Dunedin track builder wins Outdoor Access Champion award

Twelve years and seven rugged kilometres of track building in honour of a late friend has earned a Dunedin volunteer a national award.

Arthur Blondell, a dedicated community volunteer, has spent the last 12 years building and maintaining the 7km River Track, commonly called Arthur’s Track. On Thursday, 29 May, he will receive an Outdoor Access Champion award for the track, which follows the south branch of the Waikouaiti River in the picturesque Silverpeaks Scenic Reserve.

Arthur’s Track keeps walkers on conservation land, providing some bush to walk through while avoiding roads, forestry tracks, and locked gates. It also improves access to the Philip J. Cox Memorial Hut, a special tribute to his late friend. The hut is a vital shelter on the Silverpeaks Circuit Track. However, accessing it was previously fraught. Walkers had to make several river crossings that were treacherous in poor weather.

Determined to enhance the tramping experience, Arthur embarked on his journey in 2012, at the age of 64, with the Department of Conservation’s blessing.

Arthur’s work navigated rugged terrain and overcame dense undergrowth and steep, slippery hillsides. Each Monday, he made a 40-minute drive followed by a 200-meter descent on foot to reach the track site. Armed with his own tools and self-sourced materials, he dug and benched the track by hand while establishing drainage and building boardwalks.

In 2015, the Green Hut Track Group, a team of mostly retired volunteers, joined Arthur, dedicating many of their Mondays to help build and maintain the track. In 2017, Antony Hamel, author of the Dunedin Tracks and Trail guidebook, led the inaugural tramp along Arthur’s Track.

Not yet finished, Arthur refined the track to cater to a broader range of users. Over the last seven years, he has re-routed sections and introduced switchbacks to create a gentler incline. The track only crosses the Waikouaiti River south branch once in the relatively shallow upper reaches, enabling people to enjoy the river safely without making numerous crossings.

With its safer, more accessible layout, the track allows families and novice trampers to confidently embark on day trips or weekend adventures. The journey from Semple Road car park to the Philip J. Cox Memorial Hut takes roughly 3 to 3.5 hours.

The River Track provides multi-day circuit options within the Silverpeaks Reserve, leading participants to stunning views of the coast and the Taieri Plains. The Department of Conservation formally incorporated Arthur’s track into the Silverpeaks Circuit Track in May 2024.

As an avid mountaineer, Arthur hopes his River Track will inspire more people to explore an area he has loved since the late 1980s.

Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa, the Outdoor Access Commission, presents a small number of Outdoor Access Champion awards each year to recognise those who have made significant and lasting contributions to public access to the outdoors in New Zealand, whether through securing new legal access, championing public rights of access, trail building, or contributing to an understanding of access rights and responsibilities.