WALKING COMPANION- My sister Rhia.
WEATHER- Grey and cool.
1 3/4 - 2 HOUR WALK.
BOOK 2.
We park on Malvern St just by the old stone shop then cross to the Leith Valley Holiday Park which has been here since 1985. This was once the site of New Zealands first commercial paper mill, built in 1876 it burnt down in 1911 and was replaced by a 2 storied stone and brick building which stood until 1983 when it too burnt to the ground. Leith Valley was once a thriving area for Dunedin's industry with a sawmill and flour mill here as early as 1850 not to mention the 5 rock quarries that only closed in the 1950's.
On to Rockside Road taking a detour down the track just past the bridge, this is one of the tracks that leads to the Ross Creek Reservoir and just ahead you can see where Ross Creek joins up with the Leith. I will be covering the Ross Creek Reservoir walk in a later blog so keep an eye out. Return to Rockside Road walking past surely 2 of the shortest streets in Dunedin! Up we go ( remember to breath ) we are thankful we have water with us and it's not a hot day. Once you get to where Tanner Road joins with Rockside you have a choice to make. Either continue onwards or turn up Tanner Road. As we have time restraints we decide to take the shortcut up Tanner Road. It's a bit of a hike but the view looking down the valley makes it worth it.
We walk through the Leithton Close subdivision and back on to Tanner Road. Once again up we go! A word of advice, don't wear brand new sneakers without socks and walk up hills like my sister did. We stop almost at the top so my sister can remove her shoes and I look across the road and happen to notice a wooden gate with Craigieburn written down it. I check my book to see if this is part of this walk but don't find it. Following our curiosity we head across the road to check it out. Craigieburn is a colonial subsistence farm settled by William and Elizabeth Rankin in 1860. There's so much interesting history and information about this place I plan on coming back to explore and create a separate blog about it.
Back to the walk, straight ahead you see where Wakari Road starts, just beyond that is Booth Road which is where The Pinapple Track starts ( which I plan on conquering later this year ) , I've always wondered why it's called that and after a little research I got my answer. Oscar Balk immigrated to Dunedin in 1894 with his wife Edith , he joined a local company that sold coffee, tea and spices which was later called Wilson Balk and Company. He lived with his wife and daughters in Drivers Road, Maori Hill. Oscar was very involved with the establishment of the Balmacewen Bowling and Tennis Clubs and was a founding member of the Otago Tramping Club. He would often take friends walking from Leith Valley to the top of Flagstaff treating themselves to a can of pineapple at the top and leave the empty cans tied to trees on the return trip. Below is a photo I found of Oscar with Ben Rudd- the Hermit of Flagstaff.
Next we turn down Glenholm St, we stay on the right and having a nosy in the gardens we find some interesting garden art, keep an eye out for it. Glance across the road to spot Dunedin's closest to a power pylon house. Originally Glenholm was going to go from Tanner Rd to Malvern St, have a look as you walk round the bend to Glenmore St, it would've been quite a steep drive down.
Walking along Glenmore and turn right onto Fulton Road. We take the quick detour down to number 21 to see if we can spot what remains of this areas first house. A stone cottage built in 1858 it's the base of the modern home, I imagine what is now the garage area above the house was the original barn.
Back up the street and down Andail St then onto Islay Street, both named after Scottish places ( a Loch and an Island ) , it's a very peaceful walk, no traffic noise and birds happily singing away. At the bottom we turn up Leith Valley Road and continue until we get to the Leith Valley School, Opened in 1884 and closed in 1931, since 1977 it's been home to the Otago Classic Motoring Club ( formerly the NZ Post Vintage Car Club ) and has been well maintained, the school hall that stood to the left of the school was moved to Waikouaiti to be used as a scout hall. We now have the choice of continuing on to Nicols Creek to check out what was once one of Dunedin's top tourist attraction Nicols Falls and the Glow Worms. 100 years ago people flocked here paying sixpence for admission fee at the tollgate. Named after David Nicol who owned land for cattle here, Nichols Creek was once the scene of a Neighbours at War (1890's edition) between the Rossbotham and Finnerty families. Check out the Kiwi Adventures blog for the very intriguing full story. As we'd visited the falls the week before with our children we decided not to have another look. It is well worth a visit if you've never been, I'd suggest on a dry day as it can be a very difficult track to walk when it's wet.
