Whitehorse Waimate and Beyond
15 December 2019
This trip was meant to be up Mt Kyeburn, but once again the weather would have been chasing us if we had gone there.
So there still were four of us that wanted to stretch our legs & get out for the day before the Christmas rush. I decided that we would go and do the walkways around the Whitehorse in the Waimate area & the weather was meant to be better near the coast. We all piled into Mike’s electric car, so no carbon used on this trip & headed for the car park on the Hakataramea highway.
On arriving at the car park we thought we were in a tourist town because the car park was full & we just had enough room for our car. There were about 20 people in the car park & we later found out they were from Forest & Bird & were doing a bird count in the area before they get a trapping programme up & running.
We started off along the railway track walkway for about 2km & then it was a short climb up with good views to meet the waterfall track. It was here we spotted our one and only Wallaby for the day. The waterfall track is a wee side track that takes you down to a bushy area and a waterfall, which was dry and I got a hard time for it being dry, so it was then back up to the main track for a morning tea break.
We then headed along the Bellbird track & then on to the Whitehorse link track & arrived at the Whitehorse monument for lunch. The skies were clear & we got some good views to the North, South & along the Coast & of course Waimate & It was very pleasant sitting in the sun having lunch.
After lunch we had a look around the monument before heading down the main track through the bush beside the bike tracks to eventually come out on to Point Bush Rd. It was then down the road to the river bridge & down the Garlands track beside the river to meet Mt John Rd. We went down Mt John Rd to Hodges Rd, back out to the Hakataramea highway where the southerly blew up and the weather changed, but we were back at the car park just in time, about 3pm. All up it was about 13km, about 4km of that was on the road.
I would like to thank John, Bron & Mike for their pleasant company for the day.
Neville
Not the Dalgety Range
Sunday 8 December 2019
This was supposed to be tramp by eight participants along the length of the Dalgety Range, between the Hakataramea Pass and the Mackenzie Pass. Sustained bad weather forced cancellation. Instead, two did a tramp around the lower hills on a sheep and cattle run on the west side of the upper Hakataramea Valley. After a brief shower from the north, the day was dry and wind moderate at the relatively low altitude. The cloud-capped Grampian and Dalgety Ranges were in view most of the day.
They started on a broad ridge and wound down into the valley of the Grampians Stream which comprised alternating grassy flats and steep, rocky gorges. At one point they were frustrated by dense matagouri and forced back to descend to the stream. Soon they came to an impressive gorge which brought a side stream (Morton Stream) into the main valley. The crossed the main stream and climbed up a steep spur and along a high ridge which ran 100 metres above the stream’s true right and provided extensive views of the surrounding countryside. This also provided a sheltered spot for lunch.
After lunch, the pair carried on northwards along the ridge as it gradually dropped, and finally descended off it into the valley just before the Grampian Stream entered it from the north-west. Crossing the stream and the valley floor, they climbed up a track heading north on the eastern side of the valley, then swung right to cross the broad ridge which separates the Grampian and Dunstan Streams and drop down to the latter. As the Dunstan valley floor looked boggy, they sidled along above the true right of the stream, enjoying views across to the Hunters Hills. At a marked bend in the valley, they stopped to admire the scene and do a spot of map-reading to identify the best route up the hill back to the car. This proved to be a shallow gully heading south-east past a stock dam housing a family of Paradise Ducks – 2 adults and 9 ducklings – which provided some entertainment.
The car was reached by Bill and John after a very pleasant 5 hour walk on interesting terrain.
Mt Ida Water Race Bike Ride
1st December 2019
At 7.30am with a trailer loaded with bikes, six people left the car park for a day ride in Central Otago on the Mt Ida Water Race Trail. Two then travelled to Herbert where they joined another couple and two more bikes, all eventually meeting with another couple at Wedderburn. All ten drove along the gravel Hills Runs Road for about ten kms to a carpark. After a few showers south of Hampden the skies had cleared but still looked murky around the hills.
The ride commenced immediately with a stream crossing and a grind uphill on the road for two kms. Four of the riders on E bikes took a detour into view the huts at Falls Dam, coming across four little unidentified long legged chicks and their mum on the road. Finally after twelve kms on the bumpy road, several stream crossings and pedalling into the wind we came to a DOC sign indicating where we were to turn off to the track. Morning tea was taken half way along the gentle ascent at an old derelict hut before reaching the water race. One cyclist disclosed that he had forgotten his bike pants but had found a new use for his knee pad. (Unfortunately it was lost later on) The gradient became easier and with the wind at our backs, we pedalled on down a 4wd track for eighteen kms negotiating overgrown grass and tussocks at times and being careful not to fall in the fast flowing water of the Mt Ida water race. A clearing in the bush provided us with shelter for a lunch break and afterwards we took a short walk up to a hut which was complete with carpet, an outside bath with lid and a coal range to heat the water. Back on the bikes for the last few kilometers the wind gusts became stronger and we encountered a brief shower just before arriving at the cars at about 3pm, without any major mishaps for the day.
