This walk is a reasonably short side-trip off Route 8 between Dunedin and Queenstown. It’s near nowhere in particular, so if you are passing by this way it’s a good opportunity to stop and do the walk. The loop track starts at Black Gully and ascends through very attractive beech forest to tussock grass on high ground. Views of the surrounding farmland are extensive, but for me the beech forest was the highlight. There are also some lush sections of gully forest towards the end.
The Blue Mountains were apparently named by gold miners after their likeness to Sydney’s Blue Mountains, but to be honest I can’t see much similarity. Track notes at the end.
Black Gully Loop: The Scenery
Track Notes
We walked anti clockwise. When we first did this walk the return leg was not marked on a map, but here is it (thanks to long time reader Mark E, who let me know).We used track notes in Day Walks of New Zealand: Central Otago and Queenstown, although they didn’t describe a loop (and it wasn’t marked on the maps at that time), so we just winged that part. It starts at Black Gully campground, ascends pretty directly up through beech forest, then you walk north along the tops for a couple of kilometres to Tapanui Hill at 1019m of elevation. Head back to find another track down the mountain through even more attractive beech forest to complete the loop (rejoining the outward track very near the start).
