Taieri Recreational Tramping Club
Mid-week recreational and social walking group based in Mosgiel NZ
Only 4 trampers went on this walk, which was very uneventful, until we couldn’t find the Jim Freeman track going back up to Ben Rudds shelter. We must’ve walked past it but didn’t see it. After looking around a bit we set off back up the road to return to the cars, vowing to do a recce from the top, to find where the Jim Freeman track meets up with McQuilkans track. – Ken.
George King Memorial Drive – Hindon Rd – Parero Rd turn-off, just before T-Junction.
Seek Permission: Inverlochy Station. (Hindon Station.)
Not during lambing Aug-Nov.
From Parero Road we go ahead to a white tank, through an airfield, to left of trees then and clockwise round trip down to the river and back.
Trampers’ note: We walked 8.32km in 2hr.13mins (moving time); ave 3.8km/hr.; climbed 419 mtrs (Accum.) – Ken.
3. 31/10/2012. Trampers. Bullring, Fence-line, Upper Spiers Rd, Flagstaff Walkway, down Pineapple, up Davies, Ben Rudd.
2. 24/9/2008 Bullring, Pineapple, Davies, Firebreak, Big(Bivvy) Rock, Bullring Leaders: Ria L, Hazel
1. 31/7/1991. Booth Road from Pineapple Track and Bivvy Rock. Average. Leaders: Betty, Judith and Hugh, Peggy M, Frances.
Big Rock (Chimney)
No. 98 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Omimi Beach Warrington (Tide) Year Round”
9. 26/5/2012. Trampers. Warrington, Omimi, Pryde Rd, Slaughterhouse, Reservoir Hill Rd circuit.
2. 14/11/2007. Trampers. Woodhaugh, Ross Creek, Davies, Pineapple, Ross Creek return. Moderate. Leaders: Ria, Hazel.
The route Ria and Hazel took ten of us on provided plenty of variety both in scenery and weather. We approached Davies track by way of Ross Creek Reservoir from Woodhaugh. After Ross Creek it was through cleared forest before climbing through secondary growth …
… on the foothill slopes of Flagstaff before entering beautiful native forest and and hour later emerging on Flagstaff’s tussock and flax with overcast views of the harbour and Dunedin both north and south. We had encountered occasional showers to this point and now out on the tussock it was turning really cold. We were still not prepared upon reaching the upper Pineapple-Flagstaff track …
… to be pelted by a fierce but fortunately brief hail storm. We quickly made our way down to the junction with the Swampy Ridge track where now the hail had now been …
… replaced with snow. So it was down, down the Pineapple to the sheltered edge of the bush where we lunched in the now fitful sunshine. Then the bush, Booth Road, back through Ross Creek tracks and down past the reservoir until the last scenic bush gave way to Woodhaugh St and back to the cars. An interesting day. – Ian
In Leith Valley, where Otago’s first industry – sawmilling – is reputed to have started about the 1860s, is the start of the old Pineapple Track.
Originally, it was named Ross Track, after Archibald Hilson Ross, who owned most of the land in the vicinity. In the early 1920s, Mr Oscar Balk, first president of the Otago Tramping Club, led parties of trampers up this route. At the top of a rather steep section, the parties would stop to rest and often refresh themselves with a tin of pineapple. This tin was sometimes left hanging on a tree or fence, and the track came to be called the Pineapple Track.
The line of the Pineapple Walkway has deviated from the original track in places to provide more scenic variation.
The original vegetation of the area has been modified as a result of early milling, burning and stock grazing, but remnants of the milled species (podocarps) still remain. Rimu, miro, totara and matai are found in isolated pockets, mainly in damp gullies. Even so, the overall distribution of plant species retains some semblance of natural order with the larger forest trees growing at lower altitudes. Podocarp broad-leaved forest type occurs with shrub species which grade out into Dracophyllum shrub land and ultimately tussock grassland communities on the summit area.
Some common plants: fuchsia, pepper tree, lemonwood, broadleaf, totara, five’finger, wineberry, lancewood, Muehlenbeckia, Dracophyllum, Coprosma, Hebe, and wild spaniard tussock.
There are many varieties of birds in the bush areas where there is an ample food supply to sustain many nectar-, berry-, and insect-eating native birds.
Some of these are: New Zealand pigeon, bellbird, fantail, tomtit, brown creeper, tui, silvereye, rifleman and pipit.
1. 17/10/2001. Trampers. Nicols Creek – Swampy Saddle – Warburton Track. Leaders: Lex, Mary L, Irene.
2. 26/10/2011. Trampers. Cars at Thompsons Road. Sullivans, Leith Saddle, Swampy, Morrison Tracks.
7 of us met at the parking spot opposite Thompsons Rd. Continue reading “Leith Saddle and Morrison Tracks”
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.
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
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.
Continue reading “Big Stone Road, Otokia Creek Valley, Otokia Forest, McLaren Gully.”
1. 8/9/2010. Trampers. Paradise, Braidwood, Sandfly Bay. M. Leadership: Informal.
Continue reading “Bull Ring, Flagstaff Walkway, Pineapple, McGoun, Davies, return.”