Thanks to Jane, Graham, Julian, John, Bronwyn, Ross, Barb, Robbie and Maurice for their company on an enjoyable ride in Central Otago
Phyllis.
Dave’s Track – South Peak
17 November 2019
This was a combined tramp with the Geraldine Tramping Club. Five trampers from Oamaru and two from Kakanui met the five from Geraldine at the Trotters Gorge Reserve parking area at 9 o’clock. Introductions made and boots donned, we set off up the main track through the six stream crossings (mostly ankle deep) to the University of Otago hut. After a chat with inhabitants and ascertaining that the swimming hole was still well filled with gravel, we resumed the walk to the end of the “maintained track”, through some gorse and across the stream for the last time, exiting up a 2 metre clay bank. The track continued to follow the tributary creek to the point where Dave’s Track turned off. It was then up a steep bank, along a terrace and back down across the creek. Thanks to the efforts of Maurice and Phyllis, the track was clear and well marked as it wound across the valley floor. Finally it turned up, traversing under an overhanging cliff and, after a couple of steep, slippery ascents, came out on top of a rocky ridge.
This was the perfect place for a snack and to look back down the valley to work out the route we had followed. Shortly, it was time to move on so we continued up the ridge, over a rocky step, to come out on to a forestry road. This led at first downhill, then steadily up towards South Peak. Nearing the top, we chose a track veering off to the right (east) and, when it ran out, turned left between the pine trees and gorse to find a way to the peak, which we reached from the eastern side just before 12.30pm. This provided excellent views of the coastline from Cape Wanbrow to the Dunedin hills, and of the volcanic cones and other hills inland as we settled down for lunch.
Lunch over, we struggled to find a way down from the summit to the road we knew lay directly north. Any old tracks were completely overgrown and it took a bash through the gorse eventually to find the bulldozed track leading down to the road. At the road, we turned left past a locked barrier to continue down to the junction with the Piwakwaka Road which we followed down for some 300 metres before veering left on to a semi-obscure track which took us steeply downhill. Another 300 metres down, a largely overgrown “clearing” marked the entrance to the track to Ahn’s Peak, a rocky knob with sheer faces to the west, south and east but an easy approach from the north. The easy approach, however, was well overgrown so some bushbashing was required before we reached the spectacular rocky summit.
View admired and cameras triggered, it was back to the track and down it to meet up with our morning route at the entrance to Dave’s Track. From there, we retraced our steps down beside Trotters Creek, past the University hut on through the seven stream crossings to reach the cars just on 3 o’clock. Then back to Hampden, where the Geraldine group were introduced to the world’s largest ice-creams, so rounding off an excellent day for Lindsay, Claire, Jenny, Pam, Des, Neville, Julian, Colin, Jane, Phyllis, Maurice and John.
Club Night November 2019
Herbert forest tracks are now open and in good condition apart from a few trees down, near the bottom of Hoods Creek track. Last trap check along the tracks saw 5 rats, 2 hedgehogs and 4 mice caught.
A gecko survey is being carried out in the forest.
Trip Reports
A lot of wildlife were seen on a coastal trip from Andersons Lagoon to the Shag River mouth. Shags were nesting and sealions basking on the beach. One even followed the group, swimming along in the surf.
The Wednesday Walkers had day walks to Trig L from Switchback Road, a Hampden historic tour using a map available at Vanessa’s café and a slippery trip to Tabletop via Mile Flat Road. A day was also spent helping Doc plant and release native trees at a reserve near Otekaike.
Coming Tramping Club trips are to Trotters Gorge and Dave’s track, a weekend trip to Brewster Hut at Haast Pass, a bike ride along the Mt. Ida water race and a Dalgety Range traverse from the Haka Pass to the McKenzie Pass. December Club night is the Clubs Christmas Party.
Trips for the January to March 2020 period were arranged.
The nights speaker was Bronwyn McCone who told us about her and a friend’s trip to Nue Island in September.
Nue Island is 260 square kilometers, has one supermarket, one garage and no beaches or rivers. They
hired a car to get around but were told to leave the keys in the car in case it needed to be shifted. They went to two Church services which they couldn’t understand but with fantastic singing and where they had to wear frocks. Covered foot-ware was essential on the coral covered island and snorkeling was enjoyed at low tide in the many inlets. On a fishing trip they caught several tuna and wahu
A lot of taro is grown using a new plot each year and vanilla pods are made into essence.
Supplies either come via the twice a week flights from Auckland or by freighter, which are unloaded by barges and supplies of certain items can run out because of irregular schedules.