2025
December - Saturday 27th - Makarewa Falls - track remarking (D/W/M)
Due to there being several LandSAR call outs in this area it had been decided to add additional markers and carry out some track maintenance on this route. Six of us set off with a variety of tools and markers to make the track easier to follow. Six hours later, after hammering in posts with arrows, and lots of orange triangles we arrived at the Waterfall, and were met by Annabel who had come the opposite direction. No sooner had we sat down for a well earned rest than the heavens opened up and absolutely dumped the rain on us, so it was a reasonably quick trip round the rest of the track and homeward bound. It was amazing how the reasonably dry track on the way in had become wet and muddy in a very short time. The rest of the track will have to wait for some fine weather and another team will attempt to add the additional markers and cut some of the windfall. Graeme, John, Anne, Alice, Amanda, Matt and Annabel.
December - Wednesday 17th - Oreti Totara Dunes Forest
On the evening of 17th December 2025 it was looking like we might get a spot of rain, and a spot was about all we got at the Oreti Totara Dune Forest. By the appointed time there were 18 of us - STORC members, Landcare Group members, and a lone park-runner who had been talked into coming. The Oreti Totara Dune Forest is part of a nationwide series of properties owned by the New Zealand Native Forest Trust. They have officially had this property for 5 or 6 years, and the Southland Tramping and Outdoor Recreation Club has had a 5-year commitment to plant Native trees. We have our 6th year to go before our project funding runs out. Tonight our target was a short stroll through the Forest. We headed off along the main trail and then diverted through the Manuka Trail. A less well-marked and maintained track, having Brian and Chris Rance (Trustees of the area) helped when we had to determine which way to go. Eventually we got to one of the formed tracks and headed off to have a look at the plantings we had done in the last couple of years. Here we stomped down the grass and lupins to get some light into the plants, a job that took about 15 ~ 20 minutes with the large crowd we had. That task completed we continued on to the Oreti Lookout and down the western ramble with views over the Oreti River and Sandy Point. We eventually made it to the pond lookout before heading back to the cars. STORC'ers headed around to BJ and Robyn's place for a cuppa before heading home.
December - Monday 15th - Pourakino Track windfall clearance
8 people and a heavy chainsaw headed to the track to clear the remaining windfall. F allen trees caused the track to be slightly altered and track direction signs were checked and replaced. The circular loop track by the picnic area was also cleared of fallen trees. 5 hours later, job done! The Pourakino Track is ready to welcome the Te Araora Trail walkers. Stirling effort from Graeme, George, Imogen, John, Katie, Olivia, Charmaine, & Fiona
December - Sunday 14th - Xmas Dinner
31 of us gathered for an end of year club Christmas dinner at the Foundry. The meal was good and so was the company as shown by the noise level and the waitress having to shout to be heard above all the talking. Also there were two spot prizes supplied by Ann Irving (Thank you).
November - Sunday 30th - Castledowns
After leaving Invercargill in the rain we arrived at Castledowns where it fine as usual. About 80 plants got put into the ground, tracks were sprayed, some plants released, a new area chainsawed and cleared for planting, the recent growth was trimmed, as well as the traps cleared and rebaited, and it was raining on our return to Invercargill.
Adrian, Fiona, Anne, Judy, Allan, Ian, Heather and 3 others
November - Monday 17th - Pourakino
George and I met Fiona and Imogen in Otautau at 8.15am. We then drove to the picnic area where George and I started work clearing the track of windfalls caused by the recent storm. The ladies drove my ute to the Ermedale end of the track and walked up to meet us about 1pm. We all continued to the Ermedale road arriving about 4.15pm. We cleared most of the windfalls, but will need to go back to remove the branches off parts of the track. Many tanks to George, Fiona and Imogen. Graeme
October - Friday 17-Sunday19th - Homer Hut
Two of us left Invers, picked up Mark in Te Anau and headed to Homer Hut with a very dubious forecast. On arrival we dumped our gear and headed out along the possum line, and the traps nearest the hut. On arrival back at the hut another carload of three had arrived. Gear sorted, fire going, then Ron and Hugh arrived with a very larger trailer and ute load of wood, and with the creek already starting to rise it was time to put all hands to work and get it unloaded and stacked in the wood shed. Vehicles safely parked in the car park on the other side of the creek, it was time to relax, and unwind with some stories, and food, with a little tipple or two. We retired to bed to listen to the thunder rolling around the mountains and the odd avalanche. Saturday morning, three ventured up the Gertrude valley to rebait those traps with a young fellow lugging a new box trap up the hill to replace one that had been a victim to an earlier avalanche. Two of us head to crosscut to rebait the traps but with the water thigh deep in places we gave up on that idea and Ron gave us a ride to the Tunnel, before heading home. We managed about three traps before the snow and ice coming down the valley put a stop to that. Saturday evening was calm and with the sun shining on the mountains, but it was certainly the calm before the storm. We awoke to a very quiet morning with snow falling gently, and about 30mm landing on the vehicles. After packing up we had to wait until the road was opened, but they appeared to have forgotten to unlock the gate from the car park until we phoned. An uneventful trip home with a top up of food at Baileys Cafe. Thank to the helpers Mark, Barbara, Jess, Terri, Eamon and Anne.
October - Saturday 4th - Rakiura Challenge Run
A colourful group of STORC volunteers joined ranks with 40 others to again offer enthusiastic marshaling services for the mad runners chasing the mud along the 32km Rakiura track from Horseshoe Bay to Oban, to complete the challenge. The delightful Southland spring weather miraculously cleared just in time for the ferry crossing and another great weekend was had dancing in the bush on Stewart Island, followed by a fabulous evening meal prepared by SIT and prize giving before retiring to Mamaku Point for the evening. Barbara, Sally, Eliz, Megan, Courtney, Sophie, Enrique, Richelle, Sandra, Anne, Jessie, Pip and Hilary
October - Saturday 4th - Outdoor Education Expo - Organised by Borland Lodge Adventure and Education Trust, In conjunction with Adventure Southland
It was a very informative day catching up with the fellows from Borland Lodge, NZ Alpine club, Adventure Southland, LandSAR. We found out every thing we need to know, and are looking forward to the E Bike trip that's been organized, along with Geoff's fishing trip in his boat. Thanks to all our new members Fiona, Oliver, Alice, Jane, Annemarie and others Neil, Steve, & Geoff. We will have to a do lot more on river rafting, canoeing, cycling, with health and safety coming to mind. A well run day thanks to Rodger Millar and all the rest who were there.
September - Sunday 28th - Castledowns
The forecast was good for the day with strong Norwest winds reported. We were pleased to find the tracks a lot drier than a month ago. The main task was to shift all the traps and markers from along the margins of the Dipton Stream to make it easier for the willow removal operation. That was done in the strong wind that made the old willow branches clap together in the wind which was a bit frightening. Heather and Ann put Garto Protectors around 16 trees in a grassy area. There were a lot of fallen trees across the tracks that were cleared with a chainsaw. Some traps were removed in anticipation of the willow clearing along the creek (hopefully next month). Anne will record, after the willows are removed, the new positions of the traps on Trapping NZ. 2 Possum and 1 mouse were dispatched, along with 6 strikes on A24's. Ann I, Adrian, Anne Mc, Heather, Ian, Boyd and Sandra P.
August - Sunday 24th - Castledowns
Ann, Adrian, Anne McD, Boyd McCallum, Sandra, Virginia, Roland, Heather, Ian, Nate, Terri, Allan, Fiona, Janice and Neroli enjoyed a beautiful day in the wetland. Our first surprize was the fact that our seating down by the track had floated downstream, but not too far. The water had been that high on the previous Monday and the area was wet with the tracks being quite muddy. This was not helped by more pigs, dogs to hunt them, and deer evidence. Two small piglets were sighted. We arrived to see a plan which included planting of 106 trees, and releasing others, shifting some metal planks, and spraying all the tracks. It was a beautiful, blue-sky day. 1 weasel, 2 mice and 2 sprung possum traps. We decided the pests did not like wet feet either. 2 sprayers, I weed eater, 2 small chainsaws, 1 hedge trimmer Donated Spays $100 We are looking forward to the willows being taken out in October. After they have been removed we will be looking for a big help with planting of trees to cover the area.
August - Saturday 23rd - Pourakino River Track
Saturday dawned bright and sunny, but the chill of a good frost lingered, Merlyn, Anne, Dayle, Fiona and myself left Invercargill and met up with Graeme, George and Dave at the Ermedale Road carpark. The purpose of the walk, apart from great company, was to enjoy the walk through the beautiful beech forest of the Longwoods, and to scope out the state of the track. Erosion caused by the river, whether any areas needed additional infrastructure, a bridge or rope to assist trampers crossing a wet area or small creek. The Pourakino River track is going to be assessed, with the possibility, that it may become part of the Te Araroa Trail (The Long Pathway) from Cape Reinga to Bluff. If the Pourakino River track is included in the Te Araroa Trail, it will add about 10km onto the walk. Currently the Te Araroa Track is along the hills, and has a varied elevation gain, 826m (2,709ft) the Longwood Forest Loop, Turnbulls Hut and Martins Hut 636m (2,086 ft). The Longwoods Forest is a rain forest, with very peaty and fragile soil, and has high rainfall. With significant numbers of trampers walking the trail, mud becomes a problem, and this situation ismade worse especially when they move off track, damaging the fragile plants and habitat. The Pourakino River track has an elevation gain of 534ft or 163m. The walk is moderately challenging, with a gentle gradient through regenerating beech forest and ferns, taking about 3.5 hours to walk from the Ermedale carpark to the Picnic area. This allows time to check out orchids, an exceptionally large tree and have morning tea. The return journey back to the carpark was about 3 hours. The track was good, damp under foot, with the odd muddy patch. The Pourakino Rivermeanders close to the track, gently moving around gravel beaches and under lichen covered trees, down from the hills. We were introduced to native orchids, although not in flower, but dainty and clinging onto moss covered branches, purple mushrooms, black fungi, orange and white groups of polypores/conks (bracket or shelf fungi) clinging to the trunks of trees, and an old Morris Minor being reclaimed by the forest. We arrived at the picnic area and enjoyed lunch in the sun. The old boiler a nod to the past industry in the area. The Pourakino River track has a rich and industrious history, a forestry tramline, built by the More family in the early 1900’s to transport timber to their sawmills in Riverton is just one story. Visitors can see remnants of tramlines and bridges along the loop track at the picnic area. A historic Johnston locomotive “Black Maria” which was used to haul logs, was located in the picnic area, but is now on display in Riverton. After lunch we retraced our steps back to the bridge and car park....some of us beginning to feel tired, but happy after a great walk, and a very enjoyable day out. Graeme, George, Janice, Merlyn, Fiona, Dayle, Anne M, & David
August - Wednesday 13th - Photo Competition
A big thank you to all who sent in photos, 11 people sent in 76 photos covering the six categories. Dave T judged the photos and the winning entries are on the gallery. (The judge had quite a difficult job as there were some superb photos). The Supreme winner was Barry with a stunning photo of a koru.
