Taieri Recreational Tramping Club

9. 17/10/2018. Trampers. Steve Amies – Craig Lowan Falls. M. Dave.

13 keen trampers left their cars not far from the Whare flat school house and started on the Tunnel track.

This track was fairly flat and one couldn’t help but marvel at the amount of work done by the early water race workers. After reaching McRaes Weir we turned up a somewhat steep track

to reach the Steve Amies ridge.  The climb along the ridge was very pleasant, with manukas/kanukas dominant, with lush green undergrowth.
We stopped at the memorial Bryan Freeman seat – he used to be a good friend of Eleanor and her late husband.

Near the top of the track it was obvious the amount of tree planting and track maintenance that Steve Amies and his mates did many years ago.
We then walked down Rollinsons Road and entered the bush that leads to the Whare lake loop track.  It was in this area that a vote of thanks was passed to Arthur and Neil for the obvious work on track maintenance that they continually do (you no longer get your boots wet)!!!

After having lunch on Smithys’ track it was then down through the bush and back onto Rollinsons road. Round the corner and off the flagstaff – whare flat road we followed an un-named track

through scrub up to a pine plantation on a ridge.  On the sides of the ridge were sycamore trees – a pest – but a pretty sight as the trees were coming into leaf. This improved track lead along the ridge finally ending high above McQuilkan’s creek.  Everyone took care descending steeply down to the creek.
5 minutes up the creek we were at the Craig – Lowen falls – quite a sight!

Another half an hour down the streamwe were out in the open and back to the cars.

We covered 21,319 steps, 15.9km in 5.5hrs and gained a net height of 349 metres.
A good round trip!  Dave

Enter via MacQuilkin Road up from Whare Flat Schoolhouse.

This week’s tramp was to Craiglowan Falls. We started off at the locked gate on McQuilkans Rd & followed the marked track across numerous creek crossings [where one member got her feet wet at the first crossing] & up over the large rocks just before reaching the falls. We had morning tea break in the bush above the falls, & then retraced our steps for a short distance back to where a side track led off up the LH side of the stream. (Ed note: This was our original, and only, route down to the falls.) We were not sure where this went, but decided to investigate it anyway, as it looked like it had just had some work done on it. I climbed steeply up until we came to some pine forest, & at this stage I was quite sure that it would come out on the Whare Flat-Flagstaff Rd via Sanitarium Rd, which proved to be correct.
At this time it was only about 11:30, so we decided to walk up to the Bull Ring, & go down Longridge Rd to join up with Smeatons Rd,[where stopped for lunch] …

… – McIntyres Rd, [so we could view the remains of Smeatons shack] then down to the Aquaduct. This proved to be more difficult then would seem, as there were a lot of big trees down over the track in places, which made it necessary to detour around them. From the Aquaduct, we walked around to join up with McIntyres Rd. again, & then crossing straight over here onto the next part of the track leading to Longridge Rd. then back to the car.
Some of the tracks were quite muddy & slippery, but all made it safely back, & enjoyed the day. it was new territory for some in the group, & for others it had been a long time since they were there.

We reached the Falls OK, but stream crossing on wet rocks and climbing over mossy rocks proved rather dicey. (Note: This tramp best done in summer.)

Well, to this point, so far, so good. Back at the stream crossing down below the confluence, we failed  to locate the track up to Goat Point, despite knowing its general area. So we climbed in faith and hope. Finally we came across track markers, leading left and right. After exploring left, we went right, until they led relentlessly down. So we retraced back up because Ian had it fixed in his mind that we had to go up to reach the pine plantation. Mistake one.

Encouragingly however, Ken found a track indication on his GPS, and it did promise to reach a forest road. So we kept to this, despite no track appearing, only plenty of scratchy blackberry brambles. But we did reach the road, finally.

This we walked down until we reached a junction, with signs indicating that we were on Smeatons Road, crossed by McIntyre road. Hooray. McIntyre was what we had originally wanted. Ian felt we still had to go down so we turned left and down McIntyre road. Mistake two. We should have taken McIntyre road to the right. More of that later.

