Trip Reports
Waiorau Snow Farm Trip, August 21 – 22
Thursday, September 8th, 2022
The Snow Farm, up Cardrona Valley high on the Pisa Range, offers varied snow experiences including snow-shoeing, cross-country skiing, and snow touring (all equipment can be hired). This year a team of three had booked Daisy Lee Hut for a Sunday night. There are four huts available and all are well supplied with firewood and all kitchen equipment.
If staying in a hut, you can buy a Snow Farm pass from 12pm to 12pm the following day, which gives you plenty of time to leave Oamaru at 7am, arrive at the Lodge by 10.45, and be ready for the snow by 12pm.
Luggage is ferried to the hut by snow mobile so, with only a day pack to carry, we felt comfortably light for the three hour snow shoeing expedition to Daisy Lee Hut. We followed a DOC poled route until arriving at Meadow Hut for afternoon tea, then on to the large new Musterers’ Hut. From here we headed uphill to Bob and Daisy Lee Huts. Views from these two huts are impressive, as they are elevated high on the Pisa Range. Sunset and sunrise over the alps are magnificent.
On Monday, after a cosy night with Uwe cranking up the wood stove, we explored further beyond the Snow Farm boundary into DOC territory, again following poles. We chose the high route under a bright blue sky, with expansive views all around – clear, sunny and sparkling with frosty snow. But as mist came swirling over the top peaks, we thought it wise to head down to the Kirtle Burn valley and follow the stream back to Meadow Hut and the Lodge by 12 noon.
Snow shoeing up on the Pisa Range is quiet and peaceful, with only the crunch of snow underfoot. It is easy and gives one the freedom to explore any of the snowy valleys and hills.
Jenny Kitchin
Nimrod Scenic Reserve and Easement
Wednesday, July 20th, 2022
Sunday 17th July
A carload of us left Oamaru at 8am and turned off the state highway 1 and onto Pareora Gorge Road, and then lastly on to Back line Road and into the Nimrod Camping Area. Just before reaching the camping sites, there was a newly constructed Glamping stay, which did look welcoming. A frosty start for some campers at the camping area which even has flush toilets. We began our day by going anti clockwise up through the bush which was surprisingly dry underfoot considering the rain we have had. We stopped 10.45ish for a snack at the turnoff to the easement. Here we could see other trampers who were on the southern ridge high point that we would be on later in the day. From here, we continued up the track and through the gate which accessed the easement track. The further up we got the colder the wind got but also we were able to see snow capped Mt Somers, Dobson and Mt Hutt. At 11.30, Julian suggested an early lunch on the hill to the left so a short walk up through tussock and after some photos and confirming which farm track is access to Mt Nimrod, we sheltered in behind tussock for lunch.
After lunch, we returned to the Nimrod Reserve loop track and down to the picturesque waterfall which has a rock arch and plenty of water flowing through it. With photos taken, we continued up the steep track onto a small flat area to catch out breath and then on up the south ridge. Looking back from here, the waterfall can be seen through the bush. At the top of the south ridge, Banks Peninsula can be seen in the distance. Halfway down the south ridge, we heard a Falcon though it wasn’t overly concerned we were there. This Reserve was recognised for its birdlife as early as 1891 and it has been logged, burned and stock grazed however it became a Scenic Reserve in 1932. Back to the cars by 2.15 and to Oamaru by 4pm.
Thanks for your company Rob, Jenny, Julian and Neville. Bess
Andersons Lagoon
Wednesday, July 6th, 2022
Sunday 3 July 2022
A perfect day for a walk by the seaside: fine, sunny, blue skies, cool with a light north-westerly breeze.
Nine trampers drove the 65 kms from Oamaru to the end of Anderson Road, off the Goodwood Road
east of Palmerston. Shortly after 9 o’clock we set off walking along the track through a replanted area
beside Andersons Lagoon. The lagoon itself was fairly high but the track remained dry.
After about half a km the track reached Stony Creek beach and we turned north, past the closed mouth
of the lagoon to the steel ladder which climbed up the cliff. It was about half tide, which meant that the
beach route would be impassable, so we climbed the ladder and the following zig-zag steps up to reach the
esplanade walking track which undulated along the clifftops for some two kms, crossing several small
streams on the way. In several places, patches of New Zealand spinach appeared and were sampled.
