Club Night June 2021

Club Night 14 June 2021

Trip Reports

16 bikers did a round Otago Harbour ride, starting with a ferry crossing from Port Chalmers to Broad Bay, doing a return trip to Portobello, lunch at McAndrew Bay and back to Port Chalmers via the Dunedin waterfront. An enjoyable ride on a sunny autumn day that will be even better once the tracks at each end are finished.

Trotters Gorge had some much needed track maintenance with 2 Trotters Creek Tracks being opened up again and a start made on Dave’s Track.

Swallows Track in the Herbert Forest received some gravel on the muddy areas.

The Wednesday Walkers had day trips to Lower Ben Lomond, returning via Sheepwash Creek, Black Cap and Scout Hill, Maraeweka Forest and Kuriheka via the Island Streem waterfall, Moeraki Millennium Track round to No2 Kaika and a new farm walk in the Island Cliff area. Older members also provided a guard of honor for Ivan Main’s funeral.

Coming trips are to Silver Peaks looking for Hermits cave, a Katiki Beach and Shag Point rock shelf beach walk, the Mt Cargill organ pipes and a 35k bike ride from Maheno. Members were asked to bring some photos of their favorite trip, to the July Club Night.

Guest Speaker was club member Julia Christie who gave a presentation of her and husband Bob’s Federated Mountain Club trip in Peru and then a private tour of Chile, Brazil and Argentina.

FMC tour leader Eileen Cameron took them on some fantastic tramps in the Andes mountains of Northern Peru in altitudes of up to 5000m above sea level. She made sure they acclimatized to the altitude gradually so there were only minor altitude sickness problems. Fast climbs were definitely not on the agenda though! We saw some fantastic photos of the high Andes with a smattering of June snow and a large variety of native birds and animals.

Another highlight was a trip into the Amazon Jungle with its associated animal and bird life including large flocks of white herons.

Cuzco, centre of the ancient Inca empire was the next stop, with a trip to Machu Picchu followed by walking the Lares Inca Trail nearby. Walking the Ausangate Trek brought to an end their FMC part of the trip.

It was then over the border to NE Chile, to the town of San Pedro de Atacama in the high altiplano and its extensive salt flats, pink flamingos, Valley of the Moons, volcanos, geysers and hot springs.

A flight to Rio de Janeiro and visits to Brasilia, a New Zealand owned dairy farm, the Iguazu Falls, Montevideo and Buenos Aires completed a fantastic 5 month tour of South America. 

Otago Round the Harbour Bike ride

Sunday 16 May 2021

Dunedin Cycling day around Otago harbour 16th May

 

After an anxious week watching the weather, it turned on a good day for us for our cycle trip. 

We met at Port Chalmers to group up and enjoy a coffee etc before heading around to Back Beach. The ‘Port to Port’ ferry was booked for us to sail at 11.00. Rachel was amazing at loading the 10 ebikes and 5 real bikes into what appeared an impossible space. It all went like clockwork, and we  enjoyed a thorough commentary as we crossed the water.

As we landed at Broad Bay, we had a warm up peddle of 3.5km back to Portobello. This involved a small section that is the final part of the cycle-way construction. Meeting Marion there, we had our total of 16, to head into a bit of a wind as we wandered along the almost flat trail to a Macendrew Bay Cafe for lunch. 

Once well nourished, it was totally flat but interesting riding on the water’s edge to head into Dunedin for another meet up at the ‘Teeth’. The next section through the industrial and port areas has a specific bike track, a little harder to follow, but I knew all the turns to get us onto the W Harbour Trail out to it’s finish at St Leonards.

From there we headed onto conveniently placed back-roads, that would eventually lead us back into Port Chalmers. There were a few hilly parts on this section, but we all eventually made it back to the vehicles, without loosing anyone or any accidents or brake-downs.

Thanks to Lyn, Barbara, John, John, Graham, Chris, Les, Ross, Judith, Karyl, Georgie, Noel, Linley, Kim and Marion for a good day! Jane

 

Starting with a cross Harbour boat ride
Our captain loading the bikes
Loading the ferry at Port Chalmers
Quarantine Island
Portobello and Harbour Cone
Portobello Marine Research Centre
Back view
Harbour Cone
Ready to ride
Portobello turn around
A long way to Dunedin
A sealed track!
Photo stop at the teeth
Back streets to Port Chalmers finish

[Show slideshow]

Club Night May 2021

Club President Julian Hardy presented his Annual Report. Club membership has risen to 84 and finances are healthy. The club purchased a new locator beacon to replace the out of date one from a grant from the Waitaki District Council.

