Perfect Poolburn- Part 1; Setting the Scene

 Catch-up (February 2021)

After the Lions 4WD safari in Roxburgh we headed on into the interior to do our own 4WD journey. To one of our favourite places in New Zealand; the Poolburn Reservoir.

Poolburn Dam & Rough Ridge

I've lost count, but this must be our 6th or 7th visit to this special place located high up on a plateau at the south end of Rough Ridge Range and the Ida Valley in Central Otago.

'Out There' heading up to Poolburn Dam

From the valley floor, after you turn off at the old Moa Creek Hotel & Store, it's a 12km gentle climb over a gravel, dirt & solid rock track to the dam.  

Moa Creek Hotel & Store

The track is part of the historic Old Dunstan Trail (the route gold miners took from Dunedin to join the Central Otago gold rush) and it's not a road for the faint-hearted, those that are low slung or worry about mud or dust but it's actually not too bad if you take your time. The climb up to the dam takes us just over an hour, the Ranger in 4WD Low Range most of the way. It's a little quicker coming back out. 

Mustering sheep off Rough Ridge

Much of surrounding land is farmed by Bospiel Station or Ida Valley Station and as we head up through the lower slopes of the plateau, hundreds of sheep are being mustered down to the valley. There's no hurry as the long trails of sheep weave in and out of matagouri & rocky tors and stretch back hundreds of metres.

We stop to take in the view behind us, looking back over the Ida Valley to the right, Alexandra somewhere out there to the left & Raggedy Range & the Dunstan Range in the centre. Raggedy Range, the first one you can see, separates the Ida Valley from Omakau, Ophir & the Manuherikia Valley. Click on the photo to enlarge.

The view looking west

The road looks fine in my photos but there are sections, and especially on corners, that have been gouged out and washed away by recent heavy rain. The solid rock sections stay put but the soil gets washed away in between. If you'd like to check out how the road can get during winter, here's one of my earlier blogs on Poolburn.

Eat my dust

Regular visitors to the dam know that when you see the 'rabbit' you're nearly there, Poolburn is just over the next rise. It took me a few trips before I finally spotted it, there are so many rocky tors dotted over the landscape you can actually see a whole zoo of animals if you try too hard.

Poolburn rabbit

And then there it is, Poolburn looking as spectacular as ever.

Arriving at Poolburn Dam

We breathed a sign of relief when we saw that our regular camping spot was free. While there are never more than half a dozen or so campers dotted around the dam, we have our favourite location. 

The view from the front door

Once the 5th-wheeler is set-up it doesn't take long to get inflatable Takacat up & ready for fishing.

'Out There' & 'In There' (the dinghy)

We were planning on staying for two weeks and if the first couple of days were anything to go by, we were going to have some spectacular summer weather. Typical Central Otago with big blue skies, wide open spaces, rich golden tussock, crystal clear water and fiery sunrises & sunsets.

The Golden Hour at Poolburn

Unfortunately I spoke too soon, three days later a summer storm rolled in over the far end of the dam. Angry clouds and a strong wind forewarned of more to come.

Clouds close in

Those that know Poolburn know how quickly the weather can change up on top of the plateau. And how bitterly cold it can get within minutes. By late afternoon heavy rain lashed the rig...

Tucked up inside

...and by nightfall the cloud had descended and wrapped us in a dark cold gloom.

Hopefully the dinghy will be there in the morning

Thankfully- as we rocked & rolled through the night in our 'tin can'- it blew itself out and the next day dawned a little more settled.

Poolburn Dam

And that was that, no more bad weather. We had glorious sunshine (& occasionally fluffy white clouds) for the remainder of our stay. 

A typical Central Otago landscape- big skies, rocky tors & tussock

While David went fishing I headed off on several exploring expeditions, the first one to check out the quarry that John (one of my regular followers & a Poolburn devotee) had told me about.

Poolburn Dam 

And sure enough after a short climb just above the dam wall I found a large hole in the ground...

Poolburn Quarry

...& what is most probably the only patch of green for miles around. The quarry once supplied rock for the dam wall, now with its enclosed micro climate, a mini swamp complete with damsel flies and reeds of raupo are surviving in its water filled base.

The Dunstan Trail heads off into the distance

On another day I drove out past the dam wall and continued on along the Old Dunstan Trail taking photos and...

