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.
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 “Mill Creek Track”
6. 27/7/2005 Rollinson Road. Elbow. Rollinson Track. Turn off down to Rain Gauge Spur. Leaders: George, Dorothy S
View from Raingauge Spur
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
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!
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.
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
29/10/2008 Trampers. Leith Saddle, Waitati Valley Road, Sawmill Track, Swampy Ridge, Burns Track. Leaders: Ria L, George
Burns Track Entrance. George, Ria, Sabina, Emma
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.
Emma, Sabina near Burns Track sign.
Doug, Hazel, near Burns Track sign.
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
Ferguson Creek Crossing. Bill, Pat, Bob, Hazel, Peter, Bob, Wendy
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.”
No. 9 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Poplar Hut. Mt John. N Strang. Year Round.”
No. 52 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Mt Allen, Wenita Year Round”
No. 71 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Mt John. (Cowie & Wenita) Year Round”
Location: 17 km.
Closed lambing Oct-Nov.
Contacts:
– Wenita permit. Require 6 weeks notice, but less from us.
– Silver Peaks Station, Seek permission
14 km round trip.
Longer option: 24 km via Pulpit Rock. 5-8 hours. Climbing all the way.
Take lots of water. Cross Big Stream. Up steep vehicle track. About 50 minutes.
Turn right at T junction. After one minute, you see track on left coming up from Poplar Hut.
Descend down 10 minutes.
From Poplar Hut, climb vehicle track 1-1.5 hours to top. Gate marked PRIVATE.
Cross over gate, follow fence to next gate. Keep fence on left.
Follow vehicle track down and round hill to next gate before climbing up to Mt Allan.
Good vehicle track all the way.
Keep forest on right till you rejoin Pulpit Rock track.
Turn right down Long Ridge to Big Stream.
17/10/2007. Trampers. Mount Allan, Mount John. Medium. Leaders: George, Abe.
11/5/2005. Both. Poplar Hut with option do Mount Allan and Mount John. Leaders: Peter and Wendy, Eleanor W, Lesley S, Anne R.
19/9/2007. School House, Tunnels, McRaes, Steve Amies Whare Flat road ret. Leaders: Ria L, Hazel
Ten trampers set off from the Old School House at Whare flat on a beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky. Another “Wonderful Wednesday” Leonie was heard to comment. We followed Tunnels Track which is part of the Racemans’ walkways. This follows the old black, and now somewhat dilapidated water pipe that used to take water all the way from here to the Southern reservoir in Dunedin. This has significant historical interest and brochures and maps about Racemans are available at the Tourist Centre.This led into the McRaes Track and then on to the Steve Amies Track. This climb got our hearts racing and our brows sweating but worth all the effort to arrive at that wonderful picnic spot at the top. Here there are picnic tables in all sorts of nooks and crannies with great views over to Chalkies and the Taieri Plains. There are many planted trees and plaques to well known trampers, and a recent plaque to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the WEA tramping club that was founded by Steven Amies. There are several options trampers can take from here but our leaders opted to go back via the access road and back to our cars. We enjoyed the company of a visitor, Ken, and despite unfortunately locking his keys in the car we hope he enjoyed it enough to come back again.
Farm walk. Karitane to Hawksbury Lagoon, Waikouaiti. Nick Hurst, farmer, John Saunders, Manager, over land – fences to Matanaka Drive, Beach Road, Scotia Road to lagoon. Return along farm track along River – railway bridge.
Contact:
Seek permissions
14/6/2006 Farm walk. Karitane to Hawksbury Lagoon, Leaders: Lesley Sapleton, Diana M