Eventually the track turned down an awkward bank where a fixed rope provided some support as we
dropped down to the beach. It was now 10.20 so we settled down for a leisurely morning tea in the
bright sunshine under the cliff. After half an hour or so, we packed up again and headed up the sandy
beach which would take us to our end point at the mouth of the Waihemo-Shag River. On the way we
were entertained by wildlife. There were rows of spotted shags nesting on rocky ledges like tenements
in an old European city. Some nests had two occupants but most had one; all were resplendent in their
breeding plumage with double crests and blue eye patches.
Further along, we came across half a dozen basking sea lions but none seemed energetic enough to
threaten our progress. A myriad of tracks across the sand suggested that many more were either secluded
in the sand dunes or had gone out to sea.
At a quarter to twelve, we reached the end of the beach and settled down on the Shag Estuary side of
the sand dunes for lunch in the sunshine and to take in the full view up the river with the snowy Rock
and Pillar Range just poking above the intervening hills. Half an hour later we packed up and wandered
over to the river mouth.
The river had a steady flow, which would have made crossing tricky. Then we saw a large bull sea lion
emerge from the surf and heave his way up on to the beach on the other side.
At the same time, another, smaller, sea lion could be seen splashing its way down the river from the
estuary. It, too, clambered out of the water and up on to the north-side beach. There the two sea lions
got together and demonstrated why the river and headland may not have been named after birds.
Not to seem too voyeuristic, we turned around and started the homeward leg back down the beach.
We got to the cove where we had come down from the high track. The intention had been to go back
along at beach level as far as possible but it soon became clear that, although it was only one hour after
low tide, the combination of a relatively high low tide and strong waves from the south-east made the
headlands impassable. So we all clambered up the awkward bank and walked back along the ups and
downs of the clifftop track until the steel ladder took us down again to the beach at Stony Creek. A short
walk along the beach and up the side of the lagoon took us back to the cars at 2.15. The combination of
sunshine, seascape, cliffs, beach and wildlife had made for an interesting day which was enjoyed by
Phyllis, Maurice, Lynette, Julian, Jenny, Emily, Robbie, Uwe and John.
Quarantine Island
Thursday, June 30th, 2022
Sunday 26 June 2022
19 assembled at the Port Chalmers Beach Street boat harbour at 11am to catch the prebooked boat ride to Quarantine Island.
It was about a 10 minute cruise over dead still water to the wharf, where we disembarked. After being welcomed by the resident Island Keeper, we climbed the steep steps to the main island buildings. After wandering around the St Martin Lodge we inspected the large building which used to be the Married Quarters and is now the main historic display area of photos and past stories of island life, especially its use as a quarantine place for ships passengers arriving with an infectious disease.
It was then an easy walk over the 17ha island and climbing to the 58m high summit of the hill at the far end. Views were taken in , both up and down the harbour, before returning by a circular route to the wharf at 12-30pm for our trip back to Port Chalmers.
After lunch some opted to travel down to Aramoana, where we did a short wetlands walk and a walk along the 1200m long mole which protects the entrance to the Otago Harbour.
A relaxing day out on a sunny winters day in an area we do not often go.
Thanks to Chris for organising the day and the boat trip. Ross M
White Horse – Waimate 22-5-2022
Thursday, June 9th, 2022
Three of us left Oamaru at 8am and the day was looking good. We duly arrived in waimate and met up with our fourth tramper, and it was decided to leave a car at each end of the track. We started walking along the railway track at the Studholme Bush end near the gorge at about 9.30am, and soon the climb up the Bellbird track began. It takes you up through the bush to the tops. There we took a little detour to a waterfall, which wasn’t showing much signs of life, but there are also large totara in the area. We heard lots of bellbirds, tui and fantails on the route. As you get higher there are lovely views over Waimate out towards the coast, and in the other direction towards the Kakanui and St. Mary ranges.
We reached the newly revamped White Horse at about 11:45am. The new look outs are solidly built providing great a great viewing platform, with a colourful Maori carving and poles painted by local schools. The horse itself has been painted, and everywherethere are new plantings and pathways. Lunch was eatne i the sun then we made our way down the track ending at Point Bush Eco-sanctuary. Just before the end of the track we came across a wallaby with it’s foot trapped in the fence. It took a lot of emails and phone calls to find someone to put it out of it’s misery, and only back at the car that we found a phone number of the pest control operation.
After a brief stop at the Maori cemetary we made our way back to the car and then through the gorge down to Glenavy, where we were rewarded with icecreams and then on home at about 3pm from a very pleasant day out.