Back to Part 1 A rest in Tauranga allowed us to reflect on our Coromandel Peninsula adventures. Excellent memories of relaxing beaches and coves, deserted gravel roads, humungous hills, spectacular views, art galleries, cafés and hot bread shops, swims and siestas. A phone call to Harry in Wellington and he was inspired with all this … Read more
A rest day! Yes, at last, a proper rest day – all day to be spent in the tent reading, sleeping and listening to the pitter patter of sandflies headbanging the fly. Oh – and maybe a chance to write that article I promised Claire for the newsletter. Where to begin? Our big cycle trip … Read more
An AIC behind many of us, the dry climate of the Kaikouras drew 9 people in search of one of NZ’s highest but easier to climb peaks, Mt Tapeau-O-Uenuku. The ‘Tappy’ trip is becoming a regular club event, taking a Friday off work and setting forth to tackle the legendary Hodder River before putting the … Read more
Some may call it a degeneration of standards, but others may refer to it an effective use of resources – the promise of some poor weather was overshadowed by the generosity of some club members and some effective planning. Harry Smith, Jerry Gabriel, Peter Wills, Gerard Galvin, Bruce Sommerville and I headed for a cycle … Read more
Mud. Sandflies. Howling southerlies. Freezing cold. Don’t even think about going for a swim. That’s what I had heard about Stewart Island. Well, maybe it was El Niño (or is that La Niña?) or maybe it was just serendipitous good fortune, but whatever the reason, it wasn’t like that at all. The mud wasn’t too … Read more
Have you ever wanted to do one of those commercial-style tramps, where your gear is ferried forward for you each day so you only have to carry a day pack, and you get to stay in luxury private lodges overnight? Well, we had a taste of what it would be like early in February when … Read more
It was a civilized time to start a tramping trip, I decided: 8.30 on Saturday morning at the railway station (and rolling on towards 9.00 before the last of the punters turned up), rather than the usual 7.00 o’clock start on Friday night. Being the leader of the only trip going away for the weekend … Read more
I seem to do the Heaphy Track once every 25 years. The last time was in 1973 (don’t ask me about the time before that if you value your life!); the most recent time was earlier this year at Waitangi weekend when Austin, Andy Sweet, Suzi Penny and I took an extra day off and … Read more
We peered down into the clag. Below us, the slope seemed to disappear into an abyss of hideous bluffs and gullies. Above us, the steep snow slopes and rocky bluffs soared upwards, disappearing out of sight into the thick, enveloping clag. Which way should we head? If we continued upwards, would we reach our goal, … Read more
When it is the middle of the night and you are lying in your sleeping bag in a tent and it is cold and drizzly outside and you hear someone get up for a pee and then you realise they aren’t peeing, they’re lighting a primus because they don’t realise it is still the middle … Read more