Back the way we came onto Malvern St and wander down stopping opposite number 435, look down into the Water of Leith, could you believe this wee stream was the cause of one of Dunedin's most destructive floods. After heavy rain in March 1929 the Leith rose rapidly flooding around 500 houses and sweeping away bridges. As you continue to walk along keep an eye out for a handrail just down the bank, this shows how much lower this footpath once was. Continue along checking out the impressive stone retaining wall and the colourful house at number 411. As we get to the intersection with Fulton Rd stop and have a look at 385 Malvern St, built in the 1870's as a single story cottage, the 2nd story added in the 1920's. It was owned by same family for 97 years. Thomas William Jeans and his wife Blandina (nee Maxwell ) bought it in 1894, as far as I can discover they had 4 children, Helen, Rebecca, Eana and Alexander. Alexander died aged 6 in 1902, Blandina died in 1911 and Thomas in 1946. Helen studied medicine at Otago University and graduated in 1945 and was a practicing doctor in 1946, she died 4th May 1986. Eana is a well known artist famous for her watercolours, she studied at Slade School of Art in London and went on to exhibit in London and Paris before returning to Dunedin, she died 9th May 1986. Her art can be found in the Dunedin Art Gallery, Dunedin Library and in the Hocken Collection.
We continue on down Malvern St stopping opposite 235 and turn to spot Leithendel nestled amongst the bush. Originally Leithendel stood at the corner City Rd and Sligo Terrace in Roslyn, it was moved here in 1884 after the council wanted all houses built on the Town Belt moved. It was built in the 1860's by Henry Skey a meteorologist who would send his daily weather readings out from his observatory. Owned by Bill and Daphne Lee ( both scientists ) since the late 70's they have beautifully restored and cared for the home keeping a lot of the original features.
Onwards to Patmos Avenue for what I believe is one of the grandest homes in Dunedin. Not far up we come across a rather grand entrance complete with a gatekeepers cottage which is just a hint of the spectacular home we will soon see. Up we go...again but it's worth it I promise. When you get to the driveway on the left with the white fencing cross over and walk up a little bit until you can see Bishopgrove, hidden away in it's own valley. Built for Bishop Samuel Nevill it was completed in 1883, set amongst 4.6 hectares it has 700 square metres of floor space. An interesting mix of architectural styles ( Tudor, Gothic and Queen Anne ) and building materials ( brick, stone and wood ) with it's own ballroom and stunning entrance foyer Bishop Nevill lived here with his first wife Mary until she died in 1905 and then his 2nd wife Rosalind. He died here in 1921 and was buried in Warrington. Bishopgrove was then used as a Bible College for the Associated Churches of Christ before becoming a private home once again in the 1970's. Christine and Richard Farry have owned Bishopgrove for the last 35 years, raising their children and taking good care of this historic house. It is currently for sale so for a look at the beautiful interior have a look on Trade Me and then rush out and buy a Lotto ticket like I did.
Now back down Patmos Ave and back to the car.
CONCLUSION- Interesting walk, was great to find Craigieburn as it wasn't included on the walk and am looking forward to exploring it further. Great walk for exercising. I didn't have much luck with my photos so I apologize for the quality of some of them.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND PHOTO CREDIT-
More Homes and Houses by Lois Galer
Houses of Dunedin by Lois Galer
Above The Belt by Jane Smallfield and Brian Heenan
Papers Past
Otago Daily Times
Heritage NZ
Kiwi Adventures blog.