Holy shit! I am so knackered. I am lying on one of the top bunks of a small mountain hut in Arthur’s Pass national park. It is cramped. There are barely nine inches between my nose and the slope of the ceiling. It doesn’t matter, though, because I am too tired to sit up. I … Read more
with Aunty Rata It’s February already. Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun? Speaking of which, Jackie Foster is running a “Best Tramping Bum” competition and your Aunty Rata has been lucky enough to have a sneak peek at some of the entries. She reckons this one is definitely the front runner… But don’t worry … Read more
For those who are just wandering back after a long festive break…. Welcome back! Were you at club on the 3rd of Feb, for Dave’s talk on his times in Antarctica? Amazing photos and entertaining commentary…. Thanks Dave! Here are a few of the up coming events to put in your diary. 17.02.10 New Members Night. 24.02.10 … Read more
Welcome back! I hope you all had a great summer break, whether you went tramping or not. I know the weather was not great for some of the groups that went to the South Island over Christmas and New Year, but from the reports I have heard, they still managed to do what they had … Read more
We all finally met in the vehicle line-up at the ferry car park. The trip leader had waited the previous half hour sunbathing and enjoying the perfect still evening air, watching the ironing board flat sea and the growing number of various shades of pink in the sky. An idyllic ferry crossing passed with pleasant … Read more
A special THANKS to everyone who has helped us out in the Chief Guide arena. Your time and support has made this year one of the best. Our two vans have clocked up some impressive mileage moving happy trampers all over NZ. Book your diaries now for next year. New Members Night Wednesday 17 Feb … Read more
With Aunty Rata Seasons Greetings! If you have managed to fit reading this column in with all your Xmas parties then good on you, although possibly you need to get out more. After a tramp, kayak, bike ride or climb everyone fancies a decent feed of kai and most of us are not adverse to … Read more
2010 is almost upon us, we had our last club night of the year yesterday (a unique and thought provoking talk on reconnecting with nature!), and Christmas is just a couple of weeks away now. I think 2009 has been another great year for our club. The material highlights are buying a 2nd club van … Read more
What a wonderful weekend trip to Paua Hut. The weather was superb and we had enthusiastic children that loved the whole experience, helped by having each other as company and fireworks and chocolate snacks. More about that later. We all met up at the Catchpool carpark on a beautiful Saturday morning at 10.30am. Constanze and … Read more
I volunteered to lead this medium trip after Michael Lightbourne pulled out due to unfamiliarity with the route. On the trip list were six club members, plus Vlad. Vlad had never tramped in New Zealand, although assured me he had hiked in the Ukraine. Best let him know what he’s in for, I thought. You … Read more