The 2017 NZ Tramping Calendar

When, in less than the blink of a cosmic eyeball from now, I am sitting in my wheelchair in my geriatric old-age, breathless, bald, wrinkled, pot-bellied,  threadbare rug draped over my bony, aching knees, dribbling down my plastic bib and muttering dark imprecations to myself about the Youth of Today, my young nieces and nephews … Read more

Aotea Track – Great Barrier Island

On Friday the third of June seven intrepid Wellington trampers congregated in Auckland airport to await the beautiful scenic thirty minute flight to Great Barrier Island. The Island is serviced by two airlines (Barrier Air and Fly My Sky) and by a slight miscommunication as a group we were split between the two airlines but … Read more

Roaring Stag: Good company, good custard.

Roaring Stag Hut had been described to me as a typical Tararuas tramp and a staple on the WTMC tramping schedule, so as a fully -fledged member now I thought it was one that I must do. The tramp started at 9.00am on Saturday morning at the Railway station. Ten of us piled into the … Read more

Totara Flats (and the best veggie shepherds pie ever tasted in the Tararuas…)

The rain on Friday night gave us an excuse for a very leisurely Saturday morning start to the tramp. We met at the Railway Station at 7.30am, and stopped for breakfast and a coffee at the Wild Oats Café in Masterton around 9am. So it wasn’t until 10.10am that we were at the Holdsworth road … Read more

Herepai: A tale of two dogs

This is a tale of two dogs. Saturday morning, eleven of us arrived with our van at the trailhead of Herepai. Upon arrival we were greeted by a dog – lets call him Rocky. Rocky ran alongside our car for the final 200 meters of our drive. His impressive sprint proved he could easily fill … Read more

Bulmer Lake by photos

Heading towards Sunrise Peak from Bulmer Lake

Bulmer Lake by photos A 3 day hiking loop trip into the Mt Owen area of Kahurangi National Park via Bulmer Lake in search of the Mt Owen Ice Cave. For another Mt Owen trip go to Mt Owen – and some thoughts on trundling*

Te Puia Lodge – Makino Hut

4th June – Mangatutu Hot Springs to Te Puia Lodge and Mangatinoka Hot Springs Total Walking Time – 2.5hours Total Hot Pool Time – 2.5hours After a long drive our group arrived at the Mangatutu Hot Springs camping ground at around 1:30am on a very cold evening. Our road weariness and the cold, hard ground … Read more

Lake Chalice

This club easy tramp was made very special because of both the pretty place we went to, and also because everyone on the trip got on so well together. There was never a harsh word, and all those little camping jobs were done as if by magic. Lake Chalice is a delightful place. We arrived … Read more

Te Araroa walkway – Paekakariki Escarpment

The new Paekakariki Escarpment track proved to be a very civilized introduction to the WTMC. Nine of us – a mix of club old hands and newbies, Kiwis and recent arrivals – met at the Wellington railway station at 9 and took the train to Paekakariki. First things first, so we headed into a nearby … Read more

Te Puia Lodge Tramp and Camp

The Te Puia Lodge area in the Kaweka Ranges is well known for more than just its stunning scenery; it is one of the few tracks in New Zealand where trampers can relax in spring-fed hot pools at the end of each day. With the winter chill beginning to set in and fine weather predicted, … Read more