A DAM GOOD TIME: A SENSE OF ADVENTURE IS COMPULSORY
18 MAY 2023
The waterfall at the end of the track
It's Time To Tick This One Off The List
When we travel to a new area, we like to research the heck out of the place and find as many walks and hikes as we can and decide which ones are at the top of our list. We always keep a Word document full of these walks and hikes so that when we go back to the area, we know which new ones we can do and cross off the list. The Barnes Dam track in the Esson Valley was a random walk we came across and it's seriously hard to find any information on Google about it... so I have NO idea how I found it in the first place - it will forever remain a mystery! It had been sitting on our list of walks and hikes to do in Marlborough for a while, so on our 4th visit, we decided it was finally time to do this track.
Does this ever happen to you when you go to a new place? Do you have a list of cafes, stores, experiences or hikes that you want to visit and the less desired ones end up at the bottom of the list for you to do next time you visit the area?
The Barnes Dam Track is in Picton, only a few minutes from the town centre and it's a 5.6km track that takes you out to the Barnes Dam and back in about 1.5 hours. I took us longer (what's new) as we found a few streams and rivers along the way that the girls HAD to throw stones into (again, what's new) and they wanted play Pooh Sticks (just like we did on the Franz Josef Glacier Walk in Franz Josef - seriously, these obvious comments in brackets are getting out of hand!) from the bridges and as the water was calm and super clear, they wanted to go swimming but we wanted to get going with the walk and we didn't have a towel for them to dry off with so onwards it was!
The first part of the track is fairly flat and easy, with a couple of picnic tables on the side of the track to enjoy ya sammies (sandwiches, for all you non-kiwi lingoers) and there is access to the river down by the picnic table that's on the large grass clearing. It's not sign posted or anything, so keep your eyes peeled! Eventually the track splits into two - one being the Barnes Dam Track and the other is the Humphries Dam Track which we have also done and found it a lot easier than this track.
We even had a cheeky highland cow watching us from behind a bush, in a paddock across the river which the girls thought was hilarious!
Does this ever happen to you when you go to a new place? Do you have a list of cafes, stores, experiences or hikes that you want to visit and the less desired ones end up at the bottom of the list for you to do next time you visit the area?
The Barnes Dam Track is in Picton, only a few minutes from the town centre and it's a 5.6km track that takes you out to the Barnes Dam and back in about 1.5 hours. I took us longer (what's new) as we found a few streams and rivers along the way that the girls HAD to throw stones into (again, what's new) and they wanted play Pooh Sticks (just like we did on the Franz Josef Glacier Walk in Franz Josef - seriously, these obvious comments in brackets are getting out of hand!) from the bridges and as the water was calm and super clear, they wanted to go swimming but we wanted to get going with the walk and we didn't have a towel for them to dry off with so onwards it was!
The first part of the track is fairly flat and easy, with a couple of picnic tables on the side of the track to enjoy ya sammies (sandwiches, for all you non-kiwi lingoers) and there is access to the river down by the picnic table that's on the large grass clearing. It's not sign posted or anything, so keep your eyes peeled! Eventually the track splits into two - one being the Barnes Dam Track and the other is the Humphries Dam Track which we have also done and found it a lot easier than this track.
We even had a cheeky highland cow watching us from behind a bush, in a paddock across the river which the girls thought was hilarious!
Wasp City
Once we got onto the actual Barnes Dam Track, it became a lot more interesting. We discovered a lot more varieties of mushrooms, pretty pink and white daisies growing out from the rock face we passed and some beautiful punga fern fronds ready to grow out to become large, beautiful green leaves. I love walks and hikes where nature shows us all the beautiful things she has, especially in autumn and winter where the pretty colours seem to disappear (I'm a lover of spring!). We love tracks like this where the kids can explore outside of the path in the forest and rivers as they have sooo much fun and always find something new they've never seen before. They never really seem to get grumpy out in nature and WE LOVE THIS SO MUCH! Of course, they have their moments of being grumpy but hey, who doesn't, and it quickly goes away once they find something new to turn their attention to.
We saw lots of black, diseased trees CRAWLING with wasps in one section of the track and this is something we have noticed a lot in the Marlborough region, especially on the Circle Walk in the Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve, but the wasps never bothered us, no matter how close we got. I HATE wasps with a passion and I usually avoid them like the plague, but they were too busy doing their thang on the trees. I'd like to know why it is they're attracted to the trees so if you know, reach out! We ended up naming this section 'Wasp City' as there was so many, but don't let this put you off as we really were fine!