The Dunstan Trail & Poolburn Dam

...turning around when I reached the Serpentine Church fork in the road. There are no sign posts, I only know this because we have done Long Valley Ridge Road to the church previously. The Dunstan Trail continues on to the left and comes out at Styx at the top of the Maniototo Valley. We have driven this route previously too but it's one I didn't write a blog on. Which annoys me because I know we saw three falcons along the way & also walked into the Styx Jail. One day I will fill in the blog gaps!

Serpentine Church junction

On my way back I stopped on the side of the road and walked a short distance through the tussock and around the rocky outcrops until I found a high spot with magnificent views across the tussock covered landscape to the reservoir beyond.

Poolburn Dam

Zooming in on the Poolburn you can see the many fingers of the dam reaching out into the surrounding depression...

Poolburn Dam

You can also see why boating on Poolburn is a little bit of a nightmare, especially in an inflatable. There are just as many and probably more rocky protrusions below the waterline than above. And the sharp pointy tops that were several feet below the last time you visited can be just several inches below the surface on the next visit. 

Poolburn Dam

Visitors. Oh we had a fair few to the dam this time and with them came a mega amount of dust. Some days it was like Piccadilly Station with the amount of vehicles passing. Although this lovely pied stilt who walked up and down the water line every morning, right in front of our rig searching for breakfast, didn't seem too perturbed with all the activity. 

Pied Stilt

One disturbing visitor came knocking at our door in the middle of the night. We still have no idea what it was but I suspect a possum or a wild cat (which we saw wandering in amongst the rocks later in the week). Then again I thought it might have been a dog from one of the cribs on the far side of the dam.

Cribs & Clouds- Poolburn Dam

That was until I saw it had peed on our bottom step. Back to a possum I think. It left paw marks in the dust in two places on the door (see top red arrows) & a stray hair stuck to the wall. It unsettled us a little as it was quite loud, and you know how it is in the middle of dark night when you're all by yourself. David took the spotlight out to check but saw nothing. We double checked the security door lock & went back to bed. 

I left an piece of apple out the next few nights expecting it to be gone if it was a possum but nothing touched it. 

Calling card

Other visitors included over 60 motorbike riders competing in the TT2000 long distance motorcycle rally. The TT2000 is an annual challenge where riders cover 2000km in 48 hours, Each year there's a theme & set check points and the aim is for riders to cover the distance & visit the minimum numbers of check points required by any route they choose within the 48 hours. 

TT2000 riders s top to take in the view over the dam

The 2021 rally began & finished in Oamaru and the checkpoint theme was Scottish place names. Not all the riders take the same route but we certainly had our fair share of them passing through in small groups throughout the day. 

It was a little worrying later in the day to see a police vehicle & a first responder racing past the dam, they'd have a fair way to travel to reach the incident as the last of the motorcyclists had passed by quite some time prior. Rescue vehicles is something you wouldn't see very often up on the plateau. They came back past after dark.

First responder

During our time at the dam, there were groups of 4WD vehicles passing through in both directions most days, friends travelling together or 4WD tour groups travelling the Dunstan Trail. There was also an foot orienteering event starting & finishing at one of the cribs across the dam. It was a scorcher of a day for the steady stream of tiny little figures walking, running and clambering over the surrounding countryside.

Cribs at Poolburn Dam

Next came 50 cyclists on the Tour Te Waipounamu, a bikepacking race that runs the length of the South Island (1330kms); over mountains, through the high country & across the plains. The race starts at Cape Farewell and finishes a week or so later at Slope Point. Fellow NZMCA members Mandy & her husband were following several of the riders including the leader (and eventual winner) of the race, Ollie Whalley. They parked up above us on the roadside (see photo below) to cheer the riders through. Ollie came through in the early evening & when we awoke in the morning Mandy & her hubby had gone, chasing the riders south.

 

The sun sets on the couple's Ford Explorer

I spent the rest of our time at Poolburn checking the live rider location readings on the race's website and cheering them on has they passed by us. Ollie completed the race in 5 days, 10 hours, riding for 38 hours without sleeping and covering 474km on his last leg. Check out the photos & terrain the riders covered in this event recap.

