Wet Tramp: Bethunes Gulley

On Saturday, the Columba College Tramping Club went for a tramp at Bethunes Gully.  A "Southerly" was forecast, which meant it would be wet, cold, and windy.  They got that forecast right.

Bethunes Gully winds around on the slopes of Mt. Cargill just north of Dunedin.  The track is well protected by trees and bush until you reach the peak of Mt. Cargill which, on this day, was thick in cloud, wind, rain and general unpleasantness.

In true Kiwi spirit, all the club members showed up, which included about 20 girls Years 8-13 (grade, not age), three teachers, a few partners, a dog, and one parent of note.  The parent was Antony Hamil.  Antony is the author of Dunedin Tracks and Trails which is the bible for local trampers. I have a borrowed copy and it is really very good.  If you find yourself tramping in Dunedin, don't go without it!

I snapped a picture at the beginning as we went over a bridge and it was at that point that the camera battery died.  This is a direct result of not flipping the "mains switch" when I plugged in the camera battery to charge (but that's another story).  Here is the one picture I took:

The Columba College Tramping Club

Emily (white) is in my Year 13 class. Her dog is named "Honey."

Climbing up to the radio tower on top of Mt. Cargill.

Stoping for lunch.

The tramp took about 3.5 hours.  I would classify it as moderate with some rugged bits.  It is an unending source of wonderment how everything here is uphill.  We tramped to the top of Mount Cargill and then tramped up to leave.  Of course, this is not true, but I'm sure we did more uphill than downhill.  

The Latin meaning of "Dunedin" is "Calves of Steel."