McRaes Weir Track

#183 Do - Today I headed into the Silverstream Water Race tracks with a couple of friends. We jogged along the river to the McRaes Weir Track (I learnt a weir is a dam to change the water level or divert the flow) which involved lots of mud, a few creek crossings and some steep ups and downs with one little section that had a rope to help! We did plenty of referring to our map (extremely helpful to have) passing lots of beautiful scenery - it was a fun adventure. Silverstream is also known as Whakaehu, and I learnt of a Māori legend that relates to this area. The Silverstream Valley was home to a taniwha, which was the guardian of the spirit of chief Rakitauneke. One day it lost chief Rakitauneke in the Dunedin hills and went inland to search for him. The taniwha slithered down the Whakaehu to search the Taieri Plains, wriggling down the Taieri River (causing the sharp bends) and when it died, it became the coastal hills - seen today in the form of the double peaked Saddle Hill.

#trail #nature #explore #view