Trip Reports
Mount Horrible- Otamatakou, 17 May 2015
Wednesday, May 20th, 2015
It was an early start at 7am at carpark for all (just one straggler arriving as the clock struck 7 as he had slept in having woken up at 6.50am, no breakfast and only managed to get his socks on before breaking two road rules to get to the meeting place by the departure time – wont mention his name!!!!) There was a great turn out with 15 members, Maurice, Phyllis, Tim, Bronwyn, Theresa, Linda, Robbie, Neville, John, Jane, Steve and Ann, Marcel, Noel and Ross. We travelled in 4 vehicles arriving at the track car park next to the camping grounds around 8.30am weather being overcast and a light northerly wind. We followed doc markers to the Otamatakou Station boundary and followed the 4WD track up the mountain for roughly 300m and made a right turn and climbed up to a small saddle and then over to the ridge. We are reassembled at the ridge and then followed the ridge to the fence line which we followed to the top. We had great views but a very cold wind. We spent around 45 minutes at the top before making our way back down to the vehicles. We headed for home with Jane and her car load stopping for icecreams at Kurow. Noel
Deep Stream Tramp Report 10-5-2015
Monday, May 18th, 2015
After all the good weather the week leading up to this day Tramp I was hoping it was going to hold out for this day because it had been a while since we had been out due to the weather. Sunday dawned fine so 7 of as headed off up the Waitaki Valley to the Aviemore Dam where we started our day. It was on with our day packs and off up the road on the north side of Lake Aviemore to the start of the Deep Stream public walkway. The walkway track follows around the side of a small deep lake that Deep Stream flows into. The track is about 2km long and along the way there are a couple of picnic spots. At the head of the lake and where the stream flows into it is where the walkway finishes but we had permission from the farmer to carry on up the stream. After crossing the stream the gorge opens up into a big flat valley. We followed a 4WD track up the valley till the stream veers to the right and goes into a bit of a gorge. We decided to go high along the true left of the stream to meet up with a wee valley that meets the gorge from the east. We headed up this valley but had to go higher up to get out of the scrub and matagouri that wasn’t very nice to go through. This valley was just hopping with wallabies; I have never seen so many in one place in all my tramping years. One popped up in some scrub beside me and I thought it was going to hop over me. At the top of the valley on a saddle we had lunch looking down over Lake Waitaki. After lunch we had to drop down into a wee gorge, push through a bit more scrub and matagouri to get up to a fence and 4WD track on the other side. We follow this track but it turned into a dry creek bed that took us down to other 4WD track pass the remains of a old stone building and along to the fisherman’s bends camping ground beside Lake Waitaki. It was then over a gate and up a gravel road back to the cars. The whole day took us 5 and half hours, with good weather and great company. Thanks to Bron, Linda, John, Jane, Phyllis and Maurice for a good day out Neville
Coming down dry creek bed
Stone building remains
ABC Cave, Silverpeaks, 14,15 March 2015
Monday, March 16th, 2015
Trip Report Overnight at the ABC Cave, Silverpeaks, March 14, 15 2015
A very small contingent arrived at the Mountain Rd gate at about 9.30am after a quick stop for coffee at Vanessa’s in Hampden.
Good weather had been ordered for this weekend and was duly delivered in spades. There was no real pressure on the walkers with plenty of time to achieve our objective of the ABC Cave.
We deviated from the Yellow Ridge Track to look at the tunnels, just a 5 minute walk off the main track. The tunnels were disappointingly small. They were located along a water race which picked up water from the South Branch of the Waikouaiti . Both were leftovers from gold mining activities in both the 1860’s and later the 1930’s. There were never any great yields here.
On up the ridge to the Phil Cox Hut for lunch, and along to The Gap for a look . We arrived at the ABC Cave at about 4.30pm to find that it was already occupied by 2 people. After a small rest and look at the cave we decided that it would be less crowded if the 3 of us didn’t stay so we carried on to Jubilee Hut arriving there about 6pm. The hut was empty when we arrived, but within 5 minutes the crowds started to arrive, first a group of international students, then other smaller groups. 14 people stayed the night, a further 4 moved down to the Cave Creek to camp. A busy night ahead and the big crowd making sleeping just that much harder.
