.
Sixteen very brave Hikers and Trampers arrived at Baker Road, Waihola to walk around Brendan Lawlor’s property. Brendan has developed a 28 section subdivision after he purchased the farm in 2005. Most of the sections apart from two now have been built on. Brendan has made a track around the lake for people to enjoy the views and birdlife.
After we arrived the weather was changing for the worse, so we decided to head to the implement shed to have morning tea.
Once there was a break in the weather we reluctantly left the shelter and headed up the hill to walk the track. We all had our wet weather gear on and at times hard to tell who was actually walking beside you. Walking around the lake was so different from the last time. When we had a blue sky day and the lake was like a millpond.
There has been a huge planting project around the front of the lake with lots of native trees and grasses all with protective covers to deter rabbits pigs and possums.
The track in some places was very slippery and muddy due to pig rooting and also a very wet July/August.
We saw moments of blue sky but down to the south the sky was black and at times we had strong winds and driving rain.
Halfway around the circuit we all gathered together and took shelter in the farm building then made a dash for the vehicles. A decision was made to have our lunch at the Baker Road farm buildings then head home with no walk on the new Clutha Gold Trail or a coffee at the Black Swan café
Distance 6.48km
1. 2 March 2022. Combined. Waihola Hill and Lawlor Farm. M Leaders: Jill Reid, Chris Wither Jenni & Bruce Wright
A fine morning saw 43 hikers and trampers make their way to the Lawlor property behind Lake Waihola. After regrouping at Waihola, and about 33km from the Mosgiel carpark, we turned right into Lake Road, left into Young Road, right into Berwick Road and right into Baker Road to park at the cattle yards there.
Brendan Lawlor welcomed everyone and described the mechanics of developing the 28-section subdivision since they purchased the farm in 2005. There is also an 1880s restored cottage on the farm.
Trampers and hikers set off together about 9:45 and made their way up the road and across a paddock to join a track, mown by Brendan, on the lake side of the fence in front of the subdivision. There was little wind and the lake views were gorgeous.
About 10:30 we stopped for morning tea together along the track.
25 trampers headed away first. A comment was made that the trampers left the morning tea stop true to form. “They were off like a bride’s nightie”.
Both groups, at their different speeds, enjoyed views towards the wetlands before turning inland to make their way through the farm and back along the road past the old cottage and new homes to the cars.
18 hikers enjoyed their lunch by a barn on the way and arrived back at the cars about 2:00 having covered around 8km.
The trampers enjoyed their lunch by the cars before making their way up Waihola Hill at 1:00. Their route first took them up a gully [opposite the Waihola Wildlife Management Reserve sign] near the start of Baker Road. They were then able to follow a 4WD track that wound around the hill.
When the trig on top of Waihola Hill came into sight the group turned uphill to appreciate the 360-degree views from there.
Then it was back to continue following the 4WD track to water tanks and back down the hill to return to the cars by 2:30.
The Trampers covered about 13km.
Thank you for the many great photos that were submitted to go with this report.
Chris
1. Halo Project Planting Combined Leader: Jill
Wednesday proved to be warm balmy day, when 35 eager TRTC members met at Long Beach to give a few hours volunteering on DOC reclaimed land behind the sand dunes .
We were met by the project manager, Jeanne, who was very well organized with equipment ready for us to start after morning tea.
The work involved was digging holes, planting natives and flaxes and making protective heavy cardboard collar’s to go around the newly planted specimens.
When the project is completed there will be about 38000 plantings (we did approx 800). Since starting last year, the success rate is 85-90ish%.
There were a couple of other small groups volunteering like a team building exercise.
Lunch was on the beach but, unbeknown to us, a young sealion appeared from the dunes behind ready to share time with some of the group. This really did give them one big fright, so our lunchtime was shortened.
We did continue down the beach a little further before heading back to the cars.
Some of us went to a quirky little cafe Santosha in Port Chalmers.
I think we all enjoyed the experience and especially being able to help with a community project. Perhaps another time.
Thanks to John for his help and support.
1. 24 May 2023. Bayfield carpark to Glenfalloch. Grade 1. Hikers. Leaders: Linda Partridge and Helen Ingram.
A convoy of cars from Mosgiel parked in the Bayfield carpark at 9.45 joining Brighton and Dunedin people. Twenty-five hikers in total readied themselves for a walk along the cycle track along Portobello Road to Glenfalloch. It was a still bright morning, the harbour sparkling in the sunlight. We walked along the side of the inlet and stopped at Vauxhall Yacht Club for morning tea.