August - Friday 1st - Sunday 3rd - Lake McKenzie
Six intrepid trampers packed their winter woolies and headed to Lake McKenzie for a cool, calm, clear wander through the beech forest listening to the robins chirping. We encountered an expected obstacle in the form of a slip that had been rerouted with high steps and lots of ropes. We shared the hut with two others but with the lack of water in the winter tap, and the absence of any decent fire wood it was an early and very cold night. Next morning dawned crisp and clear and a wander to the camp site and split rock, listening to kakariki in the trees filled in the morning. This was followed by the gathering of anything suitable to keep the fire going for the evening. The afternoon saw us all sitting on the verandah in the sun sharing crayfish and birthday cake. A hut warden turned up on her day off and was promptly despatched to find the source of the problem with the water. After discovering the intake was blocked and in the process of clearing it, she got a soaking, but we did appreciate being able to get water for cooking, dishes and teeth cleaning. Saturday evening we were joined by two doctors from Invercargil and a builder from Winton and we enjoyed their company while sitting round a lovely fire and enjoyed toasted marshmellows. Sunday morning was another fine frosty morning and we were very surprised to find the amount of ice on the waterfall at Earland Falls. As we departed the car park the Warden turned up and thanked the team for leaving the hut so clean and tidy. Dene, Sally, Fiona, Anne M, & Neroli
July - Saturday 19th to Sunday 20th - Moturau Hut
5 of us packed up some food, thermals, and optimistic fishing gear for a nice easy stroll through beautiful beech forest to Moturau Hut on the shores of Lake Manapouri, for a quick wee overnighter. We ended up sharing the snores with a large group from Dunedin Rotary Club who walked in with an amazing amount of gear for their mid-winter Xmas do. Xmas lights and costumes and a full buffet roast meal and all! We absolutely cracked the sunshine lottery, and no fish were harmed in the making of this weekend…we swear there’s no fish in that lake. Sally, Courtney, Brendan, Selene
July - Saturday 5th (S) Mid Winter Pot Luck Christmas Dinner
A fine group of participants enjoyed pre dinner nibbles, followed by a variety of dishes and desert, chocolates and coffee. Great to see new members and older members all enjoying a social evening. A big vote of thanks goes to the hosts. Geoff, Sandra, Barry, Robyn, Jan, Graeme, Ron, Martha, Jackie, Callum, Barbara, Simon, Ann, Adrian, Jane, Fiona, Rabbit, Margaret, and Anne
July - Tuesday 1st - Bluff Hill Track Maintenance
Seven of us headed off down to Bluff to join up with 2 locals involved in the Bluff Hill Motupohue Environment Trust (And the STORC) to do some track clearances on trap lines 'C' and 'D' on the Hill itself. The object was to clear away any windfalls and give the tracks a reasonably clear 1M wide strip to allow for faster access. With about 12 trap lines on Bluff Hill covering possibly as much as 25 Km of track, ease of access and speed along these tracks would certainly reduce the hundreds of hours spent each year checking the traps and bait stations. Cliff wandered off on his own to do some chain sawing whilst Graeme on the weed cutter, George on the chainsaw and Anne T, Denise and Austin bringing up the rear clearing the rubbish and tacking track markers completed trap line 'C' by lunch time. On Trap line 'D' myself on the Chainsaw accompanied by Anne M and Barbara clearing ferns were behind the others so that when they finished line 'C', they came and assisted us on line 'D'.
About halfway along our line there was quite a steep gut, at the top someone had rigged up a rather stout rope on a branch probably 10M up the tree and had mounted a swing. The thrill would have been compared to bungy jumping without the cost or safety features.
We finished and were out by about 3pm, all knowing that we would probably have a little easier day the next to recover. After a cuppa with Cliff and Anne we all staggered off home.
On the trip Anne T, Anne M, Barbara, Graeme, George, Austin, Cliff, Denise & BJ
June - Sunday 29th - Mt Bee Huts
We all gathered at Lumsden before heading up the Irthing Valley - the Irthing being one the Fiver Rivers. Graeme had arranged access through the farmer’s property so we set off on a 4WD track steadily upwards through the dairy farm. Paddocks turned to bush when we met the Eyre Forest boundary and gravel track turned to snow. We zig zagged up the ridge and had spectacular views of the White Hills Wind Farm, Mid Dome and the Eyre Mountains on the far side of the Cromel Valley. Sometimes it was easier walk on the snow and at at times we walked in a stream of melting snow getting cold wet feet. We were very pleased to see the huts at Mt Bee and have a welcome lunch break. We didn’t linger long as the temperature had only risen from between -3 to +3. We returned the same route taking pleasure in some spectacular Southland scenery. I think the two newbies enjoyed their trip which finished at the Lumsden Dairy for sone refreshments. Thank you Graeme for organising. Graeme, Anne M, Anne T, Sandra, Barbara, Will and Terri
June - Friday 20th-Sunday 22nd - Borland & Hidden Falls Hut
On Friday the 20th June there was a late change of plan for our tramp with the Borland Road gate closing a few days prior to setting out so we didn’t go to the Green Lakes Hut as previously planned but ‘Plan B’ was really great!
On Friday, six of us travelled to Borland Lodge for the night where Paul the lodge host made us very welcome. We de- camped and followed the Burnt Ridge track through beech forest and scrub with a steady climb and over to Lake Monowai. It was squelchy underfoot (quite fun) at times with lots of friendly piwakawaka along the way. That night we had a pot- luck dinner, ate ourselves silly and played board games.
On Saturday we picked up Rachel from Te Anau and drove to the Lower Hollyford valley. It was a picture-perfect winter’s day with clear blue skies, crisp air and stunning snowy peaks all around.
We walked on a gentle undulating path 9ks alongside the clear green waters of the Hollyford river and snowy peaks of the Darren mountains. Along bluffs, across several swing bridges, and on to the Hidden Falls (which didn’t disappoint) and another 20 minutes to the Hidden Falls Hut. We saw lots of fat kereru along the way! It’s such a beautiful place - some of us were inspired to do a return trip and walk the whole valley.
We had the cosy one room hut all to ourselves. Alberto managed to chop some gnarly wood for a fire that kept us toasty all night. The stars that evening were stunning, the clearest, brightest sky I’ve ever seen.
A quick walk back to the car on a rainy Sunday but we were mostly sheltered in the dense bush.
What a wonderful way to spend the Matariki weekend with a small friendly bunch from the STORC for an easy mid -winter’s tramp.
Jane, Jessie, Courtney, Alberto, Rachael L, Mathew, Annamarie and Rachael S
June - Sunday 15th - Castledowns Wetlands (Rural Women)
A mild frost in Invercargill was a white frost in Dipton as we arrived at the Castledowns Wetland area. Allan, Anne, Judy, Sandra, Adrian and Ann were the keen workers and the men got busy making adjustments to the new bridge and got the old bridge shifted to the wet area on the way to the Flaxy pond. Judy and Sandra planted 50 trees which were 10 Lemonwood, 10 Manuka, 10 Pittosporums, 10 Ribbonwoods and 10 Mingimingi in the gaps on the track to the Flaxy pond and along the South track. Anne and Ann walked all the tracks doing the trapping and marking the positions of the traps that were not so easy to spot. There was still recent deer tracks so a young one and an older one at least. Trapping record - 3 cats - 2 in Possum masters and 1 in Doc 200. This is the first for our years of trapping and they were all in the same area. Plus 2 rats, 1 ferret, 3 possums, 10 strikes on A24s.
June - Saturday 14th - Tree Planting at Oreti Totora Dune Forest
Oreti Totara Dunes Forest: the home of one of the Native Forest Restoration Trust sites and the most Southerly one. Not long after they purchased it, the Southland Tramping Club (Now called the Southland Tramping and Outdoor Recreation Club) began a 6 year relationship with them in that we were going to supply and plant 100 plants a year for 5 of those years and 700 plants the year of our 75th jubilee. We have 1 more year to go and we have placed slightly over 1100 plants (I've added a few plants to the total every year from my small nursery). This year our total was 121 plants. As always we rely on volunteers to assist with the planting and they have a good deal of experience since many of them help with the Bluff Hill Motupohue Environment Trust, The Otatara Landcare Group, Te Rere (The Yellow Eyed Penguin site in the Catlins) and Castle Downs Wetlands at Dipton. It is easy to see why the Club changed its name when you consider all the cycling trips we do, the occasional kayaking trip and marshalling for events.
On Saturday 14 June we headed off into our designated planting spot, there was 17 of us and we had the whole lot in the ground with protectors in a little over an hour. We then spent some time weeding around some of the previous year's plantings. Some of the original planting done in 2021 are now 2 - 3 meters tall (and some shorter ones as well, depending on the species). All in all a relatively mild afternoon (with a moment of drizzle) and a lot of happy people ended up with another job well done. Thank you to everyone who turned up. Barry, Dave, Rabbit, Jimmy, Neil, Denise, Anne T, Sandra, Anne M, Ridley, Cascade and Chris, Brian, Allan, Nate, Nathan & Fiona.
May - Friday 30th - Westpac Chopper Appeal Quiz
Eight souls braved the atrociuos weather to pit their knowledge against 47 other teams who attended the fund raising event for Westpac Chopper appeal. The two teams didn't manage to finish in the top ten, but they had a lot of fun trying, and guessing, some of the answers, and with a final score the same. Team Kiwi - Graeme, Jan, Oliver and Fiona, Team Falcon - John, Jenne, Anne, and Alberto.
May - Friday 9th-Monday 12th or Tuesday 13th - Unwin Lodge Mt Cook Area
Last weekend 10 of us arrived at Unwin Lodge on Friday for a relaxed long weekend of day walks. We acquainted ourselves with our surroundings, oohed and aahed at the mountains...so close and awesome!...and settled in. Over the next 3 days, between us we covered 90% of the walks and activities available. A boat ride on the Tasman Lake to look at the glacier and it’s icebergs, and a walk along Ball Track as far as we could go to view the lake and glacier from above (which had been cut off due to a huge gulch having been avalanched out), to the Hooker Valley, up the Red and Sealy Tarns and to Mueller hut. Also smaller walks around the Mt Cook village. There was an exhibition area on Sir Ed and inspirational women leading the mountain charge long ago, and 3D movies, a bistro evening meal, a tourist shop and cafe. In the evenings we regrouped and played games with some wine and cheese and laughs. The weather was sunny and warm, couldn't have asked for better. The company was great, and Anne was wonderful at organizing each day's activities. There was something for everyone's abilities , and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Courtney, Brendan, Ian, Neroli, Barbara, Anne, Sylvia-Ruth, Tania, Pip, & Bob
May - Sunday 4th - Castledowns - Heather, Ian, Janice, Allan, Nate, Anne, Jan, Graeme, Ann and Rhonda enjoyed the day. It was a beautiful autumn day when we were at the wetland with 10 people attending. We planted 80 trees, 15 large toi toi and a lot of small flaxes on the South Track with Nate and Graeme making spaces for us to plant them in and Allan following on with a careful spray. There were three large dead willows down over the track and they needed a chainsaw to create access through them. This is a result of poisoning of them over the years and is going to be an ongoing problem for a while yet. There is not much evidence of the pig problem in the wetland even after 27 have been shot but there have been still pigs out on the paddocks. 8 possums, I hedgehog, 1 mouse, 4 rats, 5 strikes on the A24s. 4 Utes, 1 chainsaw, 2 weedeaters, 2 knapsack sprayers and Garto protectors. Hours 76. Ann I
May - Saturday 3rd May - Mansion Hut
Last weekend a small group of STORC’ers and some energetic guests set off on a day walk into Mansion Hut at about 10am. Despite the rain in town, the weather was sunny and warm. It was flat all the way to the hut, but a bit gnarly in places and a few (low) river crossings. Lots of fantails and colorful fungi. Lunch at the hut from about 12. Lovely spot and well worth the travel and effort. We also came across a man and his two children who had a little fire burning to heat their billy and have a hot milo. There were 4 club members, Sylvia-Ruth, Rachel, Anne and Barbara, and we had Kathryn with her 2 children, Maxime and Madeline (7 years old), and 5 friends from Gore came with 4 dogs (permitted) who ran and frolicked all the way. Lots of convivial chatter and the world is now sorted! Barbara
April - Friday 25th-Monday 28th - Greenstone and Caples Tracks
Over ANZAC weekend 8 STORC'ers (plus 2 random Dunedinites we picked up along the way) laced up their boots & took on the stunning Greenstone - Caples Track, covering 61 km over 4 days & 3 nights
Day 1 | Greenstone Carpark-Mid Caples Hut | 9 km - We hit the track around midday, buzzing for the adventure ahead. The trail meandered gently through the Caples Valley, giving us plenty of time to soak in the picturesque views. A couple of hours later, we arrived at Mid Caples Hut - complete with the unexpected luxury of flushing loos. While some of us kicked back in the hut, a few legends braved the crystal-clear waters of a nearby swimming hole, nestled in a picture-perfect spot .