More visitors to Poolburn

And last but not least, and certainly with more intrigue, were the cast & crew filming the Lord of the Rings TV series. It was all cloak & dagger stuff & anyone I met while out exploring or we asked as we passed them on the road, would neither confirm nor deny it. But it was fairly obvious given that Poolburn was the land of Rohan in the original LOTR movies & February was the month the TV series was to be filmed in NZ. 

The Tech site (centre photo) and entrance to it (top left) was just down the road from our camp so we saw a continuous stream of vehicles, trucks, trailers (with UTVs & portaloos stacked on them) & other interesting vehicles heading into the tech site each day. During one morning over 40 vehicles arrived (along with all their dust). Anyone travelling in the opposite direction on the road would have wondered what on earth they had struck. It's very rare to pass one or two vehicles let alone that many. 

LOTR TV Series

The actual film set was 10 or so kilometers further on past the dam on the Dunstan Trail, way off up on a ridge (top right). I spotted it the day I travelled to the Serpentine Church turnoff. The Nomad Safari vehicles looked to be transferring guests (actors?) back and forward between sites. 

In stealth mode, I managed to snap off a few shots of the occupants! Not really, they just happened to pass as I was walking above them or along the road photographing other subjects. It's amazing what a good zoom lens can see! I swear that could be Gandalf in the bottom left photos.

We passed a couple in a rental car near the bottom of the road as we left Poolburn. We pulled off the track to let them past and they pulled up beside the ute to thank us & to ask how far if was to Poolburn. When we found out they were looking for the film set, I explained it was 10kms further on from the dam. I'm positive they or at least one of them would have been an actor, I just didn't have the gumption to ask. I didn't want to look like some star struck fan! I'm kicking myself now. They also must have wondered where on earth they were driving too in their city slicker clothes & flash rental car. 

LOTR TV series film set

It goes without saying that I took oodles of photos; the cloud formations, sunrises & sunsets, cribs & night sky all making fabulous subjects. The Southern Lights even made an appearance for two nights running. 

Poolburn Dam

They're to come in the next few blogs from Poolburn Dam. Those blogs should be (hopefully) short on words and long on photos!   

Big skies, small rig- Poolburn Dam

And an added note; hopefully those that subscribe to my blog have had no issues with the new supplier as mentioned in the previous blog. And I note that some subscribers may not have been receiving any blogs due to the initial notification going into the junk folder. Hopefully this won't happen with the new company. If you'd like to now subscribe to my blog please fill in the details in the box out in the right hand column (back at the beginning of the blog).

Perfect Poolburn Continued in Part 2

For My Blog Subscribers

 Real-time

Hello to all my loyal subscribers, this is a post just for you guys. There's been a bit of a drama with Blogger (my blog's platform) lately. The Feedburner gadget- that's the one where you entered your email address to subscribe to my blog so you'd received an email each time I posted a blog- has been discontinued and will cease to send you emails on July 1st, 2021. 

Not being an IT specialist/nerd (I'm more front of house), I have no idea about behind the scenes computer speak so it's been a worrying time changing the email subscriber widget on my blog to another supplier. But thanks to follow.it and their team of very helpful assistants & 'Happiness Manager' (and that is one of the titles), I have finally managed to change the button on my blog and forward my list of subscribers to them.

So if you are a subscriber (and I thank you very much for your continued interest in my blog) this is to let you know that from now on you will receive a legitimate email from follow.it whenever I post a blog. Hopefully it won't find it's way to your junk folder....but if it does I guess you won't know about it anyway! Of course if you wish to unsubscribe (and I'm sure you don't!) you will be able to do this, as before, on the email once you receive it.

If you do stay tuned I am about ready to post several blogs on our next destination; Poolburn Dam in Central Otago. It's taken several days to process the hundreds of photos I took there and I'm sure you'll be impressed with the final selection.

Once again, many thanks for your continued commitment, comments & support. 

And if you aren't a subscriber and wish to follow my blog you can fill in your email details in the 'Follow Me Here' box out in the right hand column. And *fingers crossed*, it works! 

Best regards & safe travels
Shellie

Poolburn Dam, Central Otago

Roxburgh Lions Club 4x4 Safari

 Catch-up 

From the Catlins we headed inland as we needed to be in Roxburgh for Waitangi weekend. I'd seen the Lions Club 4x4 safari advertised earlier in the year and put it in the diary 'just in case' we were in the area. At that stage we had no firm plans of where we'd be but as it worked out we were going to be passing through Roxburgh on our way to the next destination. We've been on several 4x4 safaris during our time on the road and have thoroughly enjoyed them, the most memorable one being through  Nokomai Station & the Garvie Mountains. We still talk about the fun we had on that one. 

