Mt. Ida

Tuesday, July 29th, 2014

Sunday 27th July 2014

A party of nine, consisting of Bill Bews, John Chetwin, Ross Familton, Murray Gifford, Maurice & Phyllis Gray, Dunedin visitors Rodney & Helen Meiklejohn and Trip Organiser Noel Pullan, assembled in the Medway Street car park from 7:45am.  After the road access and route details were presented by Noel, we were soon organised into three vehicles and on our way to Wedderburn, via Palmerston and the Pigroot, a few minutes after 8:00am.

Apart from the back seat heckling Noel endured from Ross en-route, the rest of us had a relatively uneventful drive through to Wedderburn and around 9:45am we pulled over to the side of State Highway 85, 3.1 kilometres past Wedderburn, as Noel had turned into what appeared to be the driveway of a farm paddock.  As Maurice and I were expecting the nice, metalled road described by Noel earlier and indicated on the Idaburn map as the access road to Little Mount Ida, we assumed that he had taken the wrong turn-off and so we continued on past the Ida Valley-Omakau Road intersection expecting to find this elusive metalled road.  However, after further road-side discussions and assurances from Noel (not to mention a couple of bites of humble pie after incorrectly assuming Noel had taken the wrong turn-off), we turned around and headed back to the previous turn-off that he had indeed correctly identified.  Our car was left at the gate, just off the main road, so we all continued on towards Little Mount Ida in the two 4WD vehicles on the metalled road obscured by the muddy state of its mid-winter condition. About 7 kilometres later the road took a right-angled turn and began winding its way up Little Mount Ida to the television transmitter and building on top.  At this right-angled corner, at 740 metres, we parked the vehicles, put on our gear and got underway at 10:30am.  We followed a 4WD track, initially heading north before climbing briefly and turning to the north-east to the base of Mount Ida itself.

The top 200 metres or so of the Ida Range was covered in cloud, which looked particularly cold given the fresh snow that had recently fallen.  But, with no real wind to speak of, we carried on; hoping that the sun would eventually break through the overcast sky and the top of the range would also clear.  However, it was soon apparent that the cloud probably wasn’t going to lift to accommodate our intentions, so Bill and Phyllis opted to continue along an adjoining 4WD track that headed south-east and up to the saddle between the southern ridge line of Mount Ida and Little Mount Ida, with a view towards making the shorter ascent of Little Mount Ida and descending to the vehicles via the access road.  So, we parted company and the remaining seven of us headed straight up the quite step spur leading directly to the summit of Mount Ida over a series of rocky outcrops.

The fresh snow was boot-deep in places and knee-deep in others, dependent upon whether there was rock or vegetation underneath.  However, we gained height quickly and by 12:30pm had climbed the steepest part of the spur before stopping for lunch at about 1400 metres, with just one more rocky outcrop remaining to be surpassed in order to gain access to the upper ridge leading to the summit at 1690 metres.  But, stopping for lunch revealed just how cold it was without any direct sunlight, and with obvious white-out conditions waiting to envelope us as the cloud was actually lowering, common sense prevailed and so after lunch we turned around and headed back down our ascent route.

We hadn’t seen any sign of Bill and Phyllis since they’d headed off to climb Little Mount Ida, but as Maurice and Ross got down off the Mount Ida spur very quickly, they raced-off along the 4WD track in the direction of Little Mount Ida and made short work of the ascent to the saddle and on to the top.  The rest of us made our way back to the vehicles, which were reached by 2:50pm, where Bill and Phyllis had arrived half an hour earlier.  Maurice and Ross were soon spotted quickly descending the road on Little Mount Ida and once we were all back together again, the Wedderburn Tavern was elected as the ideal venue for a trip ‘debrief’, over an assortment of beer and coffee.

By the time we were back on the road, around 4:20pm, the top of the Ida Range had finally cleared, as had some of the familiar peaks of the St. Marys Range.  Once at Kyeburn, Helen and Rodney headed back to Dunedin via Middlemarch on State Highway 87, with the rest of the party returning to Oamaru via the Pigroot and Palmerston.