Day 2 | Mid Caples Hut-McKellar Hut | 22 km - Our biggest day on the track. It began with an easy wander through the valley, surrounded by native bush and beech forest, before the track turned skyward towards the McKellar Saddle. We tackled the ascent to the saddle and were greeted at the top by spectacular 360° views stretching out across mountains and valleys. From there, we zigzagged down the other side into the Greenstone Valley and followed the edge of Lake McKellar until we eventually rolled into McKellar Hut - tired after a solid slog and ready for a well-earned bevvy !
Day 3 | McKellar Hut-Greenstone Hut | 18 km - The day kicked off with rain, but we chucked on our wet weather gear and followed the track downriver. As the valley opened up, the drizzle eased and the views slowly returned while we wound our way through tussock flats and patches of mud. Thankfully, there were no river crossings to deal with, but the track did weave through several impressive slips carved into the mountainside. We arrived at Greenstone Hut, where the DOC warden pointed us to an idyllic swim spot for those keen to freshen up. We wrapped up our final night with a rowdy game of SPOONS - a perfect mix of chaos and laughter .
Day 4 | Greenstone Hut-Greenstone Carpark | 12 km - With a few days behind us, our packs were a breeze to carry as we made our way along the final stretch. Following the glassy river through vivid green bush and past a string of beautiful waterfalls, it was an easy cruise out. By midday we strolled into the carpark with showers and hot chips on our minds. An unforgettable long weekend with a great crew of people, can't wait for the next adventure !
Courtney, Annamarie, Barbara, Neroli, Jane, Theo, Jessica and Alberto
April - Saturday 12th to Sunday 13th - Earnslaw Burn Track, Glenorchy
Five STORC'ers headed in to the Glenorchy to tackle the Earnslaw Track. We hit the trail at 9am and started our ascent towards the glacier with perfect weather ahead - not too hot and not too cold. The track was very technical but a lot of fun. Mother Nature put on a show from beautiful golden light through the trees, many types of interesting fungi, to a few nosey SI Robins seeing if they could get our lunch. We broke out of the tree line just after 2pm to previews of the beautiful Mt Earnslaw. A bit further on we found a nice flat spot to camp by the Earnslaw Burn. From here we then set off to do the further few kilometers to the glacier view point where we sat to tke photos and take in the views, which were amazing. Once the sun had gone behind the mountain peaks we knew we didn;t have long until dark and the temperature was dropping very quickly, so we headed back to camp, had dinner, then it was an early bunk timeto avoid the freeze. It was an amaing clear night with a full moon. so made for a very chilly morning. Warmed up with hot breakys and coffee we packed down loaded up and then the trail at approx 8am. The weather continued to be perfect as we enjoyed the forest descent back towards the car park arriving about 1.30pm, stoked with our adventure and food on our minds. Courtney, Annamarie, Jessica, Alice & Oliver
April - Saturday 3rd-Tuesday 15th March - Biking Nelson
Trip up - Saturday - Nine people traveled up in the van to Christchurch, stopping in Omarama for lunch. We stayed at the Bealey Quarters and had Dinner in their restaurant, where we were joined by Duncan and Mary. Sunday we headed for Nelson stopping in Murchison for lunch. Accommodation in Nelson was at the Tahuna Camp Ground. Sunday - By this time all those who had travelled independantly were also in residence and we enjoyed a meal at Sprig & Fern. Paula
Day 1 - Bike Tahuna-Mapua and return - 17 people left the assembly point outside the motels at 8.30 on a beautiful day while the rest of the group went into town to go shopping. We were able to follow around the shore line on a tarsealed, well signposted track while the tide was out and the water a long distance away. We were stopped on the entrance to Rabbit island where we rode over a bridge into a forested recreational area and followed the coast line with a sandy beach where we crossed on the ferry to Mapua with our bikes before 12. There were lots of choices of food and I opted for avocado mashed with peas and lemon juice with lettuce and micro greens on top but some just had fish and chips and were chased out of a more cultured dining area while they ate them. After lunch we headed over on the ferry again and arrived back with only one person testing the water at one stage. Our first meal out was a large Thai meal at the local restaurant. Ann I
Day 2 - Rest Day - Pic Museum - Car Museum - Habitat for Humanity Restore - We've been to "Pic's Peanut Butter World" "Spread the Love". The rental van and two vehicles travelled to Pic's at Stoke, Nelson for a 10am tour. A new building and factory with a tour guide awaited us. It was a very clean and well organised operation. Peanuts and a bit of salt – Voila! Roasted nuts where blended up to become peanut butter. 80% of the nuts come from Brazil and 20% from Australia. Originally 100% of the peanuts came from Kingaroy region in Australia but peanut butter demand and production soon outstripped supplies. Glass jars are used instead of plastic with peel easy labels. The products ranged from the usual Smooth or Crunchy peanut butters to new Salt and Pepper, Seeds and Nuts, and a Chocolate variation. An excellent time – line of the owner 'Pic" and the company was well displayed. The tour ended with tastings and sales. Most of us left with a stash of peanut butter. An excellent tour for kids of all ages. Us guys took off to the Nelson Classic Car Museum. It's the best place to see more than 150 cars in excellent condition. From a little 1903 Cadillac, to classics of the 1950's including Vauxhalls, Triumphs and Buicks, through to the exquisite mastery of Jaguar and Ferrari, the Museum is the place to marvel and admire an incredible collection of iconic cars. They say, come and relive your own memories of your grandad’s car, your first car and or dream car, alas they did not have a Mk 1 Zepher!! Graham was hanging out for a pie so lunch was enjoyed. Meanwhile the girls found the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. One of the best organised opshops I've ever encounted in NZ. Something for everyone including a "blokes shed" with lots of building and renovating equipment. Various visits throughout the next few days continued.. the crafting community lives on!! Martha and Ron
Day 3 - Bike Coppermine - We set off from the Brook Valley and went in several directions depending on ability and E-power. Sandra ended up at The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary - a mainland ecological island. Many hardy souls used pedal power only, to reach Third House. Five carried on to Windy Point. Anne M had a mishap when her bike ended up on top of her. Her elbow was patched up and we continued on to Coppermine Saddle. We had lunch tucked down over the brow of the hill, out of the wind. There were lots of tight zig zags on the steep decline down to the Maitai Dam then we followed the Maitai River before heading back up to The Brook. When Anne loaded her bike back onto the trailer, it opened up an artery on her elbow resulting in a detour to get a few stitches. Anne T
Day 4 - Bike Tapawera-Nelson - The van and private vehicles unloaded cyclists at Tapawera for the section of Tapawera to Tahuna our base. 9.30 and a chilly start on the bike, some deciding the Flat Rock cafe at Kohatu was coffee time to warm up. From here features of the day were farmland, forestry, free-range poultry and hops with historic rural towns at either end. In the middle of this ride is Spooner’s Tunnel, New Zealand’s longest decommissioned rail tunnel at 1,352 metres. The Wakefield Bakery had an amazing selection of what bakeries do best….the pies were a must have, large and delicious. Good coffee too. Enough of relaxing and eating in the sun in Wakefield, decision time - continue biking to Tahuna camp or load bike onto trailer. Whatever we chose we all arrived back at Tahuna camp to head out for a group meal in Stoke at McCashins Taproom, a classy microbrewery dispensing creative brews and inventive pub fareA great day out. Hilary
Day 5 - Bike Tapawera-Kaiteriteri - Our journey begins in Tapawera following the Great Taste Trail signage which will take us to Kaiteriteri. It was the first trail ride for my husband and I. We were not equipped psychologically for the challenges ahead and our comfort zones were tested. We were eager to push our legs to the pedal and headed off without a map or knowledge of the area. It's definitely going to make or break us. We both have e-bikes so we can travel comfortably. The trail takes us through spectacular views, forestry, wide open paddocks, vineyards and zig zagging tracks that curve around small farming communities. Our first check in point was Woodstock - absolutely bagged from the heavy ride endured coming over the hill and rest stop and refreshment truly welcomed. We made the decision to carry on. The trail and signage became wide in between amd some backtracking was involved. When we reached Ngatimoti we knew we were headed in the right direction. There were swing bridges on the Baton and Motueka Rivers that put us outside our comfort zone. As we neared Kaiteriteri, exhaustion and fatigue set in but there was still no sign of fellow riders. As we rode along the main road and estuary we knew we were heading in the right direction. We were nearly out of battery power so opted to bike the road instead of taking the Mountain Bike Track.We felt very proud of ourselves. Ramona
Day 6 - Boat Excursion - Our spare day in Kaiteriteri turned out to be beautiful and fine so most of us decided to get on Wilsons excursion boat and travel up the coast beside the Abel Tasman National Park as far as Totaranui and return calling in at the many bays on the way dropping trampers and others off and taking some on. We were home by lunch time and people had a spare afternoon followed by a beautiful Thai meal in Motueka. Adrian
Day 7 - Bike Kaiteriteri-Mapua-Kaiteriteri - A fairly straightforward route for most, we all thought, and so it was, with the majority of riders managing to follow the markers or be found by the back up vehicle for a pick up. Thehardy riders of Graham and Blair chose to complete a return trip from Kaiteriteri to Mapua and return, demolishing a pie each at Mapua as a half time treat. I will not comment on the ride from Kaiteriteri to Mapua as that will destroy the mystery for the article I have been asked to write about being the Mapua to Kaiteriteri leg. Pie demolished off Graham and I set off to catch the other riders, ah, but this was not a race! About 4km north of Mapua we turned off the cycle lane beside the main road and the ascent began. Anyone would have thought they were watching the Tour de France as Graham and I ascended at over 10 km/hr to the top, apart from a nasty steep left hand switch back. Theelevation gave us great vista’s over the surrounding area, from Nelson to the east and some mountains to the West oh and Wellington to the north, but who cares about Wellington! The descent was a little tricky at times with deep ruts in the gravel track. I believe some got mis mothered around this point but somehow accidentally managed to regain the track further down the hill from another road. Once on the seal it was time to go, go, go, catch up time! The track followed a secondary back road that was sealed. Because we were wearing fluro we felt untouchable so off weraced down the road, only being passed by 1 vehicle who must have seen us as they gave us a wide berth. Oh the value of fluro! We slowly reeled in the stragglers as we headed along the flats to Motueka and Riwaka. Then my favourite part of the track, the hill over to Kaiteriteri that weaved through native bush over some steep headlands. This meant around 8-10 tight switchbacks having to be negotiated. Fantastic!! A great day for all riders. Sunny with no wind, apart from after the pies! Chockdee Motueka - we all boarded our various modes of transport to Motueka. Adrian and Ann were a little hesitant to accept a ride from us as they thought we were going to ride, as in “cycle”, toMotueka! What a silly thought. A huge selection of Thai dishes on the menu, all great value. Blair
Homeward bound after hurding 22 people for group photo in Kaiteriteri. Those of us fortunate to travel in van arrived in a Ashburton for the night. Early start next morning but not before blowing fuses in 3 cabins . Arrived safe back to Southland after a 10 day excursion to Tasman. Thanks Anne T for all the work you put in. A great time Gillian
Ann F, Blair, Ann I, Adrian, Anne T, Donald, Martha, Ron, Sandra, Paula, Anne M, Gillian, Dene, Sally, Ramona, Ken, Jimmy, Hilary, Graeme, Jan, Rabbit, Aaron
March - Sunday 30th - Castledowns
The new bridge is now launched!! Despite the rain we left town with Anne, Nat, Judy, Terri, Eamon, Adrian, Ann aboard and were joined by Allan, Keiren and Sandra. The weather did not cooperate as it usually does to clear up so most of the work was in the light rain. The main focus of the day was the launching of the new aluminium bridge and we celebrated with a tamarillo wine to mark the occasion. We had a great catch with the work done by Anne (1 Mouse, 4 Rats, 2 Hedgehogs, 4 Possums and 1 Ferret were dispatched) and planted 86 trees made possible by Nate clearing more areas. We saw more deer prints but no evidence of recent pig activity. Last tally of pig deaths is 27 and one deer so thanks go to our shooter and his trusty dogs.
