Trampers – Page 10 – Taieri Recreational Tramping Club

Potato Point, Purakaunui

Distance from car-park: 39 km.

Doctors Point, Mopanui, McKessar, Purakanui, Osborne – Information and Trips Library

5. 20/7/2011. Purakaunui, Potato Point, Bay track, round trip.

4. 22/4/2009 Purakaunui, Potato Point, Long Beach, Bay track, ret. Leaders: Doug, Ian.

Group — Exploring Potato Point. Ken, Bill, Doug, Angela, George, Glenice’s elbow.

Cave — Large cave on Long Beach. Glenice, Ria, Angela, Doug, George.

3. 26/9/2007. Trampers. Purakanui Circuit. Medium. Leaders: Shirley, Helen.

2. 1/12/2004. Trampers. Purakanui, Potato Point. Leaders: Doug M, Barbara McC, Arthur H.

1. 4/6/2003. Both. Potato Point, Purakanui. Leaders: Doug M, Barbara M, Donny and Frank

Squeeze — First, squeeze past caravan on track

Hindon Road, Mains Road, Taieri River

32 km from car-park.

Mains Road, Hindon Road, Taieri River. Seek permission. Lambing Sep – Nov.

13/7/2011. Trampers. Mains Road, off Hindon Road.. Track to river.

GPS of anti-clockwise route, courtesy Ken. Lunch was at bottom RH corner. Upstream point where we left the river was Blacksmith Flat.

Ian Jill Ann at lunch. (Ken pic and caption)

Continue reading “Hindon Road, Mains Road, Taieri River”

Bucklands Crossing. Eldorado Station, stone wall yards. Scratch Back.

Distance from car-park: 67 km.

11/5/2011. Trampers. El Dorado Station. Eldorado Road. Medium.

The drive in from Hawksbury was quite long but eventually the (surprisingly smooth) road wound down to El Dorado Station by the upper Waikouaiti River, north branch, arriving at 10.00 a.m. A station hand pointed out the Eldorado road climbing steeply out of the valley.

GPS of the route from valley to ridge and back. Courtesy Ken.

Station buildings from the Eldorado Road above.

We climbed (it seemed almost vertically!) for half an hour before stopping for a late morning tea break.

The climb was then up, up, up and at last onto the ridge heading SE. Out of all the cone-shaped hills around, we eventually located the mist-enshrouded Mt Watkin whose slopes our road had taken us past on the way in.

Going was easier on the ridge as it led us up and down along its spine. We eventually stopped short of the trees visible in the mist beyond.

Lunch was at a large stone, the only dry spot around for sitting on. Those same trees are visible top right.

A shot on the way back. Looking up-river on the left and the road in on the right.

Another shot taken on the return. looking at the Waikouaiti down-stream.

Back at the station buildings, we explored a track leading down by the river. We didn’t go too far. The rocky cliffs in the distance mark a gorge the track had to climb up and over.

Back to the car and it was the long drive back home, interrupting the journey only for a pleasant coffee-break at the Blueskin Nursery Cafe. A cool, pleasant day. Ideal for tramping in an area the Club had neglected for too long. – Ian.

26/3/2003. Trampers. Eldorado – Scratch Back. Medium+. Leaders: Lex, Doug J.

26/3/2003. Hikers. Eldorado. Medium. Leaders: Frank and Lesley. Anne R

13/3/2002 Eldorado Station, stone wall yards. (Bucklands Crossing). Medium. Leaders: Lex, Claude, Irene.,

22/11/1987. Eldorado, Scratchback, from Waikouaiti.

Big Stone Road, Otokia Creek Valley, Otokia Forest, McLaren Gully.

22/9/2010. Big Stone Road and forest. Leaders: Ria, Hazel.

A good days tramp was had by just 4 of us. We changed the tramp location due to the weather conditions, & went to Big Stone Rd forest, where Ria, & Hazel led us on a circular route through the forest.

We had lunch in a very nice spot by the stream, with the sun shining on us.

