Lindis Peak
Waitangi Weekend, 6th– 7th February 2022
Sunday 6th, 7am saw a group of eight trampers leave Oamaru to meet up with another four arriving from Twizel at the Wrinkly Rams for a morning coffee at 8.30am, before all twelve headed over the Lindis Pass to Old Faithfull Road. The signpost to the Old Faithfull Rd is just past Elliots bridge, and the start of the climb is well marked.
The track climbs steadily from 400 metres to the top at 1226 metres, sometimes along a poled route, but mostly up a grassy four-wheel drive track. It is a pleasant surface to walk, and easy to follow. The climb started under cloud keeping us cool on the trek up, but the sun broke through and soon we had magnificent views spreading out before us. At the top there are rock tors, flowering Spaniards and fantastic views right around from Lake Wanaka, down to Cromwell, over to the St Bathan’s Range and up the Lindis. High cloud over the mountain tops obscured Aorarki/ Mt Cook and Mt Aspiring.
The trip up and back took 5 – 6 hours, with a stop for lunch near the top. Julian, Lynette, Russell and Neville then headed back to Twizel , while the other seven of us, John, Mary, Geoff, Kevin, Uwe, Sylvia, Jo and Jenny spent a pleasant time camping overnight at the historic Lindis Hotel campsite, a beautiful, sheltered DOC spot. It was a most relaxing, social time and fun to explore this old goldmining area.
Canyon Creek
29-30 January 2022
Canyon Creek, Ahuriri Conservation Area
Third time lucky for leading this trip as two previously programmed attempts were cancelled due to poor weather forecasts.
Four members decided to travel up to Twizel on the Friday night for a bit of socialising prior to commencing the tramp on the Saturday. We met the fifth member in Omarama about 8.30am. Travelling in two cars we began the long journey up Birchwood Road, this road is not maintained over the later 2/3rds of the road and we were thankful for having high clearance vehicles as the road was washed out in places and previous vehicles had created rough tracks around these washouts, a slow and bumpy journey indeed.
We were very lucky with the weather as it was a glorious day and we had plenty of time to reach our destination, which allowed us to stop frequently to soak in the views.
A walk along the flats was required before crossing Canyon Creek which was no more than ankle deep. This is followed by a short sharp climb over the bluff that creates the first Canyon, certainly gets you warmed up that climb.
Following the track along the valley we encountered a few treefall areas and track missing due to washout but these are easily navigated by walking along the river bed until the track is sighted again.
Lunch was taken at the base of the cirque in the lower valley before commencing the climb into the upper valley. The views in this area are simply outstanding with mountain peaks and waterfalls aplenty.
Once at the top we navigated by following the cairns along the valley, multiple routes have been laid out with cairns so choices aplenty.
We reached the rock Bivouac in early afternoon and proceeded to set up camp. Some members exploring further up towards the end of the valley and some members making the most of their photographic skills.
Following a blustery night, we had a later start to descend down the valley on what was again a nice day.
At the crossing of Canyon Creek at the start of the valley (carpark end) we came across a horse trekking Company taking Clients out on a trip, this group followed one of our members out to the carpark, interesting to note that the tramper was first back settling the debate that shanks pony is faster than a real pony at least whilst walking.
A long slow trip back out Birchwood Road ensued with a stop for refreshments in Omarama before proceeding home.
Kakanui Peak
Sunday 16 January 2022
It was a perfect day for tramping; fine and calm with a clear sky. It promised to be hot but everybody had plenty of water. Seven trampers, having left Oamaru at 7 o’clock, had met up with three more in Palmerston and an eleventh at the starting point where the Pigroot crossed the infant Shag River for the first time. They decided to do the trip anti-clockwise, ascending on the ridge to the east of the target peak and descending by the front ridge.