We eventually came to the pipe which we walked alongside the rest of the way. It reminded us of the Rail Loop Tunnel Loop Walk in the Karangahake Gorge in the North Island as the forest looked so similar and there were random pipes along the track. The pipe was fine in the beginning... not a problem at all matey ho... happy to see ya... we followed it alongside the river, over more bridges and we even hopped on it now and then for fun.... it was our friend... we liked it... HOWEVER...
We saw lots of black, diseased trees CRAWLING with wasps in one section of the track and this is something we have noticed a lot in the Marlborough region, especially on the Circle Walk in the Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve, but the wasps never bothered us, no matter how close we got. I HATE wasps with a passion and I usually avoid them like the plague, but they were too busy doing their thang on the trees. I'd like to know why it is they're attracted to the trees so if you know, reach out! We ended up naming this section 'Wasp City' as there was so many, but don't let this put you off as we really were fine!
We eventually came to the pipe which we walked alongside the rest of the way. It reminded us of the Rail Loop Tunnel Loop Walk in the Karangahake Gorge in the North Island as the forest looked so similar and there were random pipes along the track. The pipe was fine in the beginning... not a problem at all matey ho... happy to see ya... we followed it alongside the river, over more bridges and we even hopped on it now and then for fun.... it was our friend... we liked it... HOWEVER...
A young ponga fern frond
What An Annoying Cat... I Mean Pipe!
... it started to get in our way. Instead of being on the side of the track, the pipe started BECOMING the track! It was in the middle of the track in so many parts which meant we were hopping from one side of it to the other and sometimes even walking on it and it was like that annoying cat, rubbing up against your legs and tripping you up while you're trying to cook in the kitchen! Yes ... THAT annoying! It was hard in some parts to navigate it as the path was a bit slippery and a few parts felt a little dodgy with trying to get past the cat, I mean pipe, while walking on a slippery, narrow strip beside a huge drop off down to the river. It was an adventure for sure!! Totally doable with kiddies, just keep them close and hold their hands on these narrow parts.
The track also became more closed in and narrow and the rocks and trees had more greenery growing on it, which meant that it was quite a damp place that didn't see much sunlight (we felt the temperature drop as we got closer to the dam). We weren't quite sure what to expect at the end of the track and to be honest, we didn't even know if it was a there-and-back or loop track, but half of the fun of adventures is not knowing where you're going!
At one point on the track, Arabella's drink bottle fell out of the side of the bag and down into the Waitohi River as she hadn't strapped it in properly... so there was a real lesson learnt there for her and if you find a Barbie drink bottle with a pink lid floating in the river, let us know ;)
Just before the damn is a rock runnel which takes you to a waterfall and the dam. I'm not sure if this is man-made or a natural tunnel, but I'm guessing it is man-made to get the pipe through because if you can't go over it, you can't go under it, you gotta go through it! There are information boards here where you can read about the history and making of the Barnes Dam.
We didn't know there was a waterfall here so it was a nice surprise! I'm not sure if the source is from a river or the overflow from the dam, but we enjoyed watching it and the green moss on the rocks against the powerful white water was stunning.
Right beside the waterfall is the Barnes Dam which is a 16.7m concrete arch dam that was constructed in the early 1900s to harness the flow of water that became the water supply for Picton and it was named after the Barnes family who were early settlers in the area. The curve in dam curves upstream and it's held in place by the pressure of the water it holds back.
There are stairs that you can climb to get to the top of the dam to have a peek in. It's not very exciting and the stairs are steep and a killer (seriously, it took me 2 days for my thighs to recover from the small amount of steps!) and the gate at the top is locked so if you're not interested in dams, it's not really worth a look!
We felt weird standing below the dam and Lath and I both looked at each other at the same time and said "do you wanna get outta here in case this thing bursts?" and we left. You never know right? What if there's an earthquake... will that thing come down? Wow, I'm really selling this walk to you guys aren't I?! Would you do this track now after reading about narrow paths, Wasp City and the potential for the dam to burst? Sheesh! If you love an adventurous hike and finding really cool stuff then you will love this track!
The track also became more closed in and narrow and the rocks and trees had more greenery growing on it, which meant that it was quite a damp place that didn't see much sunlight (we felt the temperature drop as we got closer to the dam). We weren't quite sure what to expect at the end of the track and to be honest, we didn't even know if it was a there-and-back or loop track, but half of the fun of adventures is not knowing where you're going!
