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Published by DOC Coastal Otago June 2013
Editing and designPublishing Team, DOC National Office
Tracks in the Rock and Pillar Conservation Area
A beautiful mountain escape just 1 hour’s drive from Dunedin
Further informationDOC Coastal Otago Area Office77 Lower Stuart Street, PO Box 5244, DUNEDIN 9058Phone: (03) 4770 677; email: [email protected]
DOC Central Otago Area Office43 Dunstan Rd, PO Box 176, ALEXANDRA 9340Phone: (03) 440 2040; email: [email protected]
This publication is produced using paper sourced from well-managed, renewable and legally logged forests.
All photos, unless otherwise credited, are copyright DOC.
Cover: Cloud-filled Strath Taieri from Big Hut. Photo: J Barkla
9 421005 174489 >
HutsBig HutBig Hut is owned and maintained by the Rock and Pillar Hut Trust. The hut has 16 bunks, solar lighting, a large common room and table tennis facilities, but no heating. Trampers need to bring their own cookers and utensils.
Fees (per night)Adult: $10Child (12 yrs and under): $5
Pay at the hut or post fee to: Rock and Pillar Hut Trust, Box 42, Ranfurly 9353.Special fees apply for education or commercial ventures and if a warden is required.Parties of 8 or more people need to book in advance.To book, email [email protected] or text 0274 358311.
Leaning Lodge HutLeaning Lodge hut is maintained by the Leaning Lodge Trust. The hut has 10 bunks, but no heating or lighting. Trampers need to bring their own cookers and utensils.
Fees (per night) Adult: $5 Youth (11–17 yrs): $2.50 Under 10 yrs: free
Post fees to: Otago Tramping and Mountaineering Club, Box 1120, Dunedin 9054. Bookings are not required.
DogsDogs are permitted on conservation land only. They are not permitted on the access tracks, as they cross private land, or on Sutton Salt Lake Track.
Safety• Your safety is your responsibility.• Leave your intentions with a
trusted contact via the outdoor intentions on the Adventure Smart website
www.adventuresmart.org.nz. • Check the weather forecast before you enter
the area.• Cellphone coverage is not reliable in the
conservation area. Satellite phones, mountain radios and personal locator beacons are recommended.
• Lighting fires is not permitted.
WARNINGThe Rock and Pillar Conservation Area is very exposed. Wintery conditions can occur at any time of the year, and the area is subject to snow, especially during winter.
!
Photo: Gene Dyett
Photo: J Barkla
Geology and natural history
Formed over the last 3 million years, the Rock and Pillars are a series of folds, (steep ranges rolling onwards like an ocean swell), the result of deep local faulting.Some blocks of resistant schist remain, long after the surrounding rock has eroded away. These tors are a significant feature on the bleak and windswept ridges. The fell fields on the crest (slopes where freeze and thaw cycles push plants out of the soil, which make it a difficult place for plants to grow), have wave-like, ridge-patterned soils. A lens-shaped cloud formation, known locally as the Taieri Pet, is seen regularly; its appearance is associated with nor-west winds.
Plants
Above 900 metres, blue tussock (Poa colensi) and patches of the aromatic daisy Celmisia viscosa are dominant along with low herbs, cushion plants and hebe shrublands. As the snowbanks recede in late spring, the first flowers emerge; peak flowering time for high-altitude plants is mid-January to mid-February. On the upper flanks, look out for the endemic daisy Celmisia haastii among native grasses and speargrass (Aciphylla sp). Lower down, snowgrass (Chionchloa rigida) is mixed with shrubs and native herbs.Wetlands and tarns are common. They host an array of mosses, cushion plants, herbs and sedges. A small stand of tōtara at the northern end of the range is a remnant of forests that once grew on the lower slopes. Lianes, fuschia (Fuschia perscandens), native ferns and mountain flax/harakeke, are found in scattered gullies.
Animals
The height of invertebrate activity coincides with late summer flowering when, in good weather, geometrid moths flit about feeding on nectar. The tarns and bogs also support numerous life forms, most notably diurnal stoneflies and caddis flies.
A species of flightless chafer beetle (Prodontria montis) is endemic to the Rock and Pillar’s alpine cushionfields, and another beetle, (Megadromus bullatus), is easily recognised by its size and greenish metallic sheen. On sunny days it is possible to see skinks basking on the schist outcrops. South Island pied oystercatcher/tōrea, banded dotterel/tūturiwhatu and black-backed gull/karoro frequent the area. The Australasian harrier/kāhu and New Zealand falcon/kārearea can be seen gliding in the updraughts in search of prey.