Anyway we made the long walk down McIntyre Road, left, to where the race crosses it, and turned right, along the race to lunch, as planned, at the Aqueduct.

Now, have a look at Ken’s GPS of our route. Click to enlarge. Start at the top, and follow to the right to reach Craiglowan Falls at the extreme right.

Start returning to the left a bit. The zigzag you see is where we starting climbing away from the stream. A further zigzag a little further along is where we started following the track markers. The little tail to the left there, is where we turned back, before going back up again. CRITICAL MISTAKE. Notice, however,  the short gap beyond to a tail coming up from below. This is the gap we should have traversed.

Now turn to page 8.07 of Antony Hamel’s Tracks and Trails, and find on the map of Flagstaff Forest at the top right, the circled number “seven”. See how it ascends first before turning right along a contour, below Goat Point and then DOWN to meet McIntyre road at its other end next to Smeatons Shack.

That tail from below is where Ken and Ian climbed up at lunch time to check where we should have come down. And lo and behold, we found not only Smeatons Shack but also the marked track next to it where we should have exited from. An aha moment. And it all became clear, as the GPS map confirms.

Ken and I returned back down the end of McIntyre Road to find the others had left, leaving Doug waiting for us. Of course we should have consulted with everyone to get mutual agreement with what we proposed to do and to arrange a meeting place should the others proposed not to wait. But in our excitement at solving the mystery, we had neglected to do so.

Anyway, going on out to the bottom of McIntyre Road at its other end, we didn’t know whether the others had simply turned down there and back along Long Ridge Road to the cars, or carried on along the race. In the absence of any indication, we set off along the race, as that had been the original intention of the tramp. We were relieved to catch up on them enough to see them further beyond us, but stopping to don parkas as the drizzling rain got heavier, lost sight of them again.

Emerging from the race end further up Long Ridge Road, we saw them again rounding a corner further down and caught up on them at the gate at the end. So all was well that ended well.

Quite an adventure and some interesting unplanned bush-bashing. A lesson in how bush conditions can change over two years and a reminder that our smaller numbers means that all our tramps now amount to a recce, – unlike the hikers, whose “reconnoiterers”  go through our experience and sort things out first. – Ian

6. 10/2/2010. Trampers. Falls, Goat Point, Smeaton Shack, Aquaduct, Longridge Road. Leaders: Ian, Sabina.

It all got a bit complicated. First the leaders failed to find the track down from the Sanatorium Road extension track. Many, many fallen trees had obliterated all trace of the track where it first descends steeply down. Well, the leaders couldn’t find it anyway.

However the start of a new track closer in from the gate had been pointed out by a local landowner so that was followed on the day.

It was fairly well cleared but markers petered out down the middle of a steep bouldery stream (the McQuilkin way upstream from the falls?) so after a morning tea rest, we prudently retreated back up and began all over again, this time back at the old school-house. Up McQuilkin Road. Right-fork into bush and across the McQuilkin on a wire hand-hold. On up and eventually back across to the true right and to the stream junction. Interesting notice points to “Watar fall”. Up over the large rocks and now it was lunch-time at the falls.

Back down and across to the true left but now up steeply to Goats Point. Across through the bush and down to Smeatons Shack on McIntyre Road.

Down the road , down the track to emerge on the cleanly excavated concrete access race near the aqueduct. (Thanks, track clearers.)

Then following out along the race to the other end of McIntyre Road, and across it to the far end of the race where the track comes out on Longridge Road. Down the road and back to the cars. What could have been a very short day comfortably filled out to be more satisfyingly longer. Must ask those landowners how that other track gets you to the falls. And must check out whether the old track is still navigable. – Ian

5. 3/8/2005. Both. School House, Craiglowan Falls, – Whare Flat. Leaders: Judy, Jacqui, Hazel

4. 6/8/2003. Both. Craiglowan Falls. Medium. Leaders: Doug M, Hazel, Barbara L, Mary M.

