Clarks Hill and Varley Hill, Portobello
A few areas are a little tricky so poles would be useful.
We will meet at the Anderson’s Bay carpark off Shore St at 8.50 for a 9am departure and drive to Portobello (cost $10) and take the first right after the roundabout into Allan’s Beach Rd.
Park in the Portobello Reserve 200m up Allan’s Beach Rd. There are toilets there and it is recommended that you use them as there are few opportunities on the walk.
From the Reserve we walk 500m up the road to QEII covenanted Seaton’s Bush Reserve on the Cross family farm. We then climb up the farm to Clarks Hill and along the ridge to Weir Rd, with excellent views on both sides. After a walk around the beautiful Papanui Inlet to Moira and John Parker’s Varley Hill property we climb to the top for more great views. A track then descends to Hooper’s Inlet Hall and we head for the Leith Walk over the low saddle to Hereweka St in Portobello. We should be back in Andy Bay around 3.30.
A pdf about Varley’s Hill is attached to your emails.
Your leaders are
John Kaiser, Beth Gray, Robyn Bridges
Tuesday Walkers
Like the rest, but flatter. Let's try Allans Beach - without wading through ditches this time.
Meet Bayfield for 10, cost $10
Cheers, Laurie
Ōtepoti Tuesday Trampers
Ōtepoti Tuesday Trampers (Club) is a social and supportive walking group for over 50s based in Dunedin. We go tramping in the wider Dunedin area every Tuesday throughout the year.
Weekly Tramps in the Dunedin region
The tramps are typically of 4-7 hours duration and usually visit tracks in the wider Dunedin area or travel to interesting places within about an hour’s drive of Dunedin.
There is a designated leader for every tramp, who is assisted by three deputy leaders. They will recce the track in advance.
On the day the leader will explain the route before the main group sets off. During the tramp the leaders will be spread throughout the group, carefully monitoring those on the tramp. The club is particularly safety conscious. Locator beacons are always carried by one or more of the leaders.
Join us
New members are always welcome. You need to complete three tramps before joining the club. This gives you time to evaluate what our club does, and make an informed decision as to whether it is for you or not.
You also need to be nominated and seconded by two current members. The annual subscription is $20.00, payable after the annual AGM. If you are interested then please refer to the Contact page.
The club runs as a cooperative and all members are expected to help organise and lead tramps. As a new member you will be given time to settle in, and to work out the kind of tramp you can help with, depending on your level of experience and fitness.
Essential Items that are to be carried by each tramper
1. Members should ensure they are correctly equipped for tramping. They should provide and bring with them on each tramp the following:
- day pack with name, address and phone number printed on the inside or on a label
- strong shoes or boots with a good tread
- waterproof parka or similar
- woollen or polar fleece jersey, hat and gloves, overtrousers
- scarf, sunhat, survival sheet or bag
- cut lunch and some extra food (eg muesli bars, chocolate), and up to 2 litres of fluid
- whistle; cup; a small personal first aid kit
- cell phone if possible
2. Members must be realistic about their own capabilities and level of fitness. The grading assigned to each tramp is intended to assist this.
DCC Dunedin Tracks
The link for the DCC website giving all Dunedin tracks is given below:
https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/do-it-online/maps-and-photos/tracks-and-trails-around-dunedin
Best to view in full screen mode (use the link below the map) and enlargen (using the + button). Then click the layer button and turn off the pest contol areas which removes the red background and enables all tracks to be visible. Click on any track to get further information about it.
There is also information on various tracks using the link below. (Note the buttons for the pdfs about the tracks are at the bottom of this page.)
https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/community-facilities/walking-tracks
The Ōtepoti Tuesday Trampers Club undertake track clearing in the Cedar Creek area under agreements with the DCC.