Continue reading “Big Stone Road, Otokia Creek Valley, Otokia Forest, McLaren Gully.”

Paradise Road, Braidwood Road, Sandfly Bay

Sandymount, Sandfly Bay – Information and Trips Library

1. 8/9/2010. Trampers. Paradise, Braidwood, Sandfly Bay. M. Leadership: Informal.

Tramp Route. (Courtesy Ken). Car parked top LH corner.

Weather looked fine at Mosgiel, but when we four trampers arrived at Sullivans Dam for the Cloud Forest-Escarpment Tramp, we struck a drizzly cloudy shock. For mud and safety concerns we turned back to town and on the way decided to try the Peninsula. We parked at the top of the Paradise Road track and the weather was quite a degree clearer. However, our second shock was to find the track the WETTEST we have ever found it. No one slipped over, (miraculously), but we had to be extremely cautious in placing our feet.

Bull Ring, Flagstaff Walkway, Pineapple, McGoun, Davies, return.

Location: 15 km.

See Flagstaff Name for its origin.

30/6/2010. Bull Ring, Flagstaff Walkway, Pineapple, McGoun, Davies, return. Moderate. Leaders: Hazel, Ria.

Lunch on the lower Davies before getting up to the bush. George is proud of his new longjohns. (Ken pic)

Continue reading “Bull Ring, Flagstaff Walkway, Pineapple, McGoun, Davies, return.”

Silver Peaks No. 3

Location: 41 km.

21/4/2010. Silver Peaks No. 3. Trampers. Leaders: George, Ken.

Eight of us started off from the nearer Hightop entrance to avoid taking the cars through the deep ruts on the road further on. The day was perfect. The dry weather meant that muddy patches on the track were nothing to worry about. We had morning tea at the Sleepy Hollow signs before setting on towards Green Hut. On the way someone had signed up the Eucalypt Spur track. It was nailed only to manuka, but still a pity the nails were not galvanised.

New sign indicating Eucalypt Spur track.

Continue reading “Silver Peaks No. 3”

Mill Creek Track

Follow directions to Government track.

After crossing the bridge, turn right into what appears to be a farmer’s driveway.

DoC sign, stile and yellow post indicates start of Mill Creek route. ????

7/4/2010. Recce. Mill Creek. Leaders: Ian, George.

We failed to find, at the back of the yards, both the DoC sign, the stile and the yellow post, but found the (yes, overgrown) vehicle track. So we did a lot of rough track clearing, especially one or two old-man gorse patches. The grassed clearing at its top is very rough due to slippage.(?) Continue reading

Rain Gauge Spur via Picnic area, Nth Coal, Racemans

No. 69 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Raingauge Spur Circuit (J Roy) Summer”

Location: 15 km.

Raingauge Spur – Information and Trips Library

8. 29/4/2009 Rollinson Road. Picnic Area. Trig Q. North Coal Creek Track. Racemans. Weir. Rain Gauge Spur. Rollinson Track. Elbow. Rollinson Road. Leaders: Ian, Glenice.

Only five of us ventured. Dry for a start before the mist descended.
(click to enlarge)

Pupit Rock hidden in mist. Ken's watch. — Pupit Rock hidden in mist (to the right). Ken’s wrist watch.

Lip of lookout.Cuppa time. — Overlooking lip of lookout on North Coal Creek track. Cuppa time.

Light rain as we got lower down. Heavier on Racemans. Odd break on Rain Gauge Spur until heavy soaking mist towards top.

Doug (rather wet) nearing top. (You can see his hair poking through hole worn in crown of his hat.)

George sans parka. Looking drier than he really was.

We ended up fairly wet and glad to get back back down Rollinson road to car.

7. 17/9/2008. Access Road, Picnic area, North Coal, Raingauge Spur. Hard. Leaders: George, Ken.