2. 30/8/2000 Craiglowan Falls, Whare Flat. Leaders: Mavis, Winifred, Val

1. 16/4/1997. Craig Lowan Falls from Bull Ring. Leaders:Hugh, Val, Judy C

Distance from car-park: 16 km.

3. 24/1/2018. Hikers. Bull Ring, Where Flat Road, Jim Freeeman,Ben Rudd, Flag Staff, Bull Ring. M. Leaders: Judy, Dawn.

27 hikers gathered at the car park, but this number soon diminished to 26 as one member collapsed before we even started.  (He is okay). Two others waited to provide assistance, leaving 24 of us to head for the Bull Ring.

Here five opted to do a shorter trip to the summit and back, while the remaining 19 set off down the road to the Possum Busters turn-off.  This was an easy, half-hour, down-hill stroll, mostly in the shade of the trees.

Morning tea was had just inside the track, …

… and then we headed for the Jim Freeman turn-off and the long, slow, hot climb up to the Ben Rudd shelter.  With frequent stops for water and breath, this took just over an hour.  Not bad under the conditions experienced!  We were all glad to be in the shelter of the bush and even gladder to emerge and collapse at the shelter for a long leisurely lunch break.

The two good Samaritans met us here, having come up the fire-break track and down to the shelter.  They informed us that the patient was okay and that the other five were on their way to the summit and would head straight back down.

After lunch it was up to the fire-break, …

… and another split, with nine heading straight down to the cars, and the rest taking the track towards Swampy and then around and up (again!) to the Flagstaff summit.  It was slightly misty with a welcome cooling breeze, but the views were great, and we enjoyed the leisurely descent to the cars.  A good number then enjoyed a social hour at Topiary.

The decision to do this trip in reverse made sense, as it avoided the long hot climb up the road at the end, and also meant that most of the climbing was in the bush. – Judy

2. 19/4/2017. Hikers. Bull Ring, Ben Rudd, Jim Freeman, Whare Flat Road return. M. Jennifer and Adrienne.

Seven ‘not-so-young-and-not-feeling-fit’ members decided on a shorter(?) version of the day’s trip.  While the others went up the fire-break track, we opted for the track to Flagstaff summit,with great views across the Taieri and then the city before the cloud came down.  Morning tea was had sheltering in the rocks just past the summit,

before following the track down over rocks and through mud to the junction with the fire-break.  It was cold pushing into the wind and we were glad to reach the Ben Rudd turn-off and head down into the bush where it was more sheltered. (We could hear the main party somewhere down the Jim Freeman track below). The picnic shelter was much appreciated for a longish lunch as it was a bit wet outside.

The climb back to the firebreak was quickly dealt with and the descent to the Bull Ring was uneventful – almost.  (Chris explored a ditch quite closely at one point).  It seems we walked as far if not further than the main group – not sure how! – Judy.

1. 24/9/2008. Trampers. Booth Road, Jim Freeman, McQuilkin, Moon Track. Medium. Leaders: Ria, Hazel.

Click Ben Rudd Article for background information.

Click Pineapple Track for background information.

Click Pineapple and Flagstaff walk for background information.

1/9/1999. Pineapple Track, Ben Rudd, Jim Freeman Tracks. Leaders: Diana and Ray, Shirley R.

25 Feb 1998 Bull Ring, Pineapple, Jim Freeman. Return by road? -Ian

16/10/1996.Hikers. Jim Freemans and Ben Rudd Hut. Average. Leaders: Les W, Doreen, Shirley R.

No. 92 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Frasers Gully – Brockville Rd Year Round”

16 km from car park.

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32. 24/04/2024. Trampers. Frasers Road/Southern Resevoir. Grade 2.5. 16 km.  Leaders: Gwenda Farqharson/Graeme Souter

A perfect calm sunny autumn Dunedin day for our tramp greeted 17 trampers at Frasers Gully carpark. Continue Reading »

No. 99 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Mt Charles Mr Neil Farm”.
27 km from car-park.

