Newsletter changes update

In May this year the club made some changes to the way the newsletter blog was distributed to members. Essentially this involved discontinuing the paper copy, and sending an email notification to all members whenever there was a significant posting to the newsletter. The reasons for these changes were fairly simple: the time involved in … Read more

Tararua calendar 2016

For those of you who think the Tararuas are a nice place to go tramping you may be interested in a 2016 Calendar that will continually remind you just how nice they really are and that you must go back there on a club trip sometime very soon. Those who dislike the Tararuas can still buy a calendar – and … Read more

Not the Tararuas

The Tararuas are the measure of all trips by Wellington trampers. And Tararua trips are usually wet and often cold, and therefore mostly uncomfortable. But there are other places to go where it is invariably hot and dry and therefore not really uncomfortable at all. For example there is no mud on this access track. … Read more

Totara Flats 101

Camping among the totara trees with a cheery campfire at Totara Flats Tararua Range

Totara Flats 101 – a brief history story Totara Flats are are delight – but the story behind their formation is one of destructive geological movements along the Wellington earthquake fault-line. One of the nicest places in the Tararua Forest Park for an easy tramp is Totara Flats. There are a number of good tracks … Read more

Alpha Hut – did you know?

That the first Alpha Hut on the Tararua southern crossing route was built exactly one hundred years ago in 1915. Mr W Workman constructed the 3 m x 4 m hut, with a dirt floor, from timber cut at the site, and from corrugated iron carried in by pack horse, all under contract to the Greytown … Read more

PNTMC 50th Jubilee

Palmerston North Tramping and Mountaineering Club 50th Jubilee 27-29 November 2015