6. 27/7/2005 Rollinson Road. Elbow. Rollinson Track. Turn off down to Rain Gauge Spur. Leaders: George, Dorothy S

5. 1/5/1991 Elbow – Swampy – Raceman. Steep parts. Harder. Alternate route for some. Leaders: Mary McG, Daphne, Bob, Barbara McC

4. 1/11/1999 Silverstream Weir, Raingauge, Elbow, Raceman’s Track. Leaders: Margaret D

3. 17/8/1994. Silverstream Weir, Raceman’s Elbow. Medium. Leaders: Bob H, Peg C, Frances, Jack R
2. 28/4/1993. Silverstream Weir, Elbow, Raceman’s Track. Two groups. Medium or Easy. Leaders: Bob H, Les W, Diana, Joan A.
1. 11/1988 Leader: Peg C

Sawmill Road, Gortons Farm, Finlayson Road, Kennedys, John Bull Gully Track, Taieri Mouth

No. 77 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Sawmill – Taieri Mouth Rd Return John Bull (fish) Year Round”

Location: 33 km

18/2/2009. Trampers. Sawmill Road, Gortons Farm, Finlayson Road, Kennedys, John Bull Track, Taieri Mouth. Medium+. Leaders: Keith, Glenice
Park at Knarston Park.

(Click to enlarge)

This time we left the cars at Knarston Park and walked around Moturata Road to turn up Sawmill Road and through Gortons Farm, in one of whose buildings, still there, Lex and Ian recalled attending their church’s Easter Weekend retreats in the 1940s!

Continue reading “Sawmill Road, Gortons Farm, Finlayson Road, Kennedys, John Bull Gully Track, Taieri Mouth”

Moon, McQuilkan, Possum Hunters, Jim Freeman, Pineapple, Nicols

26/11/2008 Moon, McQuilkan, Possum Hunters (now Lwr McQuilkan), (uppr) Jim Freeman, Pineapple, Nicols Leaders: Ria, Hazel

Six hours, 11 tracks. Quite a day.

On parking our cars at the Nicols Creek bridge we were amazed to find a whole new set of tracks up the creek’s true left made by Mountain Biking Otago. This part had been discovered by our leaders only at the end of their recce so for us it was a recce in itself. The tracks (open to walkers too) zigzagged and zigzagged up the slope on a gentle gradient which although easy walking added a considerable distance to the day. But it was fun. See Nicols Creek tracks for details – click on Image Gallery for an endless supply of photos of the tracks. Well, that was track number one.

We eventually latched onto Moon Track further up and sat down to morning tea with Ferrero Rocher chocs slipped into Ian’s pack by Lex earlier to celebrate Lex’s 80th birthday.

Enjoying Lex’s Ferraro chocs. Hazel, Doug, Ria, Glenice.: Enjoying Lex’sFerrero Rocher chocs. Hazel, Doug, Ria, Glenice

There were six of us but twelve chocs so they did for lunch as well. Then it was up on to Swampy Ridge

Click Swampy ridge track for background information.

Track through tussock – at top of Moon track: Track through tussock – at top of Moon track. Ria

and almost immediately across and down McQuilkin Track. This was well cleared but two or three nasty bush crashes across the track made for some scratchy scrambling through. Wish we had brought our pruning saws. We joined Possum Busters and made our way round the track to where it links with Possum Hunters where we lunched at 12.30. On the way we made the three familar McQuilkin stream-crossings and the fourth came shortly after lunch

McQuilkan creek cross No. 4: McQuilkan creek crossing No. 4. Doug, George

and the second treat of Lex’s chocs. Again we struck several bush falls across the track (where were those saws?) and reached the bottom of the Jim Freeman.