Click here to read about Cape Saunders Lighthouse and the two graves

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Official Sinclair Wetlands website.

From car park, via Clarendon: abt 35 km.

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5. 04/04/2024. Combined. Sinclair Wetlands. Grade 1.5. Leaders Ady, Linda, Dave and John.

It’s said that there are more bacteria and microscopic life in one glass of water, than there are grains of sand on the planet. (Neither figure being accurately calculable of course.) A good introduction to the Sinclair Wetlands. Teaming with life, yet most of it out of plain sight. Continue Reading »

No. 30 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Woodside Glen to Maungatuas. E Blackburn, D McEwan. Summer”

Short and long options. (Maungatua climb fairly steep. 5-7 hours. Heavy tussock on top.  Route only. Manager: DOC.)

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18. 14/2/2024. Trampers. Maungatua Option. Leaders Lyn Keene, Anne Ward and Di Bezett

Travel Distance 40ks, Grade: 3.5, Altitude gain: 711 metres. Total distance: 15.64 ks.

The day dawned to reveal blue skies and temperatures were predicated to be between 28-29 degrees. Continue Reading »

No. 76 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Coutts Gully Return Sawmill Rd Farm”. Livingstonia Park distance from car-park: 32 km.

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30. 31/01/2024. Hikers Coutts Gully Road.  Grade 3. Leaders: Bruce and Alex

After welcoming a new hiker, Peter Dodds, twenty-four hikers left Livingstonia Park, about 9.30 am, heading to the left (east) to the sand dune track that led out to the road by the bridge and then headed up Sawmill Road to have morning tea beside the implement shed on Alan Gorton’s farm.

Information
Rock and Pillar via Six Mile Creek This climbs 1,005 m. (3300 feet) up the eastern face from Glencreag Station up a leading ridge south of Six Mile Creek. This is the most direct approach.
Rock and Pillar via spur south of Lug Creek. Information: Climbs 910 m. (3000 feet) up the eastern face of a well-graded vehicle track up a leading spur south of Lug Creek. Average time to Leaning Lodge is 3 hours on foot.
DoC access. 9.5km north of the Middlemarch store on SH87, just before Lug Creek, is a farm entrance (RAPID 7219 – no DoC sign). A short way up the driveway is a DoC car park. There is public access up the vehicle track to the conservation area boundary. The track is now a recreation reserve administered by DoC.
Easiest route to Big Hut from Leaning Lodge (foot only – unmarked – good visibility essential) is another 45+ minutes climbing gently southwards to cross a steep gully and then climb a gentle shelf to above the eastern basins. Sidle several hundred metres past the lower prominent rock tors before gently descending to Big Hut once it becomes visible. Route very wind and cloud-prone. Ice axe and crampons may be necessary to traverse steep snow slopes near Leaning Lodge.
64 km to Middlemarch. 66 km to Stonehurst Track.
Redan Crater- contact for access Ken Rennick.

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13. 06/12/2023. Hikers. Sutton Salt Lake – Glencreag Track. Grade 2.5. $16. 60km. Leaders: Wendy Langley/Katrina McKenzie

17 of us headed to Sutton where we walked the Sutton Lake loop. Continue Reading »

“Legends of the Lower Taieri” includes a section about John Bull if you persist in reading down far enough.

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18. 22/11/2023.Hikers. Millennium Track from Henley Ferry Bridge. Grade 3. 27km. Leaders: Ady Whitson/Bruce Wright.

We had a great day on the track. Weather was great with 20 Hikers enjoying the day. We parked about 2/3 the way down the road from the stile. Continue Reading »

No. 87 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Michelle’s Farm Outram Farm”.
11 km from car park.
Park under Outram Bridge. Contacts: Seek 3 permissions.
Proceed east side of Taieri River along gravel road to gravel pit.  Bear right uphill to power lines. Follow generally along grass farm tracks to top of hill.
Landmarks: Trig marker on right; also obvious paper road between two fence lines; Long barn on right (good for lunch stop); large wool shed on top of hill straight ahead (this is still on Hyslop’s property).
Straight on access is to Taioma Road but we don’t usually go that far!
Plenty of mushrooms in April – take a bag!