In the morning we found others who had also camped the night along the creek. The weather was fine again and as we gained height going up the Devil’s Staircase it got very hot. We had elevenses at the top and then turned north to go along Rocky Ridge towards Hermit Ridge in an attempt to find the Hermit’s Cave. This was not found, but having found out more information on its location, I am confident that the next attempt will be successful. We returned to our packs quite thirsty and hungry and after lunch carried on along the ridge and eventually down to the Green Hut site to meet a group of OTMC members out for their club day trip , David Barnes was amongst them. These ones gave us the information about the Hermits Cave.
The remainder of the walk down was done in the company of this group and David kindly offered to run us up to the gate to retrieve our vehicle saving that last bit of road bashing. Coastal cloud had come in by this time and the temperature was much lower .
The customary ice-cream at Hampden was enjoyed by 2 of us while the other looked on in disgust while we polished off the much larger than average ice-cream.
This was a very enjoyable weekend trip in an often under rated area very close to home with good company and good weather.
Thanks to Steve and John for the laughs…… Robbie
Climbing up towards The Gap
No Leidecker View here Steve.
Otekaike Hill
Saturday, March 14th, 2015
8-3-2015
Ten trampers met at the car park on a cool and cloudy morning all ready to get out on the hills. It was good to get out again for a hike since I had not been out on a trip for a while.
We left Oamaru and headed up the Waitaki Valley picking Bron up on the way.
Around Georgetown there were signs of the big rain dump they had on the Saturday night with 78mm falling in 15min in some places.
We went through Duntroon and turned into Special School Rd. up past Campbell Park School and along the Otekaike Bridal Track and parked up where the 4WD track that goes up the Otekaike Hill meets the bridal track. There was a strong cold southwesty blowing so it was on with some more warm clothes before we headed off. We followed a good 4WD track up a ridge beside Bushy Creek in a southwest direction for about 4km and then headed northwest to the top. It took us about 2 ½ hours to get to the top at 1172m. It was quite windy on top so we had lunch on the lee side of the trig out of the wind.
We had good views down the Waitaki Valley, up the Haka and all the high peaks like Kohurau, Domet, David, Cone, Grayson and through to the Dansey Pass.
After lunch we headed back down a ridge on the northern side of Bushy Creek following a rough track down beside a fence line till we meet up another 4WD track.
Near the bottom we detoured off the track and down a steep bank into the creek which was dry. At this point one of our Trampers realised he had left this camera at a gate back up the track so we had at sit down in the sun while he went back for it. He was soon back with us after about 20 min.
We then crossed the dry creek and up the bank on the other side to the track we had taken in the morning and soon we were back at the vehicles. It was then back to Duntroon for a ice-cream at the local cafe ( NOT ) only ice blocks on the menu.
Thanks to Bron, Linda, Rodney, Helen, Noel, Steve, Ann, Bill, John and Marcel for your company and interesting stories told for the day. Neville
Herbert Forest Working Bee
Monday, February 23rd, 2015
22- Feb – 2015
A drizzly morning was not enough to put off eleven worker bees willing to tackle a day’s work. Robbie as usual had the timber and pegs for the steps ready to go.
The Swallows Track was still our main focus to upgrade giving an opportunity for more people to visit this special place.
With two teams fitting the steps and another bringing in the supplies, good progress was made. A team of three started at the beginning and worked their way up to the creek cutting vegetation from the track sides and racking leaf litter off the track, while another party of two went to the other tracks to remove wind fell trees.
Lunch time and all but three gathered near the cave for a catch up and an entertaining performance by Robbie on the Didgeridoo. The day’s work ended at 2pm with a debrief at the car park. A great effort by a great team.
Jane, Bron, Bess, Phyllis, Robbie, Dave, Tim P, Noel, Dean, John – Maurice.