Wednesday Walkies:

This is something that the Otago University Tramping Club puts on every week with a senior member taking whoever wants to go on a short walk somewhere nearby Dunedin. Since I've got a lab on Wednesday I usually miss out but lab ended early and I booked it out of there in time to catch the group.

We started out straight from the university and it was about an hour's walk to get to the start of the trail. I was surprised by the length of the trail since it was steadily getting darker (we left at about 5) and we hadn't even reached our peak with the lookout over the greater Dunedin area. We missed the sunset by a few minutes and stars were coming out when we gathered at the top making photos pretty much impossible. Tea was possible and our leader Pete brought forth a huge pot and all the fixings from his pack. It was really nice sitting on the peak with a hot cup of tea and looking out over the city lights.

Peak markers make great stove tops

The way back down was easy going but more exciting with the use of headlamps. A few tumbles and swears later we had reached the bottom and went out separate ways at around 10pm. I wish I could do more of these sort of hikes because they really break the week up nicely and provide a convenient escape into nature.

Taking a short cut through a logging area as instructed by our leader Pete