Nine people signed up for the club’s New Year Round The Mountain – Ruapehu trip. The group featured a few people new to multi-day walks, a few new to the club, as well as some very experienced club members and trampers. The distance and demanding terrain mean that an excellent baseline fitness is a prerequisite, … Read more
Aokaparangi Loop and Maungahuka Hut A 4 day hiking loop trip around the Aokaparanki Loop to Maungahuka Hut – the hut in the Tararua Range that started me on my tramping journey. The hut that started it all for me … Years ago, when I got my first Tararua Forest Park map for a school … Read more
We decided on a day trip to Snowy Hut, after a changing weather forecast swept away our plans for a 6-day expedition. Starting out from Otaki Forks just after 8am, we walked for about an hour on the road until we reached the start of the Waiotauru Hut track. In the first few kms of … Read more
Day 1: Friday 12 January – Poads Road to Waiopehu HutThis trip was planned as a Medium-Fit trip in and out of Mid Otaki Hut via Poads Road. However, when it became clear a few other people couldn’t make the trip, and Mon and I wanted to visit South and North Ohau Huts as well, … Read more
A group of 5 trampers did the Queen Charlotte Track to ring in the new year. As we were on our summer break, we decided to take the easy option and have a sea shuttle transport our overnight packs (with tents) to the campsite we’d be staying at each day – and we just walked … Read more
Friday (Road end to Powell Hut – 2h 45min) As we hopped into the van with the EM group on Friday, the vision for the trip was clear: there would be pizzas. How we would justify it as a club trip and what the tramping would actually involve was not as clear, however… The trip … Read more
This weekend was scheduled as an Alp 1 trip to Bounds Peak in the Raglan Ranges. It’s proving a very elusive objective, with a growing number of thwarted attempts over the past few years. The weather was definitely not good enough for alpine climbing, so we settled on an overnighter to Powell Hut, to play … Read more
A relaxed start and some questionable navigation lead us to the Ōrongorongo Station carpark at 9:30am. We left a car there, drove to the Catchpool Valley carpark, and were walking by 10am. In no time at all we were heading up the Ōrongorongo Valley. A vague attempt was made to keep boots dry on the … Read more
Mt Tarahaka – on the Road to Nowhere Mt Tarahaka in the Seaward Kaikoura Range Dino chickens. Stalked by horses. Vigorous totara trees. Electric shocks. Ambiguous routes. Nothing is ever simple in the Seaward Kaikōura Range it seems. Tony and I have a bit of a running record with this area where our trips don’t … Read more
18 months after the trip, we realised that no trip report had been written. Here is one; better late than never. Because our trip was at the Easter long weekend, we had to camp because all indoor accommodation had been booked out well in advance. But I think most of us didn’t mind camping. On … Read more