Mount Kyeburn
Sunday, 20 October, 2013
The day promised to be fine, albeit with strong north-west winds, as seventeen trampers left the car park at 8.15am. The 75km drive took the four vehicles over Danseys Pass to a parking area marked with a DoC sign 5km west of the top of the pass. The track led immediately down to and across Timber Creek and through two gates on to clearly signposted DoC land. It then crossed two tributaries.
At the second, larger one, the party split, ten continuing up the 4WD track which headed north, climbing up a ridge above and to the west of Timber Creek before swinging west to approach the summit from the north-east. The remaining seven headed north-west up the second tributary to a junction where they were able to scramble up a steep tussock face on to a broad ridge. This ridge led almost directly to the summit ridge, over two humps and climbing steadily up through tussock and shingle. The top was reached in between 2¾ and 3¾ hours, with the ridge route being a little quicker on average.
Lunch at the top was enjoyed with a stunning 360o panorama, from the back side of the St Mary’s Range to the east, around to the Waitaki Plains, Kakanui Mountains, the Maniototo, Mt Ida and the Buster gold diggings, the Hawkdun and St Bathans ranges, and Lake Ohau with a backdrop of Southern Alps. Lack of the expected gale-force winds on top added to the pleasurable sojourn.
The return trip, down the 4WD track, took an easy 2½ hours.
The day was enjoyed by Maurice, Phyllis, Ken, Jo, Els, Colin, Jonny, Judith, Teresa, Linda, Neville, Jane, Sam, Bill, Jac, Ros and John.
Club Night October 2013
The monthly meeting started with a short special meeting to change some constitutional rules.
The local Mountain Safety Committee is considering going into recess.
A South Canterbury tramping group sent a letter of thanks for our work in keeping the Herbert Forest tracks in good condition.
Tickets for the 3D movie on the 23rd October of Sir Edmond Hillarys Journey to the Summit of Everest are available from Neville Corry.
A tramping skills weekend is being held early next year at Trotters Gorge. Contact Neville Corry.
The Club is purchasing a new GPS locator beacon, and it is to be taken on all Club trips.
Trip Reports:
Members rode a challenging mountain bike course in the Herbert Forest that has been set up by the local Mountain Bike Club.
Because of poor weather the Paradise trip turned into a trip to Elco hut with a walk up the river, and a 1000m climb behind the Temple picnic area on the way home.
More work by 9 members has been done on the Herbert Forest tracks, but the job is not finished yet.
The Wednesday Walkers have been on walks to Spring Creek on Pisga Downs, a round trip from the microwave behind Hampden to Pigeon Bush, Table Top via a well maintained Pack Track from the Herbert Forest, and from Andersons Lagoon to the Shag River mouth where plenty of shags and seals were to be seen.
Coming Club Trips are Mt. Kyburn, mountain biking on the Old Dunstan Road, and Bronwyn McCone’s farm walk. More details are on this website on the “what’s on” page.
We were then entertained with a quality selection of Club members tramping photos which ranged from a preview of coming tramps, to a beach and bush tramp in Western Australia where water was scarce, and then to an above 10000ft. odyssey of scaling New Zealand’s highest peaks.
Club Night September 2013
As usual a good number attended our monthly meeting. Proposed changes to the constitution were read for an Extraordinary AGM on Oct 14th.
Trips reports were given: Big Ben –where the weather proved to be most unfavourable; Station Peak- on the calmest of days; and Trotters Gorge-a good family outing with splendid views.
The Wed Walker had 3 trips: Trig L via Trotters Gorge; Ben Lomond from the Otekaieke side with various options; and Herbert Forest trip when the weather didn’t favour other options. For the first time in 25years we cancelled a walk to support Barbara Simpson at Lindsay’s funeral.
Proposed trips are: 15th Sept a bike ride in Herbert Forest; 21-22nd trip up the Huxley to Paradise; Oct 6th –working bee in Herbert Forest.
Bronwyn McCone produced an excellent slide show and talk on her trip to NW China with 27other NZers to see the rhododendron sites often in National Parks and Nature Reserves. Travelling this area in 2 vehicles provided an experience in itself, from excellent motorways with frequent tunnels, toll gates, to the rough and then impossible. High bridges including the highest in the world , frequently crossed the valleys. Some signs proved amusing e.g. ‘don’t drive tiredly’. Bronwyn made the most of the allocated times to roam and explore the hillsides for various lengths of time each day, capturing the rhodo’s growing in the wild naturally, although giving the appearance of being nicely landscaped.
A number of aspects disturbed her from major terracing increasingly being pushed up the mountainsides for added production whilst being covered in miles of plastic, to the knowledge that a large proportion of what was being grown was tobacco in copious amounts. to seeing cannabis growing freely. But joy was gained from finding gems of plants as well as rhodo’s, to paddy fields being planted out.
She found that the state of the rivers was not good. Children swam amongst the pollution and rubbish, while others would completely disappear being piped up hills for irrigation reappearing again later. Toileting was perhaps the worst aspect of the trip.
Nights were filled with delicious foods with up to 11 courses, watching the women dancing, and lots of walking as one felt safe. A great experience all up as this massive country mixes the increasing ‘modern’ with the ‘old and traditional’. Thanks Bronwyn.
Jane Green
Paradise.
