Trip Reports
Ahuriri-Dingleburn
Friday, December 12th, 2025
Twilight Walk: Oamaru Foreshore – 3 November 2025
Thursday, November 20th, 2025
Seven of us met at 6.30pm on a beautiful evening for a 2 hr walk around town, taking in some of our amazing scenery.
We started off at Medway St car park behind the Council building and headed off through Takaro Park, across the main road into Cross St, around to Eden St, and into the Glen Warren Reserve. From there we took the track up to the native bush area of the Warren Reserve and out on to the Skyline walkway, with great views over town and the Kakanui Mountains beyond.
We then dropped off the skyline walkway onto Derwent St, then onto Ouse St, back across the main road, and then down to the bottom of Orwell St.
With low tide being at 8.30pm, and it now being 7.30pm, we dropped down onto the Oamaru foreshore. We could see a clear path down the beach towards the Oamaru harbour, but with the shingle being quite loose up high, we had to walk on the firm shingle by the water edge–having to dodge a few waves every now and then. It was a lovely walk down the beach, but the Council has made a big rock wall all the way down to try and protect Oamaru from the sea and erosion.
As we got down near the Oamaru creek, and with the sun setting on the Harbour area, we climbed back up and out over the swing bridge near the old freezing works, through Harbour St gardens, and along the walkway under Thames St bridge. It was then over the stepping stones on the Oamaru creek back near the Council building, and back to the car park.
All up we covered about 5.6 km in just under 2hrs, on a nice warm evening and a hike with a bit of everything. Thanks to everyone that turned up and for the great company again.
–Neville
Mt St Cuthbert
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2025
Mt St Cuthbert, St Cuthbert Range, Omarama. October 19th 2025
Here, three members of NOTMC met up with Rodney and Dave Woods from Dunedin, starting the climb at 9.50 am. It was great to have these guys lead us, as they had hiked to the summit and back the same way two months earlier. Beware of the DOC sign suggesting it takes 2 hours to the Summit – it took us 3.5 hours.
After walking through a lucerne track between two fences, we started the steep climb. Rather than staying close to the fence line where the DOC markers are placed, it was easier to follow sheep tracks up the ridgeline. After forty minutes of climbing, the views were impressive: the braided Ahuriri flowing down to lake Benmore, The Buscot and Benmore Peak to the north. Gliders were floating below us, competing with kahu soaring on the nor’west wind. And beyond them, we could see Lake Ohau, The Ben Ohau Range, and Lake Pukaki. Aoraki/Mt Cook was lightly masked by the incoming cloud.
I hour and 40 minutes after setting out we reached the fence line junction with the 4WD track from Omarama station. We followed this track, with the nor’west wind pounding us, until we found some shelter behind tussocks for a 25 minute lunch stop. Adding extra layers of fleece and jackets, and exchanging sunhats for woolly hats, we battled our way into the ferocious wind to eventually reach the summit of Mt St Cuthbert (1558m) 3 hours and 35 minutes after setting out. The pole marking the trig point was covered in ice, and we clung on to it to keep steady in the gusting nor’westerly.
Rather than returning by the same route down the slippery gravel of the steep ridgeline, Rodney suggested we duck out of the wind and follow a south east ridge down to the headwaters of Glen Creek and the 4WD track leading out to the Otamatakou Easement. We needed to cut through a paddock to join up with the easement from the 4WD track. It was a long walk out to the Benmore Holiday Park on State Highway 83, and from there it was another 5.2 km walk (I hour) along the A2O Cycle Trail to the parked cars. We returned at 7:15 pm, having completed a round trip of 9 hours and 25 minutes, covering a distance of 26.5 km.
The official DOC descent route down to the Otamatakou starts at another summit rock outcrop, east of the actual summit and follows a boundary fence with a DOC marker. This fence joins on to the 4WD track we followed. We will try that route next time! On that next trip, when coming out at Benmore Holiday Park, we could have a bike or car waiting for us to save that trek along the A20.
Thanks to Rodney, Dave, Lorenna and Colin for their ever cheerful company.
Jenny Kitchin, Rodney Meiklejohn
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