They set off at 8.45, heading across country to the bottom of the old 4wd track leading up the eastern ridge. After about two hours they came across the remains of a skifield with an old ski hut, looking rather worse for wear and far from weatherproof, but still holding a number of old-fashioned skis, old but apparently usable ski boots and a control box for the ski tow. Outside were some nutcracker belts and the ski rope lay along the line of the tow marked by pylons and pulleys. (This skifield had come to a sudden end in the 1990s, when a severe north-west storm blew off the mountain the hut housing the tractor used to drive the tow and damaged the day hut.) After a snack, the party continued up the ridge passing below the top pylon. As the track turned around the knob and dropped into a shallow saddle, a stunning view opened up of the steep basin containing Mount Dasher, Kattothyrst and Siberia Hill – all products of ancient volcanic activity which are seldom seen from this perspective.
The track carried on upwards, cresting a 1300 metre knob before dropping again to another saddle. Here, the party split with two members heading back down the east ridge and the main party of nine setting off for the final 300 metre steep climb through thick snow tussock which gave way to sub-alpine herbs as the ground became rockier. The summit was reached at 1.30pm, providing a venue for a late lunch and enjoyment for the 3600 panorama. Names were entered on the record in the jar in the summit rock, photographs taken, and at 2pm the main party started down the front ridge. The first and steepest part of this was down stable scree and rock. About half of the way down was over tussocky ridges and humps, and the last part down a 4wd track to the toe of the ridge, from where it was a short walk across the Shag and back to the road, reaching the cars 2 hours after leaving the summit. There they met the two who had got back from the east ridge half an hour before.
The excellent but demanding day with its great scenery and weather were enjoyed by Julian, Neville, Donna, Mike, Jenny, Robbie, Rodney, Helen, Dave, Tim and John.
Gunsight Pass, 18/19 December 2012
North Temple
Surprisingly there was a lot of interest for this trip including an untried new member who joined just days prior to the departure date. There were on the day 6 going over the pass and 2 heading up the South Temple to meet up at the head of the valley for the overnight camp. The weather provided just a small window of that weekend without rain, bookended with rain forecasts either side. Because of this the rivers were moderately high. After a 7am departure from Oamaru, 2 vehicles arrived at the Temple shelter just after 9 and we all set off after changing with fine sunny conditions, looking forward to a full-on sort of a day. The 2 going to the South Temple quickly split from the main group after crossing the North Temple and 6 of us walked up the North Temple in glorious sunny conditions stopping for lunch at the head of the valley. Heading up to the start of the Gunsight Pass the long gut came into sight, a few groans started to be heard as the test of fitness started to become known. It is about 1000m climb to the top of the pass from the valley floor and it is quite unrelenting. Helmets were donned as a precaution for the falling rocks common in the gut especially with a group like this going up. The fitness question started to make itself felt here and the group slowed down a lot. One member of the party decided to return to the valley for a camp out, having realised it was too much effort.About the last 300m 0f the climb we encountered a substantial amount of snow filling the gut entirely and despite the time of day and the good sunny weather it was found to be too hard for safe climbing without crampons and axe and had to be circumvented around some particularly steep and difficult rock walls. At 4pm we finally reached the top of the pass and because it had taken as long as this most of the party were quite tired at this point. Contact was established with the two down in the South Temple valley with the two way radios. Looking down from the pass our route involved another snow field unfortunately but luckily the snow here was not quite as hard and it was possible to kick decent steps in as we went down. One of the party did however lose his footing and ended up bumsliding most of the 200m, loosing some skin on his hands when he came to the end of the snowfield. This gave us all quite a scare and slowed the remaining journey for the day even further as we were even more cautious on the rough rocky terrain going down. Eventually we did all make it down to where the creek becomes visible again and we spent some time hunting the elusive side track that leads on to the main route up and down the South Temple valley. Another call on the radio spurred us on for the last 30 min as we realised that our fellow trampers were within close range and that we would end up spending the night at the same camp. It was a very tired crew who finally stumbled