March - Friday 21st - Sunday 23rd - Homer Hut Trapping Trip
A team of six females arrived at Homer on Friday evening, a cup of coffee, safety briefing and checked a few traps in the evening before retiring to a very full hut. Saturday we were up reasonably early and divided into three teams of two - two went up Homer, two checked Gertrude Valley and two went up past the waterfall. Not a lot in the way of catches but it was very exciting to hear a few rock wren and at the very last trap up the Gertrude a couple of rock wren entertained us by bobbing up and down and flitting round the rocks for 10 minutes or so. Because we were so efficient, we had a quick lunch and divided into two teams - one on the possum line and one on Crosscut and all traps were checked a rebated by late afternoon. Ron had arrived up late on Friday evening, with new spouting for the hut and a large trailer load of wood (as well as the back of the ute being loaded) therefore the easiest way to unload was to encouraged some of the other hut dwellers to form a line and we made short work of unloading and stacking the wood in the two sheds, before the rain arrived. Once again the hut was full and five tents were pitched outside. Sunday morning was wet, so we packed up and drove round Gunns Camp, and Cascade Camping area on our way to Te Anau for lunch and home. Thanks very much to a great bunch of very helpful ladies. Ann I, Terri, Jessica, Courtney, Annabel and Anne. Ron (also STORC & NZAC), Kerry and Ian from NZAC were replacing the spouting on the back of the hut a brand new spouting on the front. It will be great not to get rain drops down your neck when you duck out to the little green houses.
March - Saturday 15th - Vet South Gorge Adventure Race
Barbara & Anne entered a team (with a couple others) on a beautiful sunny day in Otapiri Gorge. Got our competitors pack, entered the starting yards and off we went with a heap of others. There were some hills, some trees and creek crossings. This was a rogaine type event where you had a map and the option of getting points for various spots on the map and also from some fun events, smurfs has us lined up to bounce a ball on a net and get it into a fadge, all team members had to balance on a ballance board and throw a ball into a ute deck and not to mention all members of the team had to complete a downhill slippery slide. A lot of fun!!! not so sure about our score though!. Barbara and Anne, with Shelley and Ridley.
February - Tuesday 25th - Pourakino Track Clearing
Overcast, damp on and off morning which had basically all disappeared before our 0900 start at the Ermedale end of the track. However, one very industrious member set out early and suffered a brief but heavy passing downpour! At 17 degrees it was very mild in the bush and all of us were chuffed at the good condition of the track. Two chainsaws, two machetes and a gentle follow up of a snipping with secateurs, seemed to be the order of the day. We realigned the track around the river edge where it had eroded somewhat, and there had been a rope for safety for some time. The rope was removed, track makers still to be erected. A big step was cut out of a fallen log to make for easier passage. There was debate over cutting it to ground level, but in the end the step remained. Makes for variation in ones stride in the bush! A short lunch break at this fallen tree then a quick hike out. Enroute we admired a tiny tiny white flower about knee height. Looking up we discovered that they were actually on a broken branch that had fallen, and the flower was really a tree orchid. Some also noticed a purple "magic mushroom". Nice weather helped have the task completed in just over 3 hours. Graeme, Anne, George, John, and Sally
February - Sunday 23rd - Castledowns
Four Club members and 4 others spent the day planting, weeding and checking traps. 50 new plants went into the ground. Some new signage marking the tracks was installed. 5 possums, 1 Hedgehog, 1 Rat and 2 Mice were removed. Ann, Adrian, Heather and Anne
February - Saturday 15th - Adventure Southland Kayak Course
A small group of eager students with varying ages and experience met at Adventure Southland to pick up some expert tips on kayak safety and ability on our rivers. Luke gave invaluable insights on essential gear, what to do if there is a mishap, how to utilise currents and eddies of the river to conserve energy and basically how not to die. After stunning conditions kayaking the Oreti river from Branxholme to Wallacetown, we left the river very wet, and feeling far more confident on our waterways and ready to get out amongst it. We couldn't have asked for a more effective, helpful, patient and knowledgeable tutor, and are looking forward to joining more of their classes down the track. Courtney, Sandra, Jude, and Annamarie
February - Saturday 1st - Makarewa Falls
Two of us trekked along the Makarewa Falls track for about an hour on Friday evening, set up tents and camped for the night. It was beautiful weather, calm and warm, and in the middle of the night the stars were awe-inspiring. So peaceful and quiet!! In the morning we walked into the Staircase Falls which only took just over an hour or so then returned, packed up and drove home. The track was quite boggy in places, despite the hot summer we've had, and some of the track was hard to negotiate with markers lost and tree-fall, but it was a lovely walk and well worth it all. Staying overnight previously made for a much earlier start and finish. Would make an enjoyable club trip with a few more people. Neroli and Barbara.
Sunday 26th February - Castledowns
7 club members turned up to assist with trapping, weeding, spraying, track clearing and planting a few more native plants. The growth of grass and weeds in the wetland has been phenonimal over the past few weeks. Damage by pigs, which haven't been seen on the tracks before, has been amazing. The weather treated us kindly and didn't rain until afternoon tea time. Ann, Adrian, Heather, Ian, Sandra, Neroli and Anne
Sunday 5th - Sunday 12th January - Biking A2O
4th Load bikes - BJ scratched his cap for many hours adapting the bike rack to fit the forever changing shapes and sizes of bikes ready for the pre-load. 13 bikes loaded, tied down and locked, and rearing to go !!!
5th Travel to Ruataniwha - Sunday was an early morning start for the van pick-ups with all looking fresh and fit, and for some on A2O trip 3, while others were full of anticipation!! Anne, BJ and Dene shared the driving to sunny Omarama where we met up for lunch with the other three vehicles. Around 2.00 all 19 of us zoomed into Ruataniwha to settle into our wee huts for the next three nights. (last in has the awesome privileged of the Top Bunk ! ) Denise
6th Bike Tekapo-Ruataniwha - Woke to a nice morning in Lake Ruataniwha Camping Ground. After breakfast we travelled to Lake Tekapo and unloaded the bikes near the Good Shepard Church. After leaving Tekapo we travelled along the side of the canals. Lots of people fishing. A bit of a smell going passd the salmon farm. The track continued on the road down to Lake Pukaki and on a track around the bottom of the lake. Nice views of Mt Cook. The track then crossed the main road and into a pine forest and out on to a paddock behind the airfield. After crossing the road again we got to Twizel. 54km. Dinner was enjoyed by all at a Thai restaurant. Paula
7th Bike Ruataniwha-Ohau - Only 40 km to cycle today from our base at Lake Ruataniwha to Lake OhauLodge. Another blue bird day for cycling, no wind, sunny, mostly flattish track and beautiful scenery. We cycled along Ohau Canal towards Lake Ohau which was easy riding on tar sealed road past people fishing and I was lucky enough to see a young boy land a rainbow trout. It was a pleasant ride around Lake Ohau a on narrow gravel track which we were sharing with TA walkers heading the opposite direction, so we had to be vigilant. We all made good time and had an early afternoon tea at Lake Ohau Lodge. We left our bikes there and took the van back to our camp, we had a tour around the new homes at Ohau which had been rebuild since the big fires there in October 2020, on the way back. Some of us had a very refreshing swim in Lake Ruataniwha when we got back to our base. The day was concluded with a lovely meal at the Top Hut Bar and Grill in Twizel. Many thanks to all the people who drove the van and their own vehicles to get us to our starting points and return trips back to our accommodation. Neroli
8th Bike Ohau-Omarama - The drizzle turned to rain overnight. Unfortunately, the sound of the rain on the roof didn’t drown out the recurrent smoke alarm. We set off from Ohau Lodge in a south east wind with light drizzle following the Tarnbrae Track. Once Dene rebooted his battery, he moved up the ranks from last, to tail end Charlie of the E-crew. We had a long ride to the high point, followed by a very quick descent to the historic Quailburn Woolshed. We rode a 4WD drive track then sealed road, stopping at the well stocked Quail Burn self-service shop. Our ride finished at Boots and Jandals in Omarama where we left the bikes. We overnighted at Duntroon and ate out at the local pub. Anne T
9th Bike Omarama-Otematata - 45ks. As we were greeted with cool easterly conditions at the start, which slowly built up during our ride, my cunning plan was to try and draft behind some of the ebikers for shelter. This worked very well until reaching the first lot of hills and separation occured and where an attached bungy cord would have been ideal, however, due a miscalulation or over confidence, (Yes! I can see some readers nodding their heads), I hadn't thought that far ahead duh!. A stunning technical trail that required your full attention because of the steep drop offs, beautiful vistas, numerous climbs, and technical in parts. I particularly enjoyed the descent through the pines to the Dam. Dave
10 January Otatamata -Duntroon. Left Otatamata along the road as not a lot of early morning traffic around. Climbed up to the Benmore Dam, easy with a bit of power while the manual bikers except for one, got a lift to the top by transport with a head start. Great views of Benmore dam and in the distance Otatamata. Followed the lake shore ride to Aviemore Dam and across the other side passing Waitaki Dam to Kurow, some stopping for a bite and drink and then a good look around the exceptional Kurow Museum next door. Easy riding following the gravel track through gorse enclosed track and then down the valley past a winery. BJ was sceptical of us all making it to Duntroon so he shadowed us on the road with the trailer. He happened to be parked at the Takiroa Māori rock art site when the Minister of Tourism called in. Us bikers just carried on through the Duntroon wetlands and soon after to Duntroon itself where we left our bikes chained to the trailer for the night. Jenne
11th Bike Duntroon-Oamaru - 54 kms. We arrived at start point at Duntroon where the bikes were parked about 8am. To our dismay 2 of the bikes had punctures, not sure wether this was sabotage or not, but anyway they were repaired in due course. I (Dene) had to change tube at the top of major hill, of course it was pouring down and very cold, but got there with help. Thank you guys. It was a good trip with quite a few hills, made a wee bit harder by the inclement weather. The focal points were Elephant Rocks, railway tunnel and the Enfield pub where most of us stopped for refreshments. There was a great effort from John and Dave transport wise. Very much appreciated thank you. We all arrived in Oamaru in good spirits. On the way to dinner at the Oamaru Club we had a group photo at the finish point. Great final day to end a wonderful trip. Dene
12th Home time - Once again everyone was well organized, and we were packed up and ready to be back on the road home at early hours of the morning. Good byes were given for all traveling to Central Otago, Dunedin and those in the other car. It has been a great group of people to travel, cycle and hang out with. Those of us in the van stopped at the Dunedin museum for morning tea and then Gore for lunch. The efficient, early morning start had enabled us to cruise home with time one our hands to stop and enjoy a few more coffee’s. Once back in Invercargill some were dropped at their drop off points to see their families once again while the rest of us unloaded the frames from the trailer and said our good byes…. For now.
Time now to planning our next cycling trip and looking for someone to put up their hand to plan it 😊 Richelle
BJ, Robyn, Anne T, Donald, Anne Mc, Denise, Sandra, Dene, Paula, John, Jenne, David, Neroli, Pip, Ian, Heather, Blair, and Ann (non biker) and fabulous organiser Richelle
Wednesday 1st January 2025 - Sandy Point Walk and BBQ
After meeting at Grant Road five of us headed out to Daffodil Bay to meet up with the other walkers. We strolled through the bush to Noki Kai beach and inspected the old pilings in the water, then on to Hatches Hill lookout and the next Lookout before return via a loop to the cars. We then ventured to Coopers Creek for a wander around the houses which are all off grid, then to Whalers Bay before returning to Otatara for a relaxing afternoon followed by a BBQ. Walkers were BJ, Robyn, Hilary, Sandra, Anne, Barbara, David, John & Jenne, then joined by Simon, Rabbit, Margaret, Geoff, and Anne T for the BBQ. Thanks for hosting BJ & Robyn.
