The Otago
Tramping Club started tramping in the local hills around Dunedin in
1923 by necessity. Transport options weren't what they are now, and
members either walked from the city, or used public transport and
the railways to get a little further away. As transport facilities
became more widespread and the private motor-car more common, the
club was able to explore further afield.
Over the years
the OTMC has tramped in practically all areas in the lower South
Island of New Zealand. While most people are aware of the Great
Walks (Routeburn, Milford, Kepler etc.) and other high profile
tracks (Greenstone/Caples, Hollyford etc.) there are still countless
other areas the OTMC visits, some tracked and with huts, others
untracked and without facilities. It is these sort of areas where
the club role in New Zealand is most important. While most people
are competent to visit the major tracks in New Zealand without a
club, they may lack the confidence or ability to visit these less
visited areas.
The following is
an evolving list of places the club visits.
Close to Dunedin City.
Silver Peaks Scenic Reserve
(north of Dunedin).
The Silver Peaks quite correctly can be called the home of the
OTC/OTMC, in that in the formative years the area provided
destinations for most overnight trips. The 10th anniversary project
for the club was the building of Green Hut in the Silver Peaks. The
hut may now be gone, as with a large chunk of the original
Silver Peaks. What remains still can provide some good weekend trips,
as well as numerous day outings.
Silver Peak Trips:
-
Booth Road (Pineapple Track) -
Swampy Ridge Track - Swampy Saddle - Hightop - Green Hut Site -
Pulpit Rock - Jubilee Hut (OTMC) - ABC Cave - The Gap - Yellow
Ridge/Hut - Tunnels Track (a 2 day trip, spending the night
in/near Jubilee Hut) (This trip can also commence at the other
end of the Pineapple Track and traverse over Flagstaff before
climbing to Swampy)
-
Hightop - Green Hut Site - Pulpit
Rock - Rocky Ridge - Yellow Ridge/Hut - Tunnels Track (this is a
good day trip and is promoted by DoC as the Silver Peaks Route)
-
Leith Saddle Walkway - Swampy
Summit - Hightop - Green Hut Site - Pulpit Rock - Jubilee Hut
(OTMC) - Christmas Creek Hut - Mt John - Poplar Hut - Mt Allan
(a 2 day trip, spending the night in/near Jubilee Hut. The
latter part of this trip crosses private land (Silver Peak
Station and Wenita Forest - permission must be sought from the
landowners). To get back to Dunedin make arrangements with the
Taieri Gorge Railway to stop and pick you up at Mt. Allan.)
Mt. Aspiring National Park.
Makarora Area:
-
Wilkin - Kerin Forks - Siberia
Valley - side trip to The Crucible - Gillespie Pass - South
Young Hut - Young Forks - Makarora (This is the premier trip in
the area, allow 4 days)
-
Wills Valley (to Wills Hut) (This
is a good overnight trip to an area that commonly visited)
-
Brewster Biv (A day trip to
Brewster Biv is a good option. If you want to climb up to Mt.
Armstrong - a good trampers peak - consider over-nighting)
-
Makarora Valley - Scrubby Flat
Creek - Hunter Valley - Hunter Valley (West Branch) - Wilson
Pass - Wills Valley - Gates Of Haast Bridge (This is a 5 day
trip suitable for experienced off-track trampers)
-
Round trips in the Fish and Blue
valleys are good options for a weekend.
-
Wilkin Valley - Upper Wilkin -
Waterfall - Rabbit Pass - East Matukituki (3-4 day trip.
Although this is regarded as a classic trip, the waterfall and
Rabbit Pass can pose serious problems in the wrong conditions. I
would seriously suggest the best direction is in the order as
shown above)
Matukituki Valleys
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