Riverside Garden, Elcho
Hopkins Smoko
Path to Paradise
Elcho Forks
Just made it
Sunset on Mt Williams
Welcome Smoke, Elcho Hut
Dazzler Pinnacles
Lake Ohau View
Temples View
Four of us set out from Oamaru on a Friday afternoon at 4.00pm. Not a brilliant forecast to go with but we had options. It was good to get away at this time, it allowed us to do the 4wd component in daylight. A quick stop at Omarama for fish and chips from the hotel, they were very good too and up to Ohau and beyond. The last bit of the drive being 4wd, one or two hairy bits where the creeks had eroded the track leaving big drops, but barring a few scrapes, we arrived at Monument Hut before dark and settled in with a cuppa. The following morning it was grey and drizzling already so the decision was made to abandon the Paradise Valley and head for a hut up the Hopkins. The rivers were all full of meltwater and high, the weather got gradually worse and we were pleased to see Elcho Hut and have our lunch. Rather than walk further to Dodger Hut, we decided on a walk up the Elcho and eventually went to the confluence of the North and South Branches, it rained all the while. Evidence of severe weather was all around with many trees down, some snapped clean in half others uprooted. Debate ensued on the causes and perhaps it was wind and snow. The rain petered out on our return to the hut and it cleared rapidly to become a brilliant evening with fantastic light shining on the snowy peaks all around. The Dazzler Pinnacles looked amazing with snow still stuck to the near vertical rock faces. A good clear moonlit night developed and we had a great fire going in the hut and played cards after dinner before a good night sleep. The morning became more overcast with the second front coming from the NE and after discussing possible side trips we decided to exit more rapidly and get the 4wd bit done before things became more difficult. This would leave time for a look at the Temples. I was worried about the return drive, that sharp drop-off into the creek was going to be tricky to get back up. Luckily when we got back to Monument Hut after a faster trip down the Hopkins crossing the Huxly instead of the bridge, a white truck came bouncing up the track, a high off the ground job for the serious 4wdriver. A nice guy emerged who was happy for us to tag along with him on the return drive and help if needed. It turned out to be tricky and this truck took 3 attempts at the steep bit to get up it, wheels spitting rocks and gravel. I felt less than positive and asked the passengers to hop out for more ground clearance. After lining up and receiving instructions from the 4wdriver I took my turn and was somewhat surprised that my truck just popped straight up there with not much a scrape, brilliant, panic over! Off for lunch at the Temple Shelter and another walk, this time something easy and straight forward………not, we headed for the Temple view walk, but within minutes had lost the track after a large wind-fall blocked the track, hard to believe but we did not relocate that track for another 2 hours. Not daunted we carried on up the hill looking for views of the Temples, it was open bush, a possumers trail, kill traps bait and orange tags urging us upwards. 400m later we admired the view, very good from 1000m, no track still. After photos, back down a different ridge, not bad going and eventually coming across the track and back to the truck. The drive back home interrupted in Omarama again, this time for the smallest icecream I have had for a very long time, should have stopped in Kurow instead. Home around 6 and satisfied with a good weekend outing despite the weather. Thanks to John, Murray and Jo.
Robbie
TROTTERS GORGE AND BEYOND
TROTTERS GORGE AND BEYOND – TRIP REPORT 1-9-2013
Fifteen of us meet at the car park on a cool but sunny morning, with the youngest member of the party being 4 ½. It was good to see the families out tramping on father’s day. We headed off for the Trotters Gorge Reserve car park and I picked Robbie up on the way so that made our group up to sixteen. It was frosty at the car park so it was on with the packs and off up the valley. With a few creek crossings first up, a few people had wet feet from the start. We stopped in at the Otago University Hut for a look around and probably woke up the students that were staying there. We carried on up the valley admiring the lime stone cliffs till we came to the start of Dave’s track and this was where we started to warm up a bit with the sun shining on us. The start of Dave’s track is a wee bit hard to find if you done know where it is. We headed into Dave’s track and started our climb up this bush and shrub valley. It’s been 2 years since I had been up this track and it was starting to get over growing in placers. It probably took us an extra ½ hour to find our way up this over growing valley. When we finely climbed up and out of the valley and on to the lime stone tops, we stopped for a breather and had a bite to eat and looking back down Dave’s track and wondering how the how anyone could get up there. After our break we headed along the line stone tops till we meet the forest road. We started our walk up the road with great views all around us because there were no trees to be seen. Over last 2 years Blakely’s have been logging in here so it was quite bare. It wasn’t long before we came to the bottom of South peak. Usually you have to find a way up to the top through the bush and shrub but with all the logging that has been going on they had made a track up the side, so it was an easy climb to the top. Once on top we stopped for lunch and took in the 360 degree views with no wind and it was quite warm. After lunch we decided to take the short route down to Pigeon Bush because it had taking a bit longer to get up Dave’s track. So off we went down the track that starts by the locked gate at the base of South peak. Just as we started we meet a group on motor bikes that told me that the other track I was going to take is quite rough and over grown. The track that we were on was old 4.W.D track and it is also starting to get over grown with gorse in placers. Half way down we meet a 4.W.D coming up the track out of Pigeon Bush. We got down to Pigeon Bush, had a quick break and then it was off to have a look at the big Totara tree with the steel rope around it. The tree was used as an anchor years ago when there was a wee saw mill in Pigeon Bush. After we had a look around it was back up the track to meet the forest road again at the bottom of South Peak. Then it was back down the road into the back of Trotters Gorge Reserve, back along the track pass the University Hut and back through the 6 creek crossings again. Wet feet again for some great. We got back to the cars about 4.30pm after being away for about 7 ½ hours.
Thanks for a great day Robbie, Jo, Sam, Linda, Bill, Maurice, Phyllis, Murray, Robin, Wallace Family and the Anderson Family – Neville