2024
December - Wednesday 18th - Bushy Point Walk
Owing to the fact it was a very hot night (I assume you were all at the beach cooling off) so only threee of us wandered around the plantings at Bushy Point checking on the growth of the plants, some of which were planted in September this year, and many of the earlier plantings. It was amazing to see just how tall some of the earlier trees had grown. Barry, Neil & Anne, PS I also checked out the mown bittern on Rances property, but it is nothing from the ground but the picture in the newspaper did it justice.
December - Sunday 8th - Christmas Function
Waikiwi Tavern was the venue for club members to enjoy a pre xmas dinner, a couple of drinks and convivial conversation, and the odd cracker was pulled !! John, Jenne, Graeme, Jan, Hilary, Donald, Anne T, Donald, Barbara, Simon, Sandra, Geoff, Rabbit, Margaret, Gillian, Anne M, Eliz, Jessica, Oliver, Richelle, David, Jimmy and Ann I.
December - Sunday 8th - Solving a mystery, the Search for the Great Telecommunications Hut
Five of us gathered at the Car park just short of Oreti Beach as the rain continued to lightly fall. It was a good 45-minute walk down the beach to the point where we headed into the Dunes to search for this Cable terminating hut which hadn't been seen for quite some time. Early aerial photographs showed its location during the 1950's and 1960's in an area of sand dunes devoid of much vegetation. The reality is different now, the vegetation including grasses, lupins, gorse and broom cover the general area. We searched for probably an hour before we gave up concluding the hut was either buried or had possibly been removed when no longer needed. Abandoning that search we headed back north on the inland trail then cut back into the dunes heading towards the site of the old trig station. It is on quite a high point where we took a group selfie and headed back to the beach and back to our cars. The whole trip took about 3 hours so just a little dawdle for the Southland Tramping and Outdoor Recreation Club. Those on the trip: Susan, Oliver, Jessica, Graeme and BJ
December - Sunday 1st December - Castledowns Wetlands
10 Volunteers turned up at the Wetlands on a beautiful sunny day, with low river flow making it easy to traverse over the bridge.
Heather, Ian, Ann, Anne, Alan, Clayton, Nate, Hugh, Kerin, and Sarah
November - Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th - Dolamore Park - CANCELLED
November - Sunday 3rd - Bike Trip: Athol to Lumsden
Had an amazing group ride doing art of the Around the Mountains cycle trail between Athol and Lumsden with a colourful selection of members of the Club. Snow topped mountains in the distance and flowering trees were but a couple of the pleasures that accompanied the crew throughout their 33km hourney along the old rail line. The weather was near perfect blue skies and sunshine, a juxtaposition from the hail and gales the day before. The trail itself was in great shape, and was an easy ride for the most part, there was a bit of a clumb towards the middle that got the sweat flowing under the midday sun, but it was welcome challenge Speaking of challenges, the trip went reasonably smooth but wasn't entirely free from mishaps. Denise spent most of the trip pedalling her heavy e-bike without any power - she was able to get it working again, albeit right near the end when the trip was almost over. Overall it was a fantastic ride with great company, and finishing with coffee and/or iceblocks in Lumsden was the cherry on top. Oliver, Denise, Sandra, Graeme, Anne T, Jessie, Dave, Jude, Ron and 2 friends, not forgetting the drivers Jan & Martha.
October - Tuesday 22nd - Pourakino Track Maintenance
Anne T and Barry arrived at my place at 8.30am and we proceeded to the picnic area. Anne shifted my ute to the Ermedale end of the track. Barry and I took turns using the scrub bar. We met up with Anne in the mid-afternoon coming up the track. The bottom part of the track was in need of more work as the floodwater had been over the track and left a lot of logs and branches that needed to be removed. There is still more work required to finish clearing the track. We got back to my place about 5.30pm. Many thanks to the helpers. Graeme, Barry, and Anne T
October - Friday 18th - Sunday 20th - Homer Stoat Trapping
I met up with Anne M, Anne T and Neroli at the Dome Cafe in Mossburn at lunchtime on Friday and we headed directly to Homer Hut. Our first job once there was spring cleaning so that the hut felt comfortable to live in. During the afternoon we oohed and aahed at several avalanches that started with a crack and rumble as they poured snow and debris down the cliffs. As we had a couple of keas visit we removed the windscreen wipers for their own safety. After dinner we headed out to visit the hut trap circuit (and scored a baby hare) so everyone could get familiar with the various models of trap. Eliz arrived after dark during the Rummikub games and was guided across the dry river bed by Anne.
Saturday Annabel and Anne T went up the Homer Valley while Anne M, Eliz and Neroli took the Gertrude. Homer got 2 mice and rat. There was too much snow to do the last six traps, the lower one of which had it's marker stick poking out of the snow. As we were first back I went up the Gertrude to meet the others. They'd had 4 traps wiped out by an enormous avalanche during winter that had crossed the whole valley floor to the opposite side of the creek. Now there was a sea of flattened vegetation and rocks and gravel. Some hunting around on their part lead to the discovery of 2 smashed trap boxes.
After lunch Anne, Neroli and Annabel went round the possum line. There is beautiful sub-alpine scrub vegetation with several species forming lovely textured blankets of leaves. Anne M and Annabel went and cut a small windfall off the track. Eliz headed back to Te Anau and Anne T took a walk up the Gertrude. There wasn't much time to relax as Ron arrived with a huge trailer and ute deck full of firewood, so we had an energetic session unloading and stacking, followed by dinner and some games of Take Two.
Sunday morning we headed away at 8.30 for a morning tramp up to Lake Marian. It was beautiful in the forest with green moss, bubbling crystal clear water, lichen festooned trees and 9 species of birds, including, Kaka, Kea and Robin, to keep us company on the steady rocky climb. 1hr 40mins later we were greeted by the stunning vista of a very low Lake Marian. We sat and ate and admired our surroundings, did our bit, by collecting a bag of rubbish left near the toilet to carry out, then made a speedy descent. 4 hrs all up.
A stop in Te Anau for nourishment and back to Mossburn to drop me. It was a wonderful weekend with subliminal scenery, charismatic company, awesome avalanches, character-building cleaning, wicked wood stacking, groovy games, super snoring, and terrific tramping.......oh yes, and we serviced the traps!! Thanks Anne for your organisation.
Anne M, Eliz, Neroli, Anne T, & Annabel
October - Thursday 17th - Castledowns
The wetland had been inaccessible for weeks however when we went up on the 17 October the access across the paddock was surprisingly dried out but there were lots of pools of water in the area and we could see the high flood debris on the vegetation.
The stream was higher than usual but not too hard to be able to get the bridge over. Nat Chandrakumar from Environment Southland and Wade from New Zealand Conservation were there to look at the progress so far on the willows that have been treated and how we can progress this programme.
Rhonda Symons Chair of the Forest Committee and I joined the men to walk from the Forestry access road to the picnic area to do the inspection.
Anne and Allan did the trapping for the area. Catch was 2 possums, 3 stoats, 2 rats, Self setting traps 18 strikes. And 2 were regassed There were 3 dead possums on the tracks which must have come down from the forest after poisoning recently. Ann, Anne & Allan
October - Wednesday 15th - Pourakino Track Maintenance
George, Anne T and Sandra met me at Drummond at 8am and we drove to the start of the track on Bald Hill Road. Graeme used the scrub bar clearing ferns and light bush that was over the marked track. George used the chainsaw to clear the larger branches and logs. Anne followed the 2 men clearing the track and checked the track markers. Sandra drove the vehicle back to the picnic area and walked up the track to meet us again. We arrived at the picnic area at noon where we had lunch. If the afternoon we commenced work and worked downstream for about 3kms. Home about 4pm. Graeme, George, Anne T and Sandra
October - Saturday 12 October - Rocky Knoll – Catlins River Loop
5 Club members took a wee 28km stroll along the Catlins River Loop including a short burst up Rocky Knoll for some magnificent views over the bush and out to sea. After a wee bit of confusion with the start point we spent more time than anticipates sneezing at the gorse on a forestry road, then more time getting some blood spots on the knees at the end through a gorse tunnel (sorry guys). Following a decent mission through some beautiful bird song and river splashing the tramp was concluded in the best way with a goodest boy welcome and some paua for tea donated by a friendly local quite surprised to see us pop out of the bush by his boat. Courtney, Barbara, Graeme, Oliver, and Annamarie.
October - Saturday 6th October - Rakiura Challenge
13 Volunteers travelled to Stewart Island on Friday in preparation to be volunteer marshalls for this event which is run by S.I. Promotions. The challenge is to run the Rakiura Track in the fastest time, flying over the mud to complete the distance is a record time of 2hr 32min, but some competitors took more like 5-6 hrs to complete the run. After briefing some marshalls were transport to Port William and some to North Arm to ready themselves to be in positions along the track when the race started next day. The day was fine for the event and no injuries were reported. On the Saturday evening a fabulous meal was provided by SIT students for the competitors and marshalls alike, while results were read out and sport prizes awarded. Most competitors and marshalls departed the island by Sunday afternoon after enjoyed the local walks and coffee shops.
September - Sunday 15th - Annual Planting Day (Listed on behalf of Otatara Landcare Group)
63 Volunteers ventured out on a less than pleasant day to plant this years trees at Bushy Point. In two hours ____ plants were put in the ground, with combi guards and stakes.
Unfortunately the weather didn't lend itself to a Sausage sizzle at the completion of planting.
STC Members - Rabbit, Jimmy, Barry, Robyn, Denise, Ann I, and Anne M
September - Wednesday 11 - Nick White speaking about climbng Everest
September - Saturday 7th - Tramping Expo
Despite the weather and other events being cancelled, this one went ahead with STC Members, Adventure Southland, NZ Alpine Club, Borland Lodge Adventure and Education Trust and Wakiwi Lions Clubs represented. A casual atmosphere where everyone was welcome and had time to talk (gossip) and ask questions. Hopefully some new people will come along to our meeting and meet some new people to tramp, canoe, bike etc with. Thanks to those who turned up to help and brought along themed stuff. Barry, Barbara, Courtney, Eliz, Sandra, Anne and few others who popped in and out. Ian, Rabbit, Geoff, Janice, Rachael etc (sorry if I forgot anyone)
August - Saturday 31 August - Sunday 1st September - Aparima Huts (Plan B)
On 31 August five of us set off from Invercargill and surrounds for the Aparima Hut, and we were met by two more at the Dunrobin Road turn off. We set off down the track to the hut but following a short stint on the DOC riverside track we switched over to a four wheel drive track as there was some concern that the river track might be undermined because of the amount of water flowing down the river. After walking around and through some water on the track we arrived at the hut in time to sit on the veranda in the sun and eat a late lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent soaking up the sun with a few people venturing further up the hill. As the sun went down we retired indoors for dinner and games. The next morning we left the hut at 8.30 am in order to beat forecasted rain, and we got blown most of the way back to the car park. Following a short detour to Mossburn for a coffee and snack we arrived back in Invercargill about 1 pm. The rain started shortly after we left Mosssburn. Thank you to Barbara for organising the trip and to Anne for driving. NB this was a different hut/trip to the original one advertised due to concerns about high water levels at the creek near the Kiwiburn hut. Neroli, Barbara, Anne, Sandra, Alex, Pip and Fiona
August - Saturday 24th - Te Rere
Four Tramping Club people joined 34 other volunteers from as far away as Palmerston North on this years, annual trip to Te Rere for assisting with planting of 400 native trees to enhance the NZ Forest and Bird Reserve. Te Rere is home to a reducing number of Yellow Eyed penguins with last year there only being 2 breeding pairs. This is been due to a number of factors including diseases and warmer ocean temperatures meaning the usual food is further out requiring more travel to get a proper feed. However, last season, through intervention and inoculation of the diseases the threshold of 1.1 was reached where 1 is the break even point for bird numbers, so it is looking better for these little critters. However H1N1 Bird Influenza is still to arrive and it is not sure how this will affect all bird species and it is quite dependant on when it arrives as to how it will affect the various species.