It proved just as steep (or steeper? – as we age!) as it ever was. There were one or two Rhodo blossoms on the track but none on Bruce Campbell’s bushes that we passed up. Then it was onto the Ben Rudd track and up to the Firebreak. Down along that and across to the Pineapple

View of Dunedin.: View of Dunedin.

and then steeply down to where we reached the place to strike left and down through the long Spring cocksfoot to where our leaders had cleverly located the almost hidden entrance to the bush track that would lead us through to the Nicols Track that took us down the creek’s true right to the cars. The wind on the top kept us from over-heating. To repeat, the highlight of the day had been the discovery of Mountain Biking Otago’s work-in-progress of its ambitious biking tracks, making for a surpising addition to our day out. – Ian

Nicols Creek, McQuilkans

No. 17 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Nicols Creek. D McCabe. Year Round”

19/11/2008. Booth Road, Nicols Creek, McQuilkans. Medium. Leaders: Ria, Hazel.

Leith Saddle, Waitati Valley Road, Sawmill Track, Swampy Ridge, Burns Track

Location: 25 km.

Click Swampy ridge track for background information.

29/10/2008 Trampers. Leith Saddle, Waitati Valley Road, Sawmill Track, Swampy Ridge, Burns Track. Leaders: Ria L, George

The were only occasional signs on the Old Waitati Road of the new pipe line put in to supply Mount Grand water to Waitati, Warrington &c. We had parked the cars by the bridge just down from Leith Saddle and the 7 of us walked on down the road the considerable distance to reach Sawmill Road on our left. We made a rather belated morning tea the large open shed full of derelict bits of furniture on the margin between the cleared farm land and the bush at the foot of the track.

Climbing a bit we crossed Ferguson Creek and continue on up to reach clearer ground. Markers took us on straight ahead before striking left past a large broadleaf to reach a fence at the beginning of dense manuka. There was an initial windfall to push around before the track cleared for us and took us on up again to the next clear ground. After crossing this a little to the right, it was into flax country and then tussock that eventually veered to the left and scraped us through a small patch of heavy gorse to finally discharge us onto the open Swampy Ridge track. Its boggy patches were boggier than usual, due, we thought to last weekend’s snowfall on the area.

Eventually we reached the access track that leads around to to the Burns-Rustler intersection where we stopped for lunch. We chose the Burns Track as last week’s trampers had descended by the Rustlers, and on the way greeted some Green Hut Track Group members who were snipping the never-ending flax encroachments from the track. Through the bush lower down the drying mud had escaped the boggy-making effects of the snow we had experienced earlier. Then it was along the other pipe-line that supplies water to Sullivan’s Dam from the catchment area we had just traversed and out to the cars again. A very satisfying day. – Ian

28/4/2004 Leaders: Lex, Ian,Glenys

Stream — Ferguson Creek Crossing. Bill, Pat, Bob, Hazel, Peter, Bob, Wendy

14/10/1992 Leaders: Ria L, Catherine, Eleanor B, Ted

Swampy, Pole Track

No. 34 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Leith Saddle – Swampy – Pole Track. Farm”

No. 81 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Skyline Leith Valley Return (Thomson) Farm”

Location: 25 km.

Click Swampy ridge track for background information.

8/10/2008. Trampers. Leith Saddle, Pole Track. Medium. Leaders: Ian, Ken.

15/11/2006 Leaders: George, Doug J

7/9/1994. Leith Saddle, Pole Track. Medium.

10/6/1992. Swampy Pole Track via Leith Saddle. Hard. Leaders: Ria and Kaas, Barbara McC, Jack R.

Taieri Scenic Reserve.

No. 44 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Taieri Reserve – Pukerua Bush. J Hobbs, D Jenkins. Farm. OK”

9/4/2008. Trampers. Taieri Scenic Reserve. Easy. Leaders: George, Glenice.

12 trampers met at Otokia Road, 4 km from Taieri Mouth having just enjoyed a scenic coastal drive that would rate as one of the world’s’ finest. A turn up into the road that leads to the Maori Reserve, and we were ready to begin. Some sharp road climbs started the “Easy” rated tramp (which several felt deserved the rating of at least “M”) before morning tea at a deserted building, with views in all directions – South to Taieri Beach, North over the Taieri River Continue reading “Taieri Scenic Reserve.”