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15. 20/09/2023. Trampers. Nichols Farm. Grade 4. Leaders: Jill Reid and Julie McKenzie

15 intrepid trampers parked under the Outram bridge. As we walked along the Taieri river wind in the willows gave us warning of a breath-taking day!

After ascending a narrow track through scrub we made our way along a ridge on Craig Nichol’s property. Any conversation was ‘gone with the wind’. To quote Evel Knievel “ I love the feeling of fresh air on my face and wind blowing through my hair” – certainly true today!

We decided not to go to the trig – the howling wind spoke to us and we found our way down to a pocket of native bush. The relative calm here was a welcome respite from the punishing wind on the hill top.

Walking roughly parallel to SHW 87 we headed back towards Outram. Thank you farmer Neil for herding a mob of cattle out of our path.

Throwing caution to the wind we walked through a Douglas fir plantation, then a large stand of eucalyptus – fortunately there were few recently dropped branches! The only reportable incident was Diane being blown backwards whilst pivoting on a gate – luckily she was caught by the two behind her ( I rue a missed photo opportunity!)

A nice hill climb took us to wide track Craig recently had dug out back down to the Taieri river, and we were at the cars by 3.00 pm.

A great day out and many thanks to Julie McKenzie and Pam Cox for your assistance.
Distance walked – 13.5 km
Jill Reid

No. 78 on old hardcopy list of 113 club tramps. “Knarston Park Sth Coast (Ask Jean Young) Farm”

Location: 31.5 km.

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15. 29/3/2023. Millennium Track, Taieri Mouth.  Leaders Dave and Mike

I seriously questioned my sanity on the drive from sub tropical Port Chalmers to Mosgiel for this weeks walk. The torrential rain and hailstones on the Southern Motorway left me with a sense of foreboding. However, 17 hikers eventually assembled at the meeting place at Knarston Park on Taieri Beach for what turned out to be a really enjoyable walk with the predicted rain showers non-existent.

Morning smoko was held on the verandah at Jay’s river mouth crib where we could admire the house extension at one neighbouring property and the dismantling of a Kauri boat on another.

From there it was a pleasant river side walk on the Millennium Track and boardwalks before starting the grunt up the hill to the welcome seats where we had lunch before re-tracing our steps back to the cars.

Consensus of opinion is that the grade should be re-classified as a 3.5 as Sir Edmund Hillary got a Knighthood for climbing hills that steep. The return to the cars was achieved without mishap and tiffin was taken by some at the Brighton Cafe.

Thanks to Dave Roberts for leading at a leisurely pace that made the uphill sections enjoyable. Total distance walked was 9.5km

Mike Webb

Click Ben Rudd Article for background information.

Click Pineapple and Flagstaff walk for background information.

Antony Hamel in his Dunedin Tracks and Trails book has interesting information on the “Snowy Mountain Track” under his Spiers Road entry.

4. Eastern Flagstaff. Trampers. Grade 4.5. $5. 15km. Leaders Ross Davies and Gwenda Farquharson

(Redwoods bike tracks – Old Pineapple Track – No track – Davies Track – Flagstaff Walkway – Spiers Road Track – street walk)

17 of us met up in Wakari Road at the carpark for the Redwoods bike tracks on a cloudy morning and headed off into the maze at 9.20am. It’s a lovely meander through the very tall trees. We emerged at the Booth Road end of the Pineapple track and took the track up to the water treatment plant.

We had morning tea there a little after 10am on the uphill side before heading into the bush behind the plant. This was the entrance to the original Pineapple Track which was replaced by the current one in the late 1970s. Within a few minutes on a faint unmarked trail we crossed the McGouns Track  and kept on straight up. The track is reasonably obvious. It was a bit greasy in places but is a nice contrast with the new track.