Anyway we four gathered at the Fieldwick gates for a 9:00am departure, toilet stop at Tokanui and then meeting up with a crew from Dunedin at the Progress Valley turnoff. It is about an hour through back country roads and across private land to get to the site. Once there, a short talk on safety and we were in to it. James and Marie Holloway from Pukereau Nurseries grew the plants and delivered them on-site and then we spent the next couple of hours in amongst the flaxes. This was followed by lunch and then a half hours weeding the previous couple of years plants, some of which were doing reasonably well. Then it was off on a tour of the site with some groups seeing a penguin (only seem to see one every second year). We all gathered again about 4:30 and headed off home, us reaching Invercargill and home about 6:30 pm. A longish Day, but a great day with some wind, plenty of sun and reasonably mild temperatures. Brian Rance would be keen to get a group of STC people down on site to do some track Maintenance later in the year and this would also give a better opportunity to view penguins during the breeding season. Those on the trip were Anne T, Janice, Sandra & BJ.
August - Sunday 11th - Castledowns Wetlands
Eight volunteers spent a day at the Wetlands, spraying spots for more planting, clearing an area for a viewing spot (and maybe a seat some time in the future) at Flaxy Pond, checking and rebaiting traps. (2 weasels removed)
August - Saturday 10th - Black Gully Tapanui Area
On Saurday 10th August, 5 of our members drove to the Black Gully Domain in the Blue Mountains just out of Tapanui. It was a beautiful still, clear day as you would expect after a good frost. On arrival we were greeted by campers packing up, several small rustic huts for accommodation, camp sites and a lovely children's playground. We cross a small bridge and walked through beautiful beech forest, steadily climbing all the way to the summit at 712m. The track is quite clear, but markers are sometimes on the ground if a tree or branch has fallen, and you need to check to see where the next markers are. We stopped for a late morning tea in a lovely clearing. Close to the summit the beech forest gradually opens up into tussock grass, alpine flowers, flowers, mossy outcrops and snow. On reaching the summit we enjoyed the stunning views of the distant snow capped mountains of The Old Man Range and patchwork of surrounding farmland. The view on the other side of the summit is equally beautiful looking towards Lawrence. As we were walking we saw signs of deer and met two hunters who stopped and spoke to us, having had a successful morning out on the hills. The Blue Mountains are home to one of the largest herds of wild fallow deer. Signage suggests that to get to the Blue Mountains tops is 2km and should take 2 hours, with a 1 hrs walk on the tops, followed by a similar time to get back down to the carpark which is accurate. Barbara chose to walk anti-clockwise around the loop, making the descent easier from the summit. The descent was boggy in places for the first km, but open with tall grasses and scrubby shrubs, before we re-entered the beech forest and continued down to the carpark. On the way home, Barbara took us all into Tapanui, where were warmly welcomed at Peter and Moira's home for afternoon tea. A great finish, to a great day out. The Blue Mountains (Tapuae-o-Uenuku, footprints of the rainbow) were as legend has it, named by gold miners during the 1860's after their likeness to the Blue Mountains out of Sydney. Walter Mantgell also claimed to name the Blue Mountains in 1851. The highest peak is Tapanui Hill rising to 1019 metres. Barbara, Anne, Sally, Denise and Janice
July - Saturday 27th - Monday 29th - Luxmore (M/O)
I met the STC members for coffee at the Sandfly Café in Te Anau Saturday Morning. As we were a small group Anne had managed to get her brother to boat us over from the Te Anau Marina across to Brod Bay this would cut around 5km and about 1hr of our tramping time to the hut. As the lake was flat and we had the time it was decided to take a detour and head into South Fiord and walk the Hidden Lakes Track. We pulled up at the jetty and walked the 10-minute track to the main hidden lake before returning to the boat. A good little excursion to an area I never thought I’d get to. We were soon dropped off at the beach in front of Brod Bay Shelter. The weather was holding as we started our ascent up the zig zag track up through the bush. The bush is mostly Mountain Beech with some Totara, Rimu, Miro and Lancewood, being a Great Walk, the track was in good condition with only one small treefall on the way up. About halfway up you come to a board walked stepped cliff section and you start to get your first views of the alpine areas in the distance. More up and finally you come out above the treeline into tussock country and the exposed part of the walk, the hut is still about 40mins away and you have a great view down Lake Te Anau and the township. Along the way I looked down and could see the Hidden Lake which we had visited in the morning. Finally arrived at the hut to find Pip & Bob waiting and the fire on, good to catch up two club members I hadn’t seen in a while. The rest of the group trickled in, and it was good to be in a warm hut. The Hut Wardens (Maurice and Phyllis) looked after us with some extra logs for the fire and brought an afternoon tea of scones with cream and jam. A nice, chilled evening was had. Next morning two Keas joined us for breakfast, the weather was dull, and I was the only one to walk out that day as the rest were staying on for an extra night. A good winter tramp with no snow, think I’ve been spoiled with the boat ride in as it was a nice luxury not to have to walk the first 5km of the track Trampers (Anne, Barbara, Neroli & Courtney STC) (Pip, Bob & Nick WTC )
Luxmore Trip Part 2 - The next day (Sunday) gave us a nice sun rise, however the day turned overcast with cloud coming and going around the tops and also covering our view of lake Te Anau. Anne and Courtney explored the nearby limestone caves, a rest day for the others. Courtney and myself had never been to the top of Mt Luxmore and wanted to concur it, so as there was no rain or snow we set off late morning. The track was easy to follow, we made reasonable time to the top as Courtney's photos and video will confirm. We had some views to the north and west, however cloud obscured our view to Te Anau and Manapouri. It was great to tick that peak off our lists! Arriving back at the hut we all spent a pleasant afternoon either reading, playing games or doing crafts. It was nice to have the spacious hut to ourselves apart from two young men who only stayed for one night. Monday dawned cold and wet, we packed up and left at 8.45am and got back to our car about 3 1/2 hours later, we walked the whole way out to the control gates as no pre arranged boat ride for our return walk. The only mishap on our walk out was Neroli's sole of her boot coming unstuck but spare shoe laces managed to hold it together. (time for some new boots Neroli!!) After changing into dry clothes we headed to Bailey's restaurant in Te Anau for a nice lunch beside a warm fire, then headed for home. Thank you to Anne for leading this thoroughly enjoyable trip and arranging the boat ride across Lake Te Anau with her brother and it was great visiting one of the hidden lakes in the South Fiord and having a shorter walk to Luxmore hut on our first day. Anne, Barbara, Courtney and Neroli
July - Sunday 21st - Bluff Hill (E/D)
After meeting at 9.30am with perfect walking weather we headed up the Topuni track, where we met Sandra who had done the steep uphill to met us. We wandered down along the new walking track and crossed the road to Pearce St track, and uphill with the assistance of some strategically placed ropes to McKenzie memorial, down a new bike track round the reservoir, along the water race, through a trap line to Millenium track and back down Topuni track. Completed walk in about 3.5 hrs with many view stops along the way across Bluff, the Windfarm and Stewart Island until the clouds obscured our view. This was followed by lunch at the Anchorage. Denise, Pam, Neroli, Janice, Sandra and Anne
July - Sunday 7th - Castledowns Wetlands - Another successful trip to the Wetlands with a dubious forecast, but Dipton weather is usually better and once again this was the case, with only some light misty rain at lunch time. More trees planted, more old willows cut, and traps empties and rebaited with 1 ferret, 2 possums and one trap sprung, and 1 mouse and 15 strikes on the A24 traps. Ann, Adrian, Heather, Ian, Anne, Judy and Hugh
July - Saturday 6th - Pot Luck Tea
20 Club Members brought their favourite dish and joined together for pot luck tea and social interaction. This was a very memorable occasion for those who attended.
June - Sunday 23rd - Map and Compass Instructional Course
By 9:30 am we had our four students on site and ready to go. Three from the STC and one from LandSAR Southland. The format was similar to a Course I ran a few years ago except we weren’t looking at GPS’s. Whilst we had a brief look at Apps and what was available, their uses and limitations, this course was more about how to use a Topo 50 Map, you know, the paper kind. We discussed the features represented on the Map as well as all the stuff along the side of the Map, the Legend, the Map title, where it fitted into the Great NZ Map Plan, Grid North / Magnetic North, how to do a grid reference, the limitations and that being on site fills in the Gaps of those limitations. We also ;looked at how to use a compass and how to use them both together. That accomplished and after lunch we headed out into Bushy Point for the exercise on using the compass and doing navigation. By about 3:00 pm all was done and everyone was away home. Those on the Course (apart from myself): BJ, Leah, Courtney, Neroli and Susan.
June - Sunday 16th – Planting Day – Oreti Totara Dunes Forest.
The Southland Tramping Club in 2021 embarked on a six year funding project to do some restoration planting in the Oreti Totara Dunes Forest with a five year $500 / year, 100 plants per year and a Jubilee Year (2023) $3500, 700 plants project. As with any project like this preparation starts many months in advance. We had ordered our plants from the Southland Community Nursery in Grant Road, Otatara and there is basically a 12 month lead in time for this as the plants are grown and looked after. A couple of months ago I was on site (where the planting was going to be) and sprayed off an area of grass and lupins. On Friday 14th June Brian and I headed into the site with a Mulcher Mower, the 100 plants from the Nursery and a further 25 plants that I had been growing. We mowed off the grassy area and put the plants out so that when everyone gathered at the roadside car park at 1:00pm Sunday and after the 15 minute walk in, we were ready to get going. With 10 of us on the job we had all the plants in the ground with marking stakes beside them and out to the car park again by 2:20pm. Although we had planned the event for Saturday earlier on in the week it looked like it was probably going to be wet so we postponed till Sunday. As it worked out Saturday weather was slightly better, however Sunday wasn’t too bad with cool conditions but no wind, so it really all worked out in the end. Those on the trip: Denise, Barbara, Janice, Anne, Shelley, Ridley, Cascade, Barry, as well as Chris and Brian from the Community Nursery. Well done everyone.
June - Saturday 1st - Monday 3rd - Lake McKenzie
Three of us met up in the dark and headed to Te Anau for Coffee (of course!) and on to the Divide where we doned our gear and a poncho each (one pink, one blue and one clear and we looked like large mellow puffs!!!) We headed to the new Howden shelter in the rain where we had a quick break before heading to our destination. The track was wet, the rocks slippery and when we reached the Earland Falls (which we could hear roaring from quite a distance) the amount of water tumbling over and the spray everywhere would have blown us clear off the rocks, so we had to tackle the flood track. Further along the track Barbara had a tumble down a bank and I thought our trip was over, but she popped up and said "I'm all right" and with a hugh sigh of relief we got her back on the track and continued. It showed us what can happen so quickly!! and the benefit of staying together, especially in adverse conditions. We arrived at the hut to find it empty - Yah!!. Got sorted and the fire started and settled down to a quiet evening. Next morning dawned fine, and the Warden came over with a banana box full of wood for the fire which we cranked up to keep the hut warm. A walk to the camp site, split rock, and returning via the beach filled in the morning, and another meander round the rocks at the lake edge, and an inspection of Ultimate Hikes accommodation provided some exercise for the afternoon. We were just settling down to a quiet drink (with chocolate) when a French girl turned up, followed later by another French couple, who were our companions for the evening. After a game of cards we retired. Up early Monday morning, breakfast and packed up and with headlights for the first half hour we heading on our return trip in much nicer conditions as once again the sun shone down on us. Thanks Barbara for organising a great winter trip. I find winter trips can be awesome if you have the right gear and right attitude. Barbara, Eliz and Anne
May - Sunday 26 - Bike to Bluff (cancelled due to adverse weather)
May - Sunday 19th - Castledowns Wetlands
After a very cold frosty start another successful day with about 40 new plants in the ground, a new area cleared for planting, traps checked and rebaited after removing three possums. Ann
May - Wednesday 8th - Club Meeting - Nigel Barret from Perspire Ridge Clothing
April - Sunday 21st - Castledowns Wetlands
It was a lovely day in the wetland yesterday and 11 people managed to get 120 trees planted in the area opposite the farm sheds, up stream. It was really made very easy to transport the trees by trucks up the farm track and then turning the electric fence off and crossing the creek which was achieved along logs in the creek as the level of the creek was a bit higher. This almost gave me a dunking … all part of the excitement. The trees were thrown across and mostly caught and taken to the planting site. Half were planted before lunch and the balance after. Ian and Adrian were busy with chainsaws (two sizes) and a hedge cutter on the stream track and then planting 8 kahikateas down at the Hidden Pond. Afternoon tea was offered around, Pear cake, Lemon loaf, Almond orange biscuits, blueberry muffins and other delicacies.
