Trip 068 - Abbots Hill Loop (Friends Hill Rd - Flower St - North Taieri Rd - Abbots Hill Road - Dalziel Road)

 

DATE: July 2, 2023 (Sunday)
LEADER: Antony Pettinger (027 666 1873)
TRIP GRADE: M (5-7 Hours)
MEET: Clubrooms, 9am

This is another trip to visit localities used by the Otago Tramping Club over the years and uses a mix of tracks and roads to complete a loop. Abbotts Hill was first visited by the club in 1924 – early trips here used portions of the track alongside the Silverstream Water Race as it made its way from the Silverstream to the Southern Reservoir.

The non-vehicle section of Friends Hill Road between Halfway Bush Road and Wingatui has not been used much by the club, but it does provide access to the Chain Hills Track.

The Chain Hills themselves were used by many trips up to the 1950s, such as ‘Blackhead and Green Island Beach, return via Saddle Hill and Chain Hill’, and ‘Mount Grand – Chain Hills – Saddle Hill – Brighton’. The proximity to the Wingatui Railway Station meant access from Dunedin was relatively simple.

This loop will be completed by following the footpaths to Abbotsford, then up Abbotts Hill Rd / track to Mt Grand, Dalziel Road and Brinsdon Road.