At one point on the track, Arabella's drink bottle fell out of the side of the bag and down into the Waitohi River as she hadn't strapped it in properly... so there was a real lesson learnt there for her and if you find a Barbie drink bottle with a pink lid floating in the river, let us know ;)
Just before the damn is a rock runnel which takes you to a waterfall and the dam. I'm not sure if this is man-made or a natural tunnel, but I'm guessing it is man-made to get the pipe through because if you can't go over it, you can't go under it, you gotta go through it! There are information boards here where you can read about the history and making of the Barnes Dam.
We didn't know there was a waterfall here so it was a nice surprise! I'm not sure if the source is from a river or the overflow from the dam, but we enjoyed watching it and the green moss on the rocks against the powerful white water was stunning.
Right beside the waterfall is the Barnes Dam which is a 16.7m concrete arch dam that was constructed in the early 1900s to harness the flow of water that became the water supply for Picton and it was named after the Barnes family who were early settlers in the area. The curve in dam curves upstream and it's held in place by the pressure of the water it holds back.
There are stairs that you can climb to get to the top of the dam to have a peek in. It's not very exciting and the stairs are steep and a killer (seriously, it took me 2 days for my thighs to recover from the small amount of steps!) and the gate at the top is locked so if you're not interested in dams, it's not really worth a look!
We felt weird standing below the dam and Lath and I both looked at each other at the same time and said "do you wanna get outta here in case this thing bursts?" and we left. You never know right? What if there's an earthquake... will that thing come down? Wow, I'm really selling this walk to you guys aren't I?! Would you do this track now after reading about narrow paths, Wasp City and the potential for the dam to burst? Sheesh! If you love an adventurous hike and finding really cool stuff then you will love this track!
There are plenty of playful fantails on the track
Know Before You Go
- The Barnes Dam track and Humphries Dam track are also known as the Esson Valley Tracks
- There are no toilets here
- The track can be slippery in places
- Little hands will need holding in certain parts where the track is narrow and drops off down into the river
- The track will take around 1.5 hours return
- There are a few access points down to the river at the start of the track, which is fun for the kids to play in!
- You can climb the stairs up to the top of the dam but you can't go any further
- Prams aren't suitable on this track at all
- Wear good shoes on this track
- There are wasps in some areas of the track but they seem to leave you alone
Mappy McMap Face
How To Get To The Barnes Dam Track In Picton
The Barnes Dam Track is located at the end of Garden Terrace Road in Picton which is 3-minutes south of the centre of town. You won't find the track on Google, so when you are looking for directions, search for the Essons Valley Home Stay as this is pretty much by the trail head.
There is no official carpark, but you can see where to park once you get there. Click here for the location on Google Maps.
There is no official carpark, but you can see where to park once you get there. Click here for the location on Google Maps.
Conclusion
The Barnes Dam Track in Picton is an interesting walk to say the least. You'll follow a pipe most of the way and it will be slippery and narrow in parts, but you're greeted with a beautiful waterfall at the end of the track and there is lots to discover along the way. The girls loved playing in the streams and there are a few bridges to throw things from down into the river!
You can walk the Humphries Dam Track, which has the same trailhead, and it's a bit easier to do but doesn't have a waterfall at the end.
You can walk the Humphries Dam Track, which has the same trailhead, and it's a bit easier to do but doesn't have a waterfall at the end.
Gallery of the Barnes Dam Track
Check out the rest of the awesomeness that didn't make it to the main blog but deserves to be shown.
More to do in New Zealand
NEW ZEALAND ALPINE LAVENDER FARM
CANTERBURY Lavender ice cream, cute bikes and rows of lavender near the beautiful Mt Cook and Lake Pukaki - what a dream!
|
FRANZ JOSEF GLACIER WALK
WEST COAST Take a short walk to catch a glimpse of one of New Zealand's most popular glaciers. It's an easy, flat walk suitable for most abilities. |
KAI IWI LAKES
NORTHLAND These are the clearest lakes we have seen in the North Island. Perfect place to relax in summer or take the boat out and catch some trout. |
SEND US A MESSAGE, WE LOVE GETTING MAIL! |
DISCOVER |
FOLLOW USBORING (BUT IMPORTANT LEGAL) STUFF |