2 Chainsaws, 2 Utes, 120 trees, 57 hours - 1possum,2 rats 1 weasel traps worked by Judy.
Ian, Heather, Adrian, Ann, Judy, Janice, Allan, Keiran, Terri, Virginia and Rowland
April - Saturday 20th - Sunday 21st - Port Craig and Wairaurahiri Jet Trip
Group 1- Six of us decided to set off for Port Craig on the Thursday and hve a bit of time to explore and enjoy a hut day along the way. Three of us came across a vehicle and after attempting to hitch-hike one individual caught a ride a km or so up the track. I have to admit that the other two (including me) took up the offer to be relieved of our packs for a while and enjoyed a km with no packs. We met up with the others and continued onto Port Craig, stopping on the beach for lunch. We would have stayed longer on the beach but the sandflies wanted fed too. Our first night in the Port Craig hut was full of laughter, the other occupants were full of entertainment making it a good first night.
The second day was a hut day and a morning of rain. That didn’t stop some going for a walk and checking out the lodge and relics. The afternoon was drier so a beach walk to the little cave was enjoyed. We filled in the rest of the day playing games and reading before a young couple joined us. On dark we were joined by a further three young lads from Invercargill and Bluff.
An early start on the third day as we set off to tackle the mud. Mud, water and a little rope climbing/scrambling. The track from Port Craig to Percy Burn was a pleasant enough walk. We stopped for a coffee, chocolate and gingernuts at the Percy Burn hut then it was across the viaducts to mud, mud and more mud! We settled down at the Waitutu hut and a night with no extra visitors just games enjoyed by us all.
The last day we wondered across the bridge to the Waitutu Forest Lodge where Alan Mcleod kindly made us all a cup of coffee and read us some poetry. We had to check out the red phone box on the beach where some sent texts home before heading back up and over the bridge to wait for the second group of tramping club members to arrive in.
Then…. It was the most brilliant jet boat ride thanks to Wairuarahiri Jets and back to the carpark. Of course, a meal at Tuatapere finished the trip off nicely and then we headed homeward. Anne, Barbara, Pip, Sally, Richelle and Anne T
Group 2 - South Coast Track, Rarakau to Port Craig hut checking stoat and possum traps along the way, and traversing the historic tram line, and all 4 viaducts including the worlds largest surviving wooden viaduct at Percy Burn. A tough slog through a few tons of mud to jump on the Wairaurahiri jet and head back up NZ's longest waterfall. What a weekend, and what a bunch of sloggers, nearly 40km done and dusted. Courtney, Graeme, Sandra, Nick, Grant, Mathew and Joyce
April - Sunday 14th - Manuka Mire QE Convenant Waituna
Gay and Ron Munro have invited members to visit their QE11 Covenant at Waituna. Jan, Graeme, Anne T, Eliz, Barbara, Anne M
March 19th Tuesday - 5th April - Victoria Rail Trails in Australia (some leaving earlier and some returning later)
Tuesday 19th March: Departed Invercargill on a direct flight to Auckland at 1:10pm on an Airbus A320. Arrived Auckland about 3:00pm and met up with the North Island Contingent of our party. Total 19 persons. Departed Auckland 6:30 pm, 4 hour flight to Melbourne, on an Airbus A321. Arrived: 8:30 pm Melbourne time. Got a shuttle Bus to the Atlantis hotel. Met Blair and Ann Fieldes, our party now 21.
Wednesday 20th March: Did a self-guided walking tour around Melbourne, total distance travelled about 17 Km. Wednesday Evening a number of us walked up through China Town for Dinner followed by a Musical show, “Groundhog Day” at the Princess Theatre. Groundhog Day was put out as a movie many years ago starring Bill Murray. It was a strange topic for a Musical and as such it probably didn’t really come off. However the choreography, acting and singing were top notch.
Thursday 21st March: A number of us had booked tickets for a free walking tour of the inner city. This was well done and very informative. A donation was accepted.
Friday 22nd March: Departed the Atlantis hotel about 8:30 am bound for the rental car agency at the airport. We had hired 2 mini buses. These were 12 seater commuters. No luggage space in the back requiring careful packing of suitcases, 11 in one bus and 10 in the other and we were on our way up the Hume Highway to Tallarook before turning to the east and heading through to Alexandra.
Saturday 23rd March: Drove around to Mansfield, got our hired bikes and rode the 72 odd km back to Alexandra on the “Great Victoria Rail Trail” via Bonnie Doon, Lake Eildon, Merton and Yarck.
Sunday 24th March: Cycled the 35 odd km from Alexandra through Molesworth to Yea where we spent the night.
Monday 25th March: Cycled the remainder to the trail from Yea through to Tallarook. After our hire company picked up their bikes, we drove on up the road, further inland, closer to the NSW Border to Wangaratta.
Tuesday 26th March: Had a rest day and did a days sight-seeing. Went across the NSW Border, across the Murray River at Corowa and drove alongside the Murray and the artificial Lake Mulwala. Crossed back into Victoria at Yarrawonga and visited 5 Grain Silo’s that had been painted with Murals before returning to Wangaratta.
Wednesday 27th March: Drove to Beechworth, hired bikes and rode part of the Murray to Mountain Rail Trail, 80Km to Bright via Owens, Eurobin, and Porepukan. The bike hire company picked us up and returned us to Mansfield where we collected our own bus and returned to Wangaratta for the night.
Thursday 28th March: Once again drove to Beechworth to get on our bikes and proceeded to Milawa. Here we cycled the first 17 odd Km the same as the day before (mostly all downhill) to Everton. From there we had the option of cycling the rest of the rail trail (another 50 odd Km) via Wangaratta to Milawa or taking a short-cut through some farming areas, a distance of only 13km. Robyn went the long way, I went the short way. We ended up at Brown Bros Vineyard for a pick-up and return to Mansfield and then back to Wangaratta.
Friday 29th March: Departed Wangaratta for Meeniyan which is towards the South Coast. Travelled via the back roads via Alexandra and over the tops to Healesville. A smidgeon over 400Km for the day.
Saturday 30th March: Everyone had ‘e’ bikes for this trip as these were the only bikes available. Cycled the Great Southern Rail Trail. We had our bikes and ourselves transported to Nyora and we cycled the 52km back to Meeniyan.
Sunday 31st March: Bikes and people were transported to Port Welshpool an we cycled the 56Km back to Meeniyan.
Monday 1st April: Rest Day. We drove down to Wilsons Prom National Park. From the Park HQ and camp site at Stoney Creek some took the bus trip Mount Oberon Saddle and then walked to the Summit. The rest of us did a short walk out to Pillar point for some great views out over Bass Straight and the Lisbon’s Prom Coastline. Once we all regathered and had some lunch we drove to the car park at Leonard Bay and onto Squeaky Beach. With the threat of rain coming in and thunder and lightning we headed off back to Meeniyan. It was here that many of us got our first view of a Koala bear, up a tree in the Motel Grounds. He would have gotten quite damp that night as there was a lot of rain, more than Victoria has seen in the last few months.
Tuesday 2nd April: We drove further round the coast away from Melbourne to Bairnsdale. We drove up through Tarra-Bulga National Park and then on past the 1200MW Loy Yang Coal Fired Power Station. This supplies about 20% of Victoria’s Electricity. Had our quiz night tonight. Plenty of Easter Eggs to give out.
Wednesday 3rd April: Drive to Nowa Nowa and hired bikes for a short cycle ride. We did about 17Km along the East Gippsland Rail Trail before turning off the well graded track onto something a little rougher, the Gippsland Lakes Discovery Trail for about 14Km. We had to travel a further 2.5 Km to the end of a road to be picked up by our rental van (Not allowed to drive them on a gravel road). Some of us took the option of walking that last section, a very pleasant experience. Todays ride was through the Colquhoun/Boyanga Gigi State Forest. After returning to Bairnsdale 11 of us decided we would like to travel down to the coast to Paynesville and catch the 4 minute free Ferry Ride across to Raymond Island. We were there about an hour and ended up seeing 20+ Koala bears as well as Kangaroos, Rosellas and Golah. Returning to Paynesville we had fish (or other stuff) and chips at the take-away just across the road from where the Ferry berths.
Thursday 4th April: Effectively the last day we are all together. Departed Bairnsdale about 8:00 am heading down the A1 / M1 to Melbourne via Sale, Traralgon (for morning Tea) and on to Pakenham (For Lunch). Here the 2 mini busses separated, one heading back to Melbourne airport whilst the other dropped Robyn and I off at Parkville Motel on Park St.
Friday 5th April: Visit the Melbourne Zoo, a 15 minute walk away.
Saturday 6th April: Parkville Parkrun at 8:00am where we will meet up with Michael Robbie.
Sunday 7th April: 4:00 am up, 4:30 am taxi or Uber to Airport for 9:00am flight to Wellington, arrival about 3:00pm, then a 6:30 pm flight back to Invercargill, 8:30 pm arrival.
Jan, Graeme, Cliff, Anne, Ruth, Gillian, Ann, Blair, John, Jenne, Ann, Adrian, Sally, Dene, Robyn and BJ - Mike, Sandy, Carole, Kevin and Barbara (North Islanders)
March - Sunday 17th - Castledowns Wetlands (listed by Rural Women (E/W)
30 odd plants donated by Allan Ledington (former STC Club Member) were planted by Ann and Adrian, ably assisted by Neroli, while Anne and Ridley checked all the traps removing 1 possum, 1 ferret, 1 rat, 1 mouse and 1 hedghehog from the Wetland. Ann I, Adrian, Neoli, Anne M and Ridley.
March - Saturday 16th - Vet South Gorge Adventure Race
Two of us headed to Lora Gorge early in the morning to assist as marshalls/safety officers. On arrival at the site we were told to grab a plastic bag and some food (choice of mouse traps, muffin, biscuits, chips and bottles of water) Chris and Neroli dropped us off near some yards, while they carried on to a high spot on the next set of hills. Meanwhile we set up our deck chairs, got out the coffee and made ourselves comfortable as we hunkered down in the shelter of a row of big round hay bales, with a 180 degrees view of rolling hills and valleys, while waiting for the first of the happy participants. Each team was given a map and a set of points to find cow ear tags, which had a number corresponding to their map and a word on the reverse side. Each tag was worth a set number of points, and of course the more points you collected the better chance of winning. After most of the 6 hr competitors has gone through and before the 3 hours ones arrived we thought we would have a walk round and see how many ear tags we could find. After finding five of them we arrived at the compulsory check point, where we got a nip of Moonshine whiskey, and just before departing back to our hay bales, a ute arrived with hot hamburgers, lolly cake and a can of coke/lemonade for our lunch. Back at our spot, another bunch of happy, sometimes muddy participants collected their ear tag clue, near us in the drafting pen, and continued on their merry way. At the conclusion of the event we arrived back at Neroli and Chris's for coffee and cake and then on to prize giving. The Organisers had done an amazing job setting out the course through six properties in the district, along with a mystery activity and a water slide for additional points. The number of sponsors and spot prizes that had been donated was a credit to the hard working organisers. Apparently about $15,000 had been raised for the Limehills Netball and Rugby teams. P.S. We did see Graeme at one stage as he passed by as a passenger on one of the four wheel motor bikes that was circulating round the course checking on competitors. Neroli, Graeme, Jan Barbara and Anne
March - 9th & 10th 2024 - Hut Mistake Creek (F/O)
3 Club members took a nice relaxed stroll up Hutt Creek, over U Pass 1395 to the top, then slid down to Mistake Creek ripping the bum of our pants all the way. 10 hours and 55 minutes of hard slog on the Saturday, and a quick 2 hourish on Sunday got it done. Graeme, Courtney & BJ,
March - Friday 1st - Sunday 3rd - Homer Stoat Trapping
A successful trip was held with five ladies checking Mustelid boxes, possum traps and Good Nature A24's. Nothing was caught, which is probably as a result of a bait drop in November. The weather was a bit patchy with one group getting a litle liquid sunshine, while the other group only got a bit of scotch mist on Saturday, with a fine Sunday.