Regardless of personal experience gained from years of private excursions into the North Otago ranges and further afield, the company of the wonderful people of the North Otago Tramping and Mountaineering Club and the inestimable combined wealth of knowledge and experience that is freely shared by those long-standing members who provide their services as Trip Organisers, is incomparable.  It truly is a privilege to spend a day out in the hills with these people and I would recommend the experience to anyone contemplating such an adventure, whether you’re ultimately considering club membership or are visitors to the club (like us), you are graciously welcomed by one and all.

Thanks very much to John, Murray, Ross, Bill, Maurice & Phyllis and, of course, Noel, for a great day out, regardless of the outcome.  It was an absolute pleasure to be in your company.

Rodney & Helen Meiklejohn (Dunedin).

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Hidden Biv – Ahuriri Valley, Sunday 13 July 2014

Tuesday, July 15th, 2014

At 7.30am smartly, 5 intrepid members braved the winter chills to visit Hidden Biv in the Ahuriri Valley. A gloomy forecast and rain in the hills over the previous few days was the main topic of conversation as we drove west. After some searching for the right access point down to the Ahuriri River we wandered up and down the river looking for the best place to cross. The river was up at least 500mm and the bottom obscured- we decided to not attempt a crossing and so denied access to the scheduled trip, we chose for option 2 which was to walk up the zigzag near Ahuriri Base Hut which is the track to the Top Dingle Hut. It drizzled to start with but soon dried out and we were treated to sunshine and fantastic views as we climbed out of the valley towards the saddle at approximately 1400m. Not very much snow underfoot just the odd patch as we neared the top. Great views right on the edge of the SW front as it curled around us but it held off until we had had our lunch. It was decided to walk along the ridge south and the front caught up with us and it started to snow and the wind had a sharp edge to it, but it was quite pleasant all the same as we carried on. After an hour or so, about where the permanent tarn is we called it quits as it clagged in and the snow turned to wet sludge. We returned the same way and by the time we reached the top of the zigzag the worst of the blast was over and we were back to the vehicle at about 3pm. Compulsory icecreams were enjoyed at Kurow and we were back home by about 5.30pm declaring that it had been an enjoyable day’s walk and that Hidden Biv would be revealed on another day. Thanks to John, 2 Rosses and Linda for a good outing. Robbie

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Mt. Dryburgh, 8-6-14

Wednesday, June 18th, 2014

Ten of us met at the car park on a clear but cool morning, all looking for a good hike for the day. We headed off up the Waitaki Valley, meeting Tim at Duntroon on the way. As we got closer to Kurow and the lakes the fog was down quite low. We all headed for the Fisherman’s Bend camping ground were we parked in a corner on the northern side of the camp by a fence.
It was on with the day packs and over the fence to meet up with a farm track that headed east back down toward the Waitaki Dam on the northern side of the lake. After about an hour we came to a 4WD track that headed up a steep wee valley towards Mt Dryburgh. Half way up, the track turned east for a bit and then turned north to meet up with a main track that goes along the tops of the hills.
The fog had lifted a bit and we got good views of the lakes and dams, right down the Waitaki  river and up the Hakataramea valley. After looking at the map and working out where Dryburgh was, we finally got to the top, which is just a high spot on the hill tops, just in time for lunch at about 12.15pm . The fog and views came and went while we were having lunch.
After lunch we had a photo take by the marker post and then it was off along the track heading west. By this time the fog had lifted but we still missed our turn off that was going to take us back down to the lake. It didn’t take long for us to realize our mistake and soon we were on the right track back down towards the lake.
We came back down on to the track by the lake about 2km east of where we had the cars parked, so  we were soon back at the cars after about a 19 km hike for the day.
Thanks to Linda, Murray, Maurice, Phyllis, Bill, Roz, Jac, Jane, John and Tim for making it an enjoyable day out, Neville.