Trip Reports:

Cone, 1563m was climbed from Danseys Pass road. After leaving the cars at Bayley’s yards it was a long climb mainly on a 4wd track with some gully’s to cross before heading up through tusscock to the ridge to the right of the peak. Lunch was eaten below the summit before the final scree climb up the ridge to summit views that were worth the effort. Several mobs of deer were spotted in the distance. It was then straight down the slippery tussock slope to the track and back to the cars, for an enjoyable 1000m up and 19k walk.

A walk through native bush up Freehold Creek was enjoyed before overnighting at Twizel. The Sunday walk was curtailed by heavy rain.

The Wednesday Walkers has day trips on the A2O from Sailors Cutting to Benmore Dam, a Ngapara farm walk, Doctors Point and Mopanui at a very low tide and a Te Waimate farm walk where the owner explained the history from the original 99,000 sheep run to the present.

Coming Tramping Club trips are a bike ride around the Otago Harbour, Trotters Gorge track clearing, Mt. Cook “social “ weekend and Hermits Cave in the Silverpeaks. See the NOTMC website for details.

Club Night 12 April 2021

Julian welcomed us and started the night with the trip reports.
Robbie led a working bee at Herbert forest. 10 people helped mainly on the Hoods creek track.It was in a mess after harvesting.The other tracks were checked out too.Traps are being set off by rats and mice bo Robbie asked for volunteers who could help out everyday for 10 days and have a concentrated hit then not do it again for a few months.
The trip to the Huxley Forks hut went well.Six members went and had lovely weather.They tramped to the Forks hut on Saturday then on Sunday walked up to the Broderick hut and back ,stayed another night  and tramped out on Monday.
Up coming trips were then spoken about . Colin is taking a trip to Cone peak .The plan is to leave early at 7.00am.and to go up a 4wd track around to the left then on up to the top.
Anzac weekend Roz is taking a trip from the Ahuriri over and down to the Top Dingle hut.On Sunday walk up Mt Gladwish and back to hut. Back over and out Monday.
30th April Bessis going to Freehold creek on Saturday Accomodation will be in Twizel that night and on Sunday she plans to do Flannagans Pass or as far as people want to go
10 May  A G M and trip planning meeting.A secretary and vice president are needed.
While we waited for the  speakers to arrive Jane Green recalled how things had changed in the 50 years since she started tramping. She told of how there was no such thing as tramping boots   only inflexable farm boots, no padding at all on packs and the food was not memerable at all. On her first tramp she was saved from a deadly fall by a fellow tramper who just managed to grab her pack in time. He was sworn to secrecy or she may not have been allowed to go again.On the same tramp a girl was struggling and they found in her pack hair rollers,make up ,and a transistor radio.The weather was terrible and they all had to pile into a two man bivy ,no sleep for anyone that night.
Julian then went through the May tramps coming up 
Jane is taking a bike ride around the Dunedin harbour crossing over on the ferry.She will make inquires as to cost and the timetable.
Neville has a working bee at Trotters Gorge  mainly to clear Vickers track and Daves track They are overgrown and pruning back is needed.
Karyl has a midwinter trip to Mt Cook on the 29th Stay at the Alpine Club Lodge ,bring a pot luck desert and explore the walks and scenery of the area.
Our guest speakers arrived.Lisa Heinz from the Geopark Trust spoke about the things they wanted to acheive like linking the land,the buildings the people and educating everyone about the geological landscape.They have 42 sites of interest in the area which stretches from Ohau to Mc Craes. She explained that the trust want Unesco geopark recognition as they think this will enhance the profile of the area.There is a cost for this recognition .Unesco checks geopark status every  4 yrs.Sasha talked to us about how N Z  was formed and evolved from Gondwana.She is a geologist and finds this area provides a huge geological timeline to study Maps wre provided to look at and a video presentation was shown
Following the speakers the meeting was closed and a cup of tea served

Herbert Forest Tracks Working Bee

A beautiful day for it and 10 of us turned up at the Swallows Carpark. The Hoods Creek Track was the recipient of most of our attention, it was in great need of good tidy up and it got it. The human chainsaws swung into action and most of the tree falls were cleaned up leaving just some of the bigger trees for a Port Blakely crew to do. A thorough haircut all around and some step filling and a minor track realignment took us past lunchtime. Some of the crew went down and up the Swallows while one went down the Podocarp to put 3m of new chicken netting on the first decent bridge near the Glenburnie Track junction.

So bar some minor cutting jobs on the remainder of the Podocarp and Loop and Glenburnie the tracks are very good.

At the conclusion while waiting at the Swallows Carpark there were 10 cars parked there and more still arriving, very popular place on such a great day. Some folk cottoned onto us scruffy trampers and thanked us for the work we do on the tracks, it was nice to be appreciated.

So, a very big thanks to those who made it, a great effort with lots achieved. Hope your ankle is behaving Karyl, Cheers Robbie