Thanks Team Sally, Eliz, Barbara, Neoli and Anne
February - Saturday 10 and Sunday 11th - Jane Peak (Eyre Mountains) Cancelled due to weather
February - Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th - Hidden Falls
Barbara (team leader) Anne, James and I all left Invercargill, Saturday at 7am, to travel to Te Anau and onto the end of the Hollyford Road. There we met up with Elizabeth and Sally. The forecast wasn’t great, with a lot of rain predicted for the weekend. After a photo opportunity we headed across the first swing bridge spanning the Humboldt Creek, and onto the track into the beautiful rain forest. The track as per DOC is approx. 9km from the carpark to the Hidden Valley Falls Hut, and is made up of easy walking, rock and boulders, board walks and swing bridges. Estimated walking time is 2-3 hours. The Darren Mountains boldly draw your eye, some higher peaks with snow, a few scars from slips and the long tendrils of waterfalls. Along the track due to the amount of rain, waterfalls were impressive, as they cascaded over rocks and rushed toward the Hollyford River.
The Hollyford River curves back and follows the track until Sunshine Hut, there was no sunshine Saturday or Sunday. Looking to the north the Skippers Range creates a full stop, at the end of the valley. From the Swing bridge, we looked up the Hidden Falls Creek to hear the roar, and see the mist of the waterfall. Turning off the main track we walked a short distance to view the 31 metre cascade of water plummeting to the valley floor, and spraying off the rock face on the opposite bank. Even from a safe distance, you get quite wet from the spray, but stand captivated by the power and beauty of the falls. After lots of videos and photos, Barbara and I walked back onto the main track to the hut.
The Hidden Valley Falls Hut is a very good hut sleeping 12 comfortably, and with good bench space for that number of people. There were 5 others there when we arrived, and shortly after a young couple arrived with their 9 month old baby boy – Albert. The young couple and Albert had brought a tent to stay in. Conversation, coffee, tea was cooked and enjoyed, cards and rummikub played. The Hidden Falls Hut area is one of Davey Gunn’s cattle run clearings, for up to 1000 head of cattle, he farmed from 1926 – 1955. Some of the buildings used by Davey are still standing, although in disrepair at present. The whole area is steeped in history with the Hollyford Valley, being an old pounamu trail used by the Maori. Sunday morning was cool and the mountains shrouded in mist, as we walked out after a hearty breakfast and clean up. The rain held off until we had returned to the carpark. We loaded up the cars, and headed to Mirror Lakes for coffee, then onto Lake Mistletoe for a walk. It was good to stretch the legs. Called into Hilary and Donald’s home in Te Anau, enjoying coffee and a chat before heading back to Invercargill. It was really good to have such a relaxed trip home, with stops along the way. As a novice, I learnt so much from very generous mentors and had a wonderful weekend. Anne, Barbara, James, Eliz, Sally, Michael and Jan
January - Sunday 28th - Lorne Peak - Tennants Peak (once again the weather didn't play ball and this was cancelled)
January - Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st - Kayaking Mataura River
Saturday - Eight intrepid paddlers with 2 support drivers arrived at Fairlight on Saturday morning.We were going to go further upstream to start but the river was marginally higher than normal(20mm)and slightly off colour with rain threatening. We set off eagerly and made our way downstream with a few changes between kayaks to suit peoples abilities.
There were some thrills and spills with the willows proving a major hazard at times. The river was very windy with right angle turns which required some energetic paddling to get out of trouble with the willows and the undercurrents.
Three paddlers exited at Garston with the remainder carrying on to Athol where we decamped to our beaut accomodation for the night.At this point one paddler decided to go home injured by a wayward willow stick and the writer deciding not to do the next leg due to a strained back and shoulder.Hint.A great experience that will be so much better with some more upper body strength training. (JK)
Sunday - After a hearty breakfast our group left Athol Lodge at 8.45am. By 9.45am Courtney, Graeme, Enrique, Barry and Sandra (on the double sit-on), and I, were on the water. Jude had left the group on Saturday evening, and JK decided to join Robyn and Jan as support crew. The weather was slightly overcast, and the river wider, lower, less swift and a lot less powerful than Saturday. We had fewer rapids than Saturday and longer periods of paddling on calm water giving opportunity to chat with one another, view the distant mountains, look at the passing farmland and gaze at the sheep gazing at us from the riverbank. The sheep were gazing in awe before moving a safe distance away from us strange creatures floating past, waving sticks and jabbering.
After morning tea on the riverbank with Robyn, Jan and JK, we 6 paddled off only to find, immediately around the bend, a mass of fallen willows blocking the river. The River Gods however had thoughtfully provided us with a low, wide sandy shore which we used to drag our boats around the mess of willows, to the free-flowing river and on toward Nokomai.
As we paddled closer to Nokomai we could hear a rapid which sounded notably larger than the other rapids we had encountered that morning. However, this rapid turned out to be a FUN rapid. This rapid didn’t have lethal willow trees lining the banks, waiting to reach out and cause havoc with paddlers, nor did it have a current pushing us to where we did not want to be. This rapid was wide and shallow; this rapid was noisily rolling stones around; this rapid was pushing up small waves - this rapid was a large bubble bath on steroids! Each boat was skilfully steered through this bubble bath by its captain without mishap. Enriche got some good action video footage.
Shortly after surfing through that fun rapid we saw Robin, Jan and JK waiting for us on the banks of a large field in Nokomai. We landed, had a leisurely lunch in the sunshine, loaded the boats on to the trailer, changed and drove back to Invercargill, pleased with our day. (Lynda)
Sandra, Linda, Jan, Graeme, Robyn, BJ, Jan, Enrique, John K, Courtney
January - Saturday 20th - Waipohatu Track
After arriving at the car park we checked out the Fordson Major tractor and gave the crank handle a couple of turns before we headed about 700m up a forestry road before heading into the bush. The track was a bit muddy underfoot after the recent rain overnight. Arriving at a sign pointing two directions we headed to the Pouriwai Falls which is a 10m high waterfall, flanked by moss covered banks and after crossing the shallow stream on slippery rocks to get the best view, we stopped for an early lunch. Back up to the turnoff we then scrambled down to view the lower Punehu Falls, and then back up the slippery muddy steps we got back on the main track and strolled along the stream and a couple of bridges before completing the 3hr (7.8km) loop track. A compulsory stop at the Fortose Café completed our trip. Barbara, Neroli, Robert, Anne
January - Sunday 14th - Lorne Peak - Tennants Peak (Postponed due to weather)
January - Sunday 6th - Thursday 11th - Bike Ride Millers Flat to Waihola & round Dunedin
Sunday - It was a good morning when we took off from Invercargill at 7am, all loaded, heading to Millers Flat, and arrived at 9-15am with B J arriving shortly after. After unloading all the bikes we headed to Beaumont for lunch and then to Lawrence. Our camp at Lawrence was "The Prospector" where we had a wonderful tea, great accommodation, ready for the big push to Waihola next day. The work that was put in to the building of the track was just fantastic, like the whole trip. Rabbit
Monday - Leaving Lawrence we had a uphill climb before cruising along the lovely country side to Waitahuna for a coffee stop. Riding was easy through lovely groves of trees, tunnels and reserve at Mt Stuart. We followed the old railway corridor through railway cuttings and across a small viaduct cruising into Milton camping ground for lunch. We followed the Tokomairiro River into Lake Waihola along the new developed boardwalk a total of 63km for the day. Headed back to Dunedin Holiday camping ground for the night. Jenne
Tuesday - Portabella Return - It was a leisurely start as we left the Dunedin Holiday Park to cycle the 20 kms along the cycleway to Portabella. It was a well-constructed and offered wonderful views towards the harbour and hills. We needed to be aware of the drop off close to the water edge to our left. The cycle way was well used, walkers as well as cyclists.
The cafes along the way were patronised by the 23 on the trip. On the way, seven of us visited the Glenfalloch Woodland Garden, well worth the short cycle up the hill. There were many different tree species, as well as the under plantings of hellebores, flaxes, and hydrangeas. Numerous birds flew around and perched in the trees. Jan
Wednesday - The end of our perfect weather arrived during Tuesday night and was replaced by strong North Easterly winds and rain, which meant a head wind and rain for those who chose to bike out to Port Chalmers as per our programme. On the way out from our Holiday park accommodation we witnessed a couple of council rubbish bins being blown over and contents strewn along the footpath. Most of us braved the conditions and headed out into the head wind and rain towards Port Chalmers. (The shared cycle pathways round the coast line were wonderful.) We all arrived in various stages at a cafe there (near where two large cruise ships were berthed) wet and a bit cold and ready for morning tea. Our trusty van drivers had the vans and bike trailers waiting near the cafe for those who wanted a ride back. Unfortunately Anne T got a puncture, but fortunately the tyre went flat just outside the cafe we were at, so she and her bike and a few others got a ride back to our holiday park. It was decided not to drive out to Aramonana to walk to ‘The Mole’ as it was not sightseeing weather for already wet cyclists. The rest of us had a relatively pleasant bike ride back with a steady back wind and no rain. We had lunch back at our accommodation then had the afternoon free to do whatever we liked in Dunedin. To conclude the day we all met at the Speight's Ale House for a very enjoyable set course menu and company. Neroli
Thursday - The last day of a great bike trip. There has been plenty biking, socializing, great food and overall this has been a memorable trip. With the bikes already loaded and ready to go the night before our journey was not quite over. Before we started our journey back home, we went to the Orokonui ecosanctuary. It was started with a small talk letting us know a little about the ecosanctuary and the work that has been put into what it has become today. Then we were let lose to walk around for a couple of hours. Most of us got to see Takahe family. This was an enjoyable experience all on its own. There were plenty of Tui, Bush robins, bellbirds, and fantails to be seen. We found a gecko sunning itself and a tuatara who was happy to be photographed. The bush and track were beautifully maintained, and the weather couldn’t have been better. We finished the morning off with lunch and coffee before all getting back into the vans and heading south to say goodbye to each other and head to our own homes. I will look forward to seeing what the next bike trip brings us all. Richelle
January - Tuesday 2nd - A wander around Graeme & Jan Appleby's QEII Covenant followed by a Pot Luck Tea
Had a great afternoon on the 2nd. 19 of us were at Appleby's farm to have a look over their QE II Covenant. The Manuka regeneration had certainly taken over since last time we visited in January 2016 (8 Years previously). Last time we visited the Striped Sun Orchid (Theylmitra cyanthea) were seen occasionally. On this visit they seemed to be everywhere. We continued walking round their wetland and saw a swallow's nest in the shelter by the pond. This was followed by an amazing variety of food for tea.
Life Members : Ann Irving - Shirley McMillan – Barry Smith - Robyn Smith - Carl Johnstone
Life Members in Memoriam : Peter Chandler – Roger McCurdy – Bob Scott - Arthur Williams - Cliff Broad
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