August 8th has special significance for the Dunedin Amenities Society as it was the official national day of Arbor Day established by our co-founder Alexander Bathgate in 1892. Bathgate believed that in creating Arbor Day New Zealand would create future generations of people who would care about their environment, he wrote “a well-grown tree is an object of beauty, and children would become all the better men and women if they had an eye for the beautiful in nature.” The Society have continued on in that vein with its Project Gold collaboration with the Department of Conservation over the last three years. This year staff and pupils from the Carisbrook School planted around 180 native trees including the beautiful golden Kowhai at Sidey Park in Caversham. It was a pleasure to work with the pupils and to see their hard work in completing the planting on a special day for the Society. Alexander Bathgate would certainly have approved. 
New Zealand
The 2017 Traverse Was Wild
When you wake up early on the morning of any event you’re planning the first instinct is to check the weather, and Sunday, April 23rd did not disappoint. With a warm autumn day bathed in sunshine nearly 900 people and 100 dogs explored the 8.2 kilometre route through the Dunedin Town Belt. The Society were delighted and humbled at the massive turn out of participants for the Traverse this year. The conservation expo at the finish in Woodhaugh was also a great success for the community groups involved. This is the first time the Society have partnered the Traverse with Wild Dunedin and it was an exciting and natural fit for our city. The Society loves hosting so many families, children and participants of all ages in the Town Belt. Being able to make it a free event is very important so that we can share our love of this historic space. We have been very fortunate to receive the support of generous sponsors and volunteers to make the Traverse such a success. Its shows a real spirit in Dunedin that cares for this great reserve. So to everyone who participated, donated time and supported the Dunedin Town Belt Traverse 2017 our grateful thanks from the Dunedin Amenities Society. (Click on pictures to view in full screen).
Keep going
Nearly there
Last leg
Poetry break
Olveston stamps
Jubilee Park
Admiral Byrd I presume?
Annual General Meeting
Town Belt Traverse 2017
Its time to get your walking shoes on again and explore one of Dunedin’s great natural and historical landscapes. The Town Belt Traverse is an 8.2 kilometre from the Southern Cemetery to Woodhaugh Gardens taking in the heart of the Dunedin Town Belt on Sunday 23rd April and its absolutely free!
The route is a pram friendly (3 wheel buggies with some help) event for people of all ages stopping off at five points along the way. Participants will receive a map and ticket at the car-park inside the Southern Cemetery. The traverse starts at between 10-11 am and all participants must complete the traverse by 1.30. Collect a stamp at all five marshal points and you can be eligible for some great local prizes drawn at the finish. You must be at the draw to collect your prize. The route is marked and there will be marshals at road crossing points along the way. Register on the day at the start of the walk.
The 
Dunedin Town Belt is one of New Zealand’s oldest reserves and plays a special part in the physical and historic landscape of Dunedin. It has a rich history that dates back to the planning of Dunedin before settlers arrived here in 1848. The Town Belt covers 203 hectares and includes the two historic cemeteries and the Botanic Gardens. With its extensive parkland and forest remnants it creates a green corridor through the heart of the city.
Today the Town Belt is an important recreational and ecological asset for the city and provides invaluable habitat for kereru, bellbird, tomtit, tui, rifleman, morepork, and shining cuckoo. The vegetation is an eclectic mix of exotics that dominates the southern area of the ‘belt to the more kanuka and fuchsia dominated ridges and gullies of the northern areas. At Woodhaugh an old stand of kahikatea remains as a reminder of a significant wetland forest that once stood there.
For the Dunedin Amenities Society the protection and enhancement of the Town Belt was the beginning of its foundation in 1888. The Society was founded through the energy of Thomas Brown and Alexander Bathgate to protect, enhance and promote Dunedin’s landscape and biodiversity. The Town Belt Traverse is your opportunity to explore through a self guided walk one of New Zealand’s great reserve sites.
Traverse Highlights
- The outstanding views from Admiral Byrd’s lookout at Unity Park
- Walking through Jubilee Park (Thomlinson’s Paddock) the site of the foundation of the Society and a temporary camp for miners on their way to the goldfields
- Serpentine Avenue where Toitu stream once flowed
- Learn about the old tram line running through Robin Hood Park from the High Street cable car group.
- Learn more about the cosmos from the Beverly-Begg Observatory
- Take a free visit the gardens and grounds of the Olveston stately home
- Experience the lushness of the fuchsia dominated forest of Queens Drive to Cosy Dell
- Hear local poets perform at the Clear in honour of Charles Brasch at Prospect Park
- Enjoy lunch at the old wetland forest remnant at Woodhaugh (Free BBQ supplied)
- Get a kowhai seed kit and learn more about Project Gold in the Town Belt
What to Bring
- Comfortable walking shoes
- A warm jacket (you won’t need it because it’ll be warm and sunny!)
- A drink and a snack for energy (we have a chocolate bar to get you started)
- Your camera
- Your inquisitive nature
- Your friends and family (dogs on leads thanks)
- A costume (you might win a prize)
- You can use the Normanby bus from opposite Woodhaugh to return to your vehicle at the Southern Cemetery. Check out the bus timetable here.
Nearly there
Arriving at the finish
Through the gate
They walked and picked up rubbish!
Getting instructions for the course
Reading Littlebournes history
The Town Belt Traverse Route
The Town Belt Traverse follows the red line on the map from the historic Southern Cemetery to Woodhaugh Gardens.
Portobello Kids at Craigieburn
The Society hosted the year 5&6 classes from Portobello School at Craigieburn today. The group walked through Ross Creek and up to Craigieburn as part of their school camp. While they were there they cleared part of the stone floor from the old barn/roadway on the main track. During their excavations nothing of any significance was found, but there was enough anticipation to keep everyone busy. Thankfully the weather cleared for Portobello School to enjoy their lunch at the byre site before making the trek through Ross Creek.
Look what I found
The group reveal the stone floor
Keeping busy
Anticipation of a great find
Project Gold With Kavanagh College
Kavanagh College year 8 pupils were in the Town Belt at Maori Road on Monday planting trees as part of the annual Project Gold for the reserve. Nearly 30 pupils and staff planted around 200 native trees supplied from local nursery Ribbonwood Nurseries. The trees are supplied by the Dunedin Amenities Society as part of its partnership with the Department of Conservation and the Dunedin City Council and aims to increase the number of Kowhai in the Town Belt for birds. The Society has committed $7500 for five years of funding Project Gold in the city, and this is the second year of planting. Society President Paul Pope was delighted by the hard work of the pupils and the help of Department of Conservation and Delta staff. The Amenities Society has a long association with tree planting and community service and its hoped that the pupils will become the new stewards of the Town Belt. We need young people to take part and learn that conservation is about putting the spade in the ground and letting kids get their hands dirty. Great job Kavanagh. (Click on the pictures to view full size)
The Kavanagh team at work
Just time for a picture
Giving Teachers the Town Belt Bug
The Town Belt is surrounded with schools and its long been an ambition of the Society to get those schools and their teachers involved with the reserve. Over the last few months the Society have been working with the Department of Conservation, Dunedin City Council, and the Otakou & Puketeraki Runanga to develop an education programme based on the values of the Town Belt. Part of this process has been to invite teachers from schools to get inspired by the Town Belt by well-known bug man Rudd Kleinpaste.
Rudd who was in Dunedin for Conservation Week 2016, gave the invited teachers some inspiring ideas for teaching children about nature. He challenged their thinking about teaching science and conservation as well offering his insight on the possibilities of the area. The education programme is an exciting development for the reserve and the Society hopes it will create a new generation of young people to become stewards and guardians of this very special area of our city.