in to the camp site a bit after 7pm. We had been on the go for over 10 hours over some very rough country, but it was very satisfying putting up our tents and getting our laughing gear around some food and drink and sharing our stories. A well deserved rest was had during the night and the following morning saw us pack up and walk the much easier route back past the South Temple Hut and out to the cars by about lunch time.A debrief and lunch for some at the Wrinkly Ram brought an end to this trip. This was a touch trip that required greater fitness than we brought and tested us thoroughly. I am glad that we did have the resilience to complete the trip but feel that the wisest member was the one who turned back in the North Temple. As with most trips where things don’t go exactly to plan this will be remembered for a long time and for some of us it may well be the last time we visit the Gunsight Pass. Thanks to those 7 others who came on this adventure, and may we be fitter next time. Robbie
South Temple
As the main party headed up the North Temple, Neville and John turned left and walked on the river bed around the corner into the South Temple valley. The track up the South Temple follows the stream closely on the true right, sometimes on the river flats, sometimes climbing through beech forest to get around a bluff, and a couple of times traversing impressive rock slides apparently extending all the way down from the top of the mountain range. With a stop for a snack, they made steady progress alongside the river which was full enough to suggest that crossing might not be straightforward. From time to time they came across, in clearings, bundles of five plywood trap boxes with stainless steel grilles and branded “Mammalian Correction Units” which had presumably been helicoptered in for placement.
Three hours after setting out, the two came to the end of the track opposite the South Temple Hut. They agreed crossing there would not be a good idea so explored an alternative upstream. The track ends where the river bank becomes an apparently impassable sheer rock wall. However, the rock wall has a ledge at its foot and it was possible to clamber along this with good handholds available to come back on to the valley floor. Two hundred metres upstream the valley widened and the river split into two braids, which made crossing a breeze.
After lunch, the two crossed the river and set off up the true right, initially through beech forest. Five more crossings of the South Temple were required, most calling for careful navigation. As they progressed up the valley, the vegetation changed from dark beech forest to more open celery pine dominated bush in association with a variety of hebes, coprosmas, celmisias and dracophyllums interspersed with open grassy flats. It was clear that DoC maintenance of the track ended at the hut; above it, track marking became haphazard and in places the bush was reasserting its dominance. Indeed, no track clearing had taken place since club members had worked on it between four and ten years previously.
Some two hours after the first river crossing, Neville and John reached a promising camping area which a tramper going down the valley had suggested was the last one before the pass. At 4 o’clock radio contact was established with the main party who had just reached the top of the pass. Given the time it would take them to get down to the valley, it was decided to establish camp there and wait for the conquering heroes to straggle in.
Which they did a couple of hours later. Tents were put up, libations and dinners consumed, tales told and all settled down to sleep the sleep of the righteous – some more than others. All were up by 6am and on the track by 7.30 for the five-hour return trip, reaching the cars just after midday.
Club Night November 2021
November 8th Club Night was attended by 17 people.
Trip Reports: 10 trampers went to Hermit’s Cave in the Silverpeaks area, up Green Ridge to Pulpit Rock and then to Hermit’s Cave. Going above the cave gave a view of Jubilee Hut and there are two more caves in the area and a number of tracks to discover on other trips.
A group went to Dunedin and to Signal Hill which gave good views of the Otago Peninsula and out to sea . There are also lots of tracks to be explored in this area.
Wednesday Walkers went to Duntroon and walked to Elephant rocks and back;they covered 14 km. The next week they did the Domett Loop. A trip went from Anderson’s Lagoon to the Shag River mouth to look at nesting shags and their young in the colony along the cliffs, as well as sea lions on the beach.. There was a good farm walk up from Tussocky Road to Big Stony . The Wanderers went to a spot above the Shag River mouth, and walked some of the Mountain bike tracks in Herbert Forest, followed by a spectacular garden walk in the area.
The main business of the evening was Trip Planning for the Summer Programme, and this produced ideas for some exciting and different summer tramps and bike rides for a range of abilities, which will be something to look forward to.