Sep 02 2023
Bethunes Gully, Mt Cargill, Buttars Peak, Organ Pipes, Old Main North Road, Brown House Corner, Norwood Street, Bethunes Gully.
Click Mount Cargill history for background information. No. 11 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Bethunes Gully to T.V. Mast Organ Pipes. Wiggins. Year Round.” No. 100 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Bethunes Gully – Brown House – Signal Hill – Chingford Park Year Round”. A broad gravelled track from picnic ground. NB. Opposite Brown House corner is an RSA Memorial to First World War servicemen and the old Junction School.
26. 30/08/2023. Hikers. Bethunes Gully to M Cargill. Grade 2 Leaders: Bill and Bruce
32 hikers assembled at Bethunes Gully carpark on a beautiful if slightly brisk morning. We set off just after 10.00am and after negotiating our way over and around a fallen Pine tree stopped in a semi-sunny glade for morning tea amongst the Pines – these trees must be amongst some of the tallest and straightest in the country.
The track was in pretty good order for winter – minimal mud but slippery rocks and bridges further up the track required extra care – apart from a couple of minor slips we managed to complete the day intact.
Photo Alex
Not long after morning tree it was decided to split into two groups with Jill Dodd volunteering to lead the second pack – there was still only a 10 minute gap between arrival times at the top of the mountain.
A little look at the top Caption and photo Helen
Bethunes Gully Caption Ady
The birdlife along the way was in great voice and Katrina even identified a Kingfisher welcoming us onto the track. The native bush section of the walk is quite beautiful complete with an abundance of ferns, some majestic old Rimus, clear streams and even the odd waterfall.
Almost there Caption and photo Helen
The steps at the top of the walk are real thigh killers and we were all very relieved to finally arrive at the summit and a well-earned lunch. The 360-degree panorama of Dunedin, the peninsula and surrounding districts is stunning and well worth the effort! The temperature was up around 15 degrees and led to many layers of clothing getting tucked away into packs.
Photo Barbara
Photo Barbara
There was a discussion during lunch re the grading of the walk and while officially it is a 2 the majority agreed that it was more like a 3 – Ady told me during coffee that it felt more like a 6!
Group trip heading down. Caption and photo Jenni
After a fairly uneventful trip back down we adjourned to the Blacks Road Grocery cafe – this slightly quirky cafe was a lovely place to conclude a very enjoyable day – coffee and treats well deserved!
Blacks Road Cafe – very cool afternoon tea venue Caption and photo Jenni
There was a lot of learning in my first hike as the group leader, particularly around identifying the appropriate pace to set and the timing of breaks. I couldn’t have asked for better support from the more experienced members of the group as I negotiated my way through the various stages and protocols on the day. Special thanks to Bruce, Jill and Jenni but many others chipped in to keep me on the straight and narrow.
All in all a lovely day and living proof that age is no barrier to serious physical achievement.
Cheers Bill