Then on to Glenfalloch which we reached just before noon.
The gardens look beautiful every season, and that day in autumn the maples were flaming red, and a long bank of fuchsias in purple and shocking pink terraced one of the hillsides. We had a leisurely lunch and Linda had prepared a questionnaire for us to take round the gardens to help us explore the grounds.
How many spoons in the sculpture near the restaurant? Where will you find the sundial? It really brought out the competitive nature in us! But everyone’s a winner, and a bag of Cadbury Favourites was handed round.
The Portobello bus was due at 2.15pm, and most of the hikers decided to walk on to Macandrew Bay to catch the bus there.
Brandishing BeeLine Cards we filled the bus and were dropped off close to the cars.
We finished the day with a hot drink at Nicols Garden Centre. Thanks to Linda and Helen for a very enjoyable day.
18. 30/11/2022. Trampers. Post Office Creek track from the Waipori Village side. Grade 3. $14. 60km. Leaders: Barbara and Leah.
The walking track is off Patearoa Road which itself is off Moonlight Road and we parked at the junction of the two. The permit was left visible through the windscreen.
A quick morning tea, and the party set off on the 1km down-hill (remember what goes down at the beginning of the day must go up at the end!!) to the rustic signpost indicating Post Office Creek track. There was a brief delay while one driver (nameless) went back and spent a frenetic 5 minutes searching for car keys in order to lock the vehicle. Having found the keys in the backpack, they were left on the ground while the pack was rezipped. The person (also nameless) who had ferreted them away while the rezipping was underway should be afraid; very afraid! A brief detour a few minutes down the track proper took us to the now dilapidated fishing huts.
A scramble back up the track and we were crossing the first of the creeks and negotiating the rock bivvy.
The entire track follows the contour of the slope with very little up or down. Many of the guts had bridges in varying degrees of disrepair but which, it’s understood, are likely to be removed entirely in the near future, after the maintenance work in the forestry has been completed. The tracks will be realigned to navigate the guts minus bridges.
Pigs had been digging up the track which left it nice and soft underfoot and there were a few fallen branches we cleared as we went.
We left the canopy cover of the trees as we neared the re-sited Waipori School buildings where we sat and had our lunch. Half the group elected to follow Jill to the actual Post Office Creek while the remainder sat and chatted, walked down to the lake edge and poked around the buildings.
Disappointingly there was no fishing or poetry recitation.
On the return of the wanderers, we set out again, retracing our steps, looking out for litter to take back to our vehicles. The last uphill kilometer was unwelcome but all 14 made it. A change of footwear, a little shenanigans with someone’s pack and sticks, and we headed back to the locked gate, this time heading to the right, over the Lake Mahinerangi causeway, through the fishing village and back to the Middlemarch Road at Lee Stream, enjoying a commentary from Jill who, for several decades, had farmed the property on both sides of the road.
One carload stopped for an icecream at Outram ($2 for 2 scoops being excellent value!), but weren’t joined by the other two, who must have thought 4.30pm too late for such extravagance!
An enjoyable day on an easy track which could well be considered for a combined day.
It would be possible to leave a 4WD vehicle at the bottom of the hill, at the signpost for the track, as we did on the recce, shortening the distance by 2 km.
Barbara
The photos for this post were taken in the week to noon Thursday 26th August.
Club members have been out and about walking and on their bikes in lots of beautiful places in their local areas. We have been so lucky to have good weather. Many have also achieved great things working and relaxing in their gardens and around home.
Our sympathies go to Ady for her flood.
Thank you Jenni for offering a mask to anyone in need.
Enjoy the following photos. Chris Wither
Pictured here is me going with the flow just like the Silverstream and the Taieri river. This current picture shows the confluence. I biked along the bank – and banked on my bike to get me home which it did. kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk ie 21kms Photo and caption Neil Hodgkin
Above On the Harbour Cone recce and on a morning’s bike ride. Morning tea time underneath a lovely flowering wattle and cruising past the now famous wall! Below My water feature finally completed during the lovely lock-down spring weather, another long-term project! Photos and captions Marijke
As usual a beautiful frost free day in Port. and Morning ramble around Back Beach. Photos and captions Michael
Phil relaxing and Helen in her happy place. Photo and caption Phil
Loving my new push bike . Was going down the Karatai track but was warned about an irate farmer so went back up again.
Biking and walking in my neighbourhood Photos and captions Pam Cocks
Hi Team, Photos from Friends Hill Road on Sunday Photos and message Shona