Roxburgh Trotting Club

We've freedom camped at nearby Pinders Pond in the past, this time we decided on the Roxburgh Trotting Club POP as that was where the rally was leaving from on Sunday morning. 

Sunrise- Roxburgh Trotting Club

Over 66 vehicles signed in at the trotting club on Sunday morning, collected their packed picnic lunches and, when the word was given, headed north with directions to pull into an open farm gateway along the Fruitlands straight on the main highway. We waited here for everyone to arrive and once no more could fit through the gate we followed the leaders up and over the hill in front of us.

For the first part of the safari we were driving through the 21,000 hectare (52,000 acres) Earnscleugh Station which stretches along Old Man Range from Fruitlands in the south to the Cromwell Gorge in the north and over the range to the Southland boundary.

Hmmm....we thought, this is going to be a dusty trip, hoping that it was just this section but knowing that it probably wasn't as it has been a very dry summer.

Our next stop was beside Earnscleugh Station's woolshed, where many made use of the loos and we listened to our leader as he explained the programme for the day & gave us a little history on the station. He was also going to be positioned in the middle of the vehicle line broadcasting on a dedicated FM radio station as we passed various points of interest along the way. This was a great idea but unfortunately it depended where you were in the line as to whether you heard him or not. 

Many of us were fascinated with the farm's 'Bath House' which was parked near the woolshed.

Yes, I said 'parked' because it wasn't until you got up close to inspect it that you could see the Landrover inside. Complete with a bar & bar stools on the back, it was driven to local parties. If only walls could talk, I bet it could tell many a strange tale. 

From the woolshed we headed north along the bottom of the range exiting out the actual entrance to the station near Conroys Gully.

Our next point of interest was the old Earnscleugh Homestead, but sadly (for me as a photographer & collector of social history photos) the planned stop was changed to a drive past as timing was of essence and there would have been too many vehicles & people to wrangle back on track. 

Earnscleugh Station homestead was built in the 1920s and modeled on a mansion the then owner Stephen Spain saw in Uruguay. There is now a new homestead on another part of the station and sadly this one is unoccupied as it needs extensive & expensive renovations. 

As we filed slowly through the front garden I jumped out of the ute and ran across to the grand entrance quickly snapping a few photos before having to clamber back in before the row of vehicles disappeared around the back of  building where we also passed the staff quarters & stables built in a similar style.

NZMCA members may be interested to know that the Clutha Valley Area held a rally in the homestead's grounds some time ago, maybe they'll do that again sometime in the future (and let me know!).

From the homestead we headed along the back roads towards Fraser Dam Road passing these poor cyclists along the way. They must have wondered what on earth they had struck with so many vehicles passing them on a deserted back country road. They would have been covered in dust from head to toe by the time the last of the vehicles passed them, that's for sure!

Once on Fraser Dam Road we started the gradual and winding climb to the top of the range. Horse trekkers & cows stopping to watch the long procession pass by. We've actually driven the Fraser Dam Road before, which finishes at the dam. This time we passed the dam turnoff and took the Prospect Hill Track straight to the top.

At one stage the vehicles ahead all came to a stop which meant the photographers amongst us could jump out and take a few photos... 

...looking down below us as the rest of the fleet wound their way up the range (remember to click on the photos to enlarge).

When the vehicles started moving again fairly quickly and I had to race back to the ute before David pulled away, it suddenly dawned on me they'd stopped to open a gate, one of many to be opened & closed during the day.

Near the top I managed to get the window down and take a photo of a hut tucked into a small gully, as we passed by. I didn't manage to take a photo of the sign telling me who it belonged to though. 

At least there was a bit of a breeze at the top to cart the dust away, well a little bit of it anyway.

Just as we begun to wonder when we'd stop for a break we arrived at the top and parked up amongst the snow tussock and spiky Spaniards. People started heading to a style on the fence, and like sheep we all followed. And it wasn't until many of the men & a few ladies headed off in different directions towards the large rocky tors that we realised they were looking for somewhere to have a pee! 