We emerged into the open area beside the new Pineapple Track but didn’t head over to Pineapple Point viewpoint as we’d been enveloped in cloud by then.

Instead we retreated a little way back down the way we’d come before heading south through the bush, contouring around to the middle part of the Davies Track. There’s a slight ground trail, and some markers, probably noting trapping lines. Plus lovely big Totara trees and impressive cabbage trees. Towards the Davies Track there are blue triangle markers for another trap line and this leads on to the Davies Track about halfway up. We had a look at the alligator swamp but they were all hiding.

The upper part of the track was fairly muddy and slippery. Eventually we emerged from the bush, just below the cloud. After the fire a few years ago, the flax and gorse and grass are growing back, and it was saturated. With nowhere dry to stop, we carried on up to the Flagstaff Walkway and then a few more minutes towards the top where we found a sheltered dry spot beside the track for lunch, at about 12.45pm.

After lunch we zoomed across the summit, then down a little way towards the Bullring. You have to keep your eyes out for the Spiers Road track branching off to the left, over the ridge and then plunging down towards Halfway Bush.

After the light rain of the night before the track needing a bit of care.

This was the route of the Snowy Mountain Road, the first overland route out of the new Dunedin to the north, over Flagstaff, over Swampy, over Hightop, and on north to Johnny Jones’ Cherry Farm at Waikouaiti via what is now the Mountain Road forestry road.

Further down we passed Ben Rudd’s stone wall, and then the site of a plane crash in 1943 which everyone survived, including the plane! From the bottom of Spiers Road it was a 30-minute street walk back to the cars, checking out the houses and gardens along the way. Most repaired to Coffee Culture in the olde Roslyn fire station for the de-brief.

Thanks Gwenda for helping out, and to everyone for sharing in another happy adventure.

Ross

Tramp details: Distance – 13 kms; height gain – 730 m; moving time – 3.75-4 hrs; elapsed time – 6.25 hrs.
Discussion afterwards agreed 4 or 4.5 for grade and I’m comfortable with 4.5 because of the extra height gain and the proportion of rough track involved.

9. 7/12/2022. Trampers Lamb Hill, Fiddlers Hut, 3 O’clock Stream. Grade 4.5 Leaders: Phil and Gwenda

Thanks again to 15-year managers Chris and Lucy Thomson for allowing us on their farm, split by the stream with an altitude of 180 to 700m above sea level.  These 4550 hectares of steep exposed hill country run, alongside 10,880 ewes, 750 mixed aged Angus cows, including 200 yearlings in-calf heifers, recently scanning 97% in calf. The yearling girls well and truly pay their way going to the bull at 350-390kg LW an impressive feat given Lambhill’s challenging climate. (all other history can be looked up on the internet.)

We had 11 hardy trampers battle into a cold NE wind. We worked up from the airstrip a km before heading through the first gate and then headed NW into good terrain of green paddocks. We worked over to what was a tree line now removed, heading off more west beside the Angus cows and calves and then numerous paddocks of sheep with a lot of twin lambs.

Lynn did her job of herding a lamb back to her mum. After an hour and a half we arrived at the top of the hill looking down on Fiddlers Hut and 3 O’clock Stream.

We found a crossing that wasn’t too deep and crossed the stream ready for lunch at hut by 12.44 pm.

 

 

After lunch, we decided to return around the ridge to the east, 10 minutes in we thought we could hear the squeal of a falcon or its chicks, so we moved as quickly as possible not to disturb.

We then needed to head to the top of the ridge so we could work out how to return the way we had arrived. It was hard work and the wind was unforgiving.

So with a few rest stops’ we headed back to the cars. I must admit we were not quite as chirpy as the case on the way down. It was an impressive property but only the hardy would survive the wind. Back to the car, we munched on some chocolate goodies to revive energy.

Hindon must be a lonely spot in winter, but the land has magic not seen that often.

Thanks to tail-end Charlie Gwenda.  Phil

Dist 16.51km  elevation 628m time 4hrs actual walking (ala strava)