Trip Reports
Little Domett and Little Domett Lower Saddle – 28 September 2025
Saturday, October 11th, 2025
This trip was done in two groups, with one group seeing the opportunity of climbing Little Domett 1860m from a different area which gave them an easier direct route to the top. The other group did the Domett Lower Saddle, getting to a high point of 1158m.
The 1st group left town at 6.30am, an early start considering daylight saving had just started and one member leaving Dunedin at 5am. They met another member at the end of Domett Rd and 4WD into a hut called Lone Creek Lodge by Lone Creek. They then headed off up a 4WD track to the lower saddle and then cross-country and up a direct ridge to the top of Little Domett, making good time (despite the strong winds), reaching the top about 11.15am.
The other group left town at a more respectable time of 8am and drove to the end of Domett Rd, where they started their hike. Group two headed off up a 4WD track to a small saddle and then down into Lone Creek and up to the hut where the others had parked their vehicles. After a bit of a look around the hut it was then off up a track behind the hut and into a basin below Little Domett, which we climbed out of and sided around the lower ridge of Little Domett to a lower saddle, getting there about 11.30am. Group two was in radio contact with group one on Little Domett, and they had thought of hiking another hour over to big Domett at 1942m—but there were wind warnings for the day and it was starting to pick up, so they decided to stay put and have an early lunch and take in the views. Group two found a place out of the wind on the lower saddle, taking in the views of the mountains around us and down into the Waitaki Valley.
Group two took a leisurely lunch and got the call on the radio that the other group were on their way down, so we stayed put for a while and watched the other group come into view. Group two then when down a zig-zag track into a broad valley leading back to Lone Creek where we climbed back up to the small saddle and back to the cars, getting there about 10mins before the other group arrived in the 4WDs. It was then a quick catch up of everyone’s day before heading home.
Thanks to the farmer for giving us access to this area and the members that came along to enjoy it.
Rodney, David, Neil, Jonathan, Julian, Lynette, Jenny and Mike.
–Neville
Otago Harbour Bike Ride
Sunday, July 20th, 2025
12 cyclists went on the on a cycle around Otago Harbour, stopping at the tooth fairy park (Harbour Mouth Molars), and then finishing at the Portobello Hotel & Bistro before catching the ferry back to Port Chalmers.
— Mary and Geoff
Otekaieke Hill – 15 June 2025
Sunday, July 6th, 2025
Seven of us left town, picking one more up on the way, making a party of eight for the day.
After all the crap weather we had had during the week we were all hoping for a nice winter’s day, which the weather gods gave us. We headed up the Waitaki Valley, turning off into Special School Rd past the old Campbell Park School and up into Kenmore Station, to park up by some yards up a farm track.
The plan for the day was going to be to climb Otekaieke Hill, then drop off the south side into Jackson Creek and come back along the Bridle Track. But once we looked at all the water from the rain earlier in the week coming down the Otekaieke River, we knew the Bridle Track would be out. So it was decided to go up Otekaieke Hill and return the same way.
We started off along the Bridle Track until we crossed over Bushy Creek, and then found the 4WD track heading up. The 4WD track was a good track and not too bad an elevation. After about an hour, we found a nice rocky point to have a break and take in some views.
From here it was all up for another 1½ hours until we reached point 1010m, and where we started to get the big views of the snowy peaks of the St Marys Range. At this point, one of our party members who was carrying a bit of an injury stopped there for lunch before heading back down, while the rest of us carried on for another 2km along the main ridge line to be all on Otekaieke Hill by 12.30pm.
We sat there having lunch with grand views of Mt David 1412m, Cone Peak 1563m, Grayson Peak 1660m, Mt Domett 1942m, Little Domett 1860m, and in the distance Kohurau 2009m, and also Dansey Pass Rd, Hakataramea Valley and right down to the coast.
It was such a nice day up there with no wind – it was hard to get going again and come back down. Three members decided to take a different way down, which came back onto the main track further down. The rest of us went back down the same way we came up, hoping to meet up with our member who we left behind.
After about an hour, we met back up with our three members that took a different way down from the top, but we still hadn’t met back up with our other member. We all had radios, so after calling him up we found he had taken a different track down. As we got down a wee bit, we could see the farmer bring the stock off the hill and our other member had caught up with him – so he became a shepherd bringing the sheep down.
Not far from the bottom, we all met up together before coming back down onto the Bridle Track and heading back to the cars.
All up we had hiked about 17km and a 900m climb over 6½ hours, so if we had done the original plan it would have been a bit longer – we might keep that for a summer trip when the days are longer.
Thanks to: Julian, Lynette, David, Lorena, Heather, Geoff and Mary for their company for the day – none of them had ever been up there before.
Thanks also to Kenmore Station for letting us on to their farm.
Neville
Dave’s Track Working Bee – 25 May 2025
Sunday, May 25th, 2025
Four of us turned up for this working bee, three from town, and we meet Robbie down there.
I got permission from Port Blakely to drive up the forestry road to the top end of the track, which saved us the half an hour walk in if we had gone through Trotters Gorge Reserve.
It was mainly the top end of the track that needed the work, with the pigs making a bit of a mess in there.
Most of the morning was spent cutting scrub and remarking, and in some places making a new track through the pig routings back to where you go around under the cliff face.
After lunch, we tackled the gorse further down which had just about blocked the track again, and we carried on down the track having a good trim and remarking.
At about 2pm we called it for the day – not quite getting all the way through, but the track was getting a bit clearer by then, so it may need a walk through in the spring.
Thanks to Robbie, David and Phyllis for your wonderful effort keeping this memorial track named after the late club member Dave Sinclair open for members to use.
Neville
