Drive to the top of the Dunedin-Waitati motorway and park in a large gravel dump just off the main road. Secure your vehicle well and cross the side road where a sign announces the Leith Saddle Track. Walk up a boardwalk for about 45min with good bird song abounding. Continue up a well-defined track with excellent views of the city and surrounds until you reach the trig point.

From here you could: • continue to the Telecom microwave tower over a pleasant track then turn left and walk down the Pipeline Track • continue along the Swampy Ridge Track to either the Pineapple Track or Nicols Creek track (both to the left) • take the right track across to Hightop and Mountain Road

Either way you'll be miles from your car so best to return from the micrtowave tower to the boardwalk and your vehicle or if you have time, follow the road around past the Airways New Zealand building and walk down Burns Saddle to the Burns Track or Rustlers Track. Either one will take you down to the road a couple of hundred metres from your car. Both take several hours but it's all downhill.

Major sponsor for the boardwalk was Hannah['s Shoes in 1992. Fulton Hogan and Jaco's Timber helped considerably. Volunteers carried all the timber up and helped build the boardwalk.

I have met up to twenty people using the track on a Wednesday. It must be very well used on weekends and its appearance indicates this.

Boots, food, drink, warm clothing, a friend or two, hat, gloves, parka and a pack are sensible accoutrements. A good level of fitness ensures that these little excursions will be enjoyed greatly. Tramping seems to be the best way to get fit for tramping! For cramp, crunch a 'Tums' indigestion tablet. It stops the pain in a minute for some people.

by George Sutherland, Green Hut Track Group

--

"copyleft" by Blueskin Media - may be freely re-edited and republished. If you want to credit the source it's "blueskin.co.nz".

ENDS

© Scoop Media