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Big Hut – Mid-Winter 14th 15th June 2014

Tuesday, June 17th, 2014

A night at Big Hut on the Rock and Pillars mid-Winter has become an annual event for the Tramping Club.
This year the response was less than usual with only four daring to experience the chill of a night at Big Hut. With only one vehicle and a 5km road section between both car parks, a bike was taken to retreive the car at the end of the tramp.
A forecast that was much better than previous years boded well for a clear sky and good views from the Rock and Pillar Range.

Departing from home at 8am the drive to the car park at Glencreay saw the temperature ranging from 7 deg. to-2 deg. After dropping off the bike we returned to the Lug Creek car park and began the journey up the zigzag 4wd track and on to the new Leaning Lodge for lunch.The OTMC have done a great job of rebuilding this hut.
The wind had picked up and even Colin put his long-johns on.
From the hut we went straight up to the top of the range from the first gut, and proceeded to Summit Rock on a thin layer of snow with a now very cold wind but good views in all directions.
While at Summit Rock two day trippers arrived from Big Hut, Tim Russel and Betty, also members of NOTMC, a nice surprise. It was not a place to linger too long so we moved on to our destination, Big Hut by 3pm.

With a brew to warm the inner body as the hut temperature was 6 deg.  we started with a cheese and crackers entree, as there was a lot of food to get through on this mid-winter pot luck desert night.
After some table tennis and  taking in the large amount of information displayed in the hut, it was time for food with a variety of beverages then deserts.

The AllBlacks test against England was listened to by various means, including sharing ear plugs on Colins radio, while Neville was in a world of his own listening to Johnny Cash (Ring of Fire) with the vocals and action to amuse the rugby listeners.
Sleep came easily with the sound of the wind outside while very comfortable in our sleeping bags.

Sunday morning and the kitchen registered 2 deg. still windy and now overcast outside. with a leisurely breakfast over, we packed and set off down the hill to the waiting bike and return of the car. With the warmer temperature and plenty of day left, we decided to visit Lake Sutton and return to Middlemarch for coffee a t Kissing Kate’s Cafe.
The homeward journey took in Macraes work site and a muddy Golden Bar Road to Palmerston, arriving home safe and well after a very enjoyable weekend with great company.
Maurice for Phyllis, Neville and Colin.

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Tabletop Sunday 25 May 2104

Monday, June 16th, 2014

The day dawned grey and cold and promised worse: strong north-west winds turning south-west with snow to near sea level were forecast. Given we would be driving on forestry roads to around 400m, prudence suggested taking a 4wd – and two rather than one even though there were only five of us. So we set off from town, picking up Robbie on the way, and entered Herbert Forest via Mile Flat Road. On the way up the hill, we stopped for Robbie to show us some caves not far from the road complete with Maori rock drawings. At the top of the hill we reached One Tree Ridge Road and travelled north to the entrance to Hunters’ Access #3, which would be our end point, the plan being to do the more difficult leg first in case the weather packed up. We left one vehicle there and piled into the other to head further north for about 3km, then turned left on to a loop road and parked by the track leading to Hunters’ Access #1. The track started as an easy descent through pine trees and gorse. About half way down native bush took over but so did gravity – the track became very steep with alternating tree roots, rocks and mud. However, a rope put in place by hunters made the descent less hazardous than it might have been and we reached the river (Waianakarua South Branch) an hour from the start. The river was easily crossed and a hunters’ biv near the ridge top reached another hour later after a steady climb, initially through native bush and later through scrubby manuka, and a short smoko stop. The ridge-top walk through scrub and tussock to the highest point took another hour plus time taken to search out the entrance to the return route – eventually confirmed by map and GPS. Half an hour for lunch and the threatening sky prompted movement. The return route proved to be much easier – down a ridge which never got particularly steep, across the river again and up a steady climb through bush and forest to the logged area where we had parked one vehicle. The return trip took under one and a half hours in total. We then drove back to the other vehicle and down through the forest to the Findlays Road exit and home. Bill, Neville, Robbie, Ross F and John agreed it had been an interesting excursion in a familiar area but by new routes – and the weather had delivered only a scattered shower.