History
Patearoa is the traditional Southern Māori name for the Rock and Pillar Range. Cultural artefacts typical of the Waitaha, Kāti Mamoe and Kāi Tahu iwi have been found, and indicate a long association with the area.While hot, dry summers and harsh winters would have made life difficult for the early inhabitants, the Strath Taieri was a mahika kai/food gathering area. Flax/harakeke and cabbage tree/tī kōuka were often planted at campsites/nohoaka for practical reasons. Sandals/paraerae could be made from the leaves of both plants, and the stem and root of the cabbage tree could be cooked and eaten. The area was also a source of raw materials such as tikumu (Celmisia semi-cordata) and cottonwood, harvested from several sites on the range. Silcrete rock was another local resource; large blocks were split into flake knives, a feature of the Waitaha era, which were used at moa butchery sites throughout Otago. European pastoralists began to move into the area in the mid-1800s, and were followed by the gold rush prospectors. The construction of the Central Otago railway began in 1879 and serviced this predominantly farming district until it closed in 1990. The rail corridor opened in 2000 and became the Otago Central Rail Trail, a popular multi-day cycle trail. For more information, visit www.doc.govt.nz.
Highlights• Exploreand
walkthroughthesnowtussockandimpressiverocktors
• Stayovernightincharacterhutsandenjoythespectacularsunset
• Seethekārearea/NewZealandfalconglideintheupdraught
The Rock and Pillar Conservation Area is one of Otago’s most distinctive upland features, its summit ridge dominated by impressive schist tors or rocky pillars. The conservation area lies 1,000 metres above the plains, and climbs through low-altitude tussock, subalpine shrublands and snow tussock, providing breathtaking views.
Hunting
Permits are required for hunting pigs and red deer in the Rock and Pillar Conservation Area and can be obtained online at www.doc.govt.nz or at your local DOC office. Pigs, red deer and goats are present in the Western Rock and Pillar Conservation Area. Hunting is restricted in this area and permits must be obtained from the DOC Central Otago Area Office in Alexandra.For more information, visit www.doc.govt/hunting.
Ontheopentops,themountainstonewētā(Hemideina maori),whichgrowsto65mminlength,isuniquetoOtago.Itcansurvivemonthsofextreme,snow-coveredconditionsduetoantifreezepropertiesinitsblood.Photo: N Vallance
Tors
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: J B
arkl
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10 Western Rock and Pillar Conservation Area
Steep, rolling tussock land with views overlooking the Maniototo Plains. Access is from the car park south of Waipiata, via Orangapai Road and Hamilton Diggings Road.Please note:• To access by 4WD or on horseback, you need the
combination for the lock on both gates at either end of the 4WD track. This can be obtained from the DOC Central Otago Area Office in Alexandra.
• This track is open to vehicles from 1 November – 1 May. • There is no public access from the Western Rock
and Pillar Conservation Area to the larger Rock and Pillar Conservation Area.
5Access is from Gladbrook Road near March Creek. Cross the stile and follow the markers to the conservation boundary.1hr30min,3.7kmtoconservationareaboundary
6The parking area and route are reached through a farm gate by turning left at the end of Rock Road. Follow the marked route along the fence line to the conservation boundary.1hr30min,4.3kmtoconservationareaboundary
7Parking is near the southern end of Gladbrook Road. Follow the marked route to the conservation boundary. Please note: The track is closed for lambing 1 September – 31 October.2hr,5.7kmtoconservationareaboundary
1The car park is signposted on SH87, approximately 22 km north of Middlemarch. To reach the marked route, turn left at the second stile and follow the markers to the conservation boundary.2hr15min,5kmtoconservationareaboundary
2At the intersection of SH87 and Ngapuna Road, follow the Otago Central Rail Trail north for 100 metres before reaching the beginning of the route. Follow the markers that begin on the fence line.2hr,4.6kmtoconservationareaboundary
3Access and parking is at Kilmory Station, 20 metres south of Lug Creek.Because of the fragile environment, vehicles must keep to the track.3hr,9.1kmtosummit (on foot); (1hr30mintoconservationareaboundary)
4Signposted from SH87 (Wandle Road), this track begins near McKinnon Road junction. Vehicle access is through cattle stops on private property. Park at the car park and walk the marked route to the conservation boundary.15min,1.2kmtoconservationareaboundary
11 Sutton Salt Lake TrackSutton Salt Lake is New Zealand’s only inland salt lake. With no outlet, the lake has concentrated salts from surrounding soils as it has repeatedly filled, evaporated and refilled. The car park is off Kidds Road. 1hrreturn
8From Old Dunstan Road, access is at a stile adjacent to the Loganburn reservoir.
9300 metres north of McPhees Creek ford on Old Dunstan Road, a 4WD track leads to McPhees Rock and on to the summit. This track crosses private land to the conservation boundary, so please respect the landowner’s property.
Because of the fragile environment, vehicles must keep to the track. Please note: Old Dunstan Road is open 1 October – 31 May.
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