Once that was sorted we gathered in a group for another talk, it was very hard to hear the speaker from the back but I gathered we were overlooking the Earnsleugh/Fraser River valley in one direction & the top of Old Man Range in the other. And that during the 1800s Otago gold rush there were many small settlements spread across the surrounding mountain tops mining for gold. 

Originally the safari was going to continue along the top of Old Man Range past the Obelisk but the scouts who'd checked on the route earlier in the week decided there were a couple of curly sections that may not have suited the 'shinnies' (street going 4x4 vehicles) so we had to re-trace our steps back down the range. Once at the bottom we stopped for our picnic lunch, many of us seeking out shade in what was a very hot day. 

The day before the safari, motorhoming friends Linda & Scotty had stopped at the Trotting Club to say hello, they were staying down the road at another POP and were also going on the safari. We'd both been up near the front of the procession for the first half and after lunch we made our way back to Roxburgh and waited at the bottom of Coal Creek Road which was the meeting point before we tackled the next section.

At first we were the only ones there & we began to think we'd got it wrong. Then several others trickled in to wait and we wondered how long it would be before the full fleet arrived. After a short discussion we made an executive decision to head off up Coal Creek Road and onto Mt Hope Road to the top of the range and either wait up there for the others of continue on along the top. 

This would give Linda & I a chance to stop and take a few photos, something we were both missing doing. We stopped several times as we climbed higher taking photos of the Roxburgh Dam,  Roxburgh township and the Clutha River. I picked up the Trotting Club & the rig in one photo (top right).

On one of the stops, I zoomed in on the meeting area and saw that there was now a good number of vehicles waiting, it wouldn't be long before they pulled out and followed us up the road.

We pulled over again as we reached the top so we could get another shot looking down over Roxburgh and as I headed back towards the ute...

...I looked back down the road and saw that the posse was coming!

And in fact they were very close to catching us up. I ran back to the ute...

...and jumped in. After a brief discussion with Linda & Scotty we decided our rebellious streak was over (although David was keen to hit the throttle) and we pulled to the side to let the leaders past and then cheekily pulled back in line when a gap appeared.

The dusty 'road' had now turned to a dirt track which made for a much more pleasant experience and being such a clear day we could see for miles. 

Across the Clutha Valley which was far below us, we could see the Knobby & Lammermoor Ranges, and somewhere out there one of favourite lakes, Lake Onslow.

We passed through Black Jack Station & Mt Benger Scenic Reserve as we travelled along the top of the range from Roxburgh to Ettrick.

There was great excitement & much gesturing to vehicles in front & behind when a Karearea/NZ Falcon flew past the procession at a fast rate of knots (top right, below) and then even more exclamations & gesturing when the front vehicles spooked a small group of seven wild deer who raced off across the tussock. I managed to grab a long distance shot as they hesitated for a moment before fleeing over the edge.

We haven't seen too many wild deer on our travels but a few years ago we saw a wild fallow stag on  Mt Hope Road (where we started this section) when we drove to the top of the range. We'd seen it on the way up but it ducked out of the way, so on the way back down we had another look for him. I'm sure he thought he was well hidden.

After many gate openings across the top we started to head down off Mt Benger...

...into Ettrick

Here's a tip for you if you're travelling in a group and there are gates to open & close, if the first vehicle leaves a rock on top of the gate post when they open it, then tail-end Charlie knows to shut the gate. If there's no rock, the gate is left as it was, open. 

Our hosts waited at the last gate and the exit into the valley, waving and thanking us for attending their fundraiser. We tooted our appreciation and then 66+ vehicles headed back into civilization and home (to wash their vehicle if they were lucky enough to have water, unlike us who had to wait until a suitable source was found). 

We had a great day although we'd probably have forgone the Fraser Dam Road loop having done the road before and knowing how dusty it was. 

Side note; I am asked often how we hear about the 4x4 safaris. There's no hard & fast directory for them. I usually stumble across them on social media or see them advertised on the side of the road as we pass through a town. 

Many small town organisations; including primary schools and Rotary & Lions Clubs hold them as fundraisers. They are usually held during the first three months of the year, when the weather should be good & the tracks dry and while we've only done them in the bottom half of the South Island, I've seen them advertised nationwide.

I haven't been able to join the dots on the tracks up to & across the top of the ranges (not drivable or not public land according to Goggle) but have put markers to show the route taken.