The other, other way up Flagstaff

Sticking with last week's theme of alternative ways up Flagstaff, this week we'll tackle another rugged track on the other side of the summit. Meeting at the carpark at the end of Fraser's Road in Kaikorai Valley, we'll head up the Tilburn Street track to Halfway Bush, then onwards to Speirs Road and the Speirs Track, which will take us up across varied terrain all the way to the top. We'll then head down to the Bullring and onto the Fir Trader MTB track. This lovely track winds it's way down the hill for a couple of km, bringing us out onto Whare Flat Road. From here, we'll either head down Dalziel Road, or — if the consensus is for a longer run — we'll head up Halfway Bush Road to Brinsdown Road. Either way, we'll eventually end up at the top of Fraser's Gully, for the quick descent back to the start. Depending upon the route, it should be between 13 to 15 km and about 700m vert. As the route crosses farmland, sadly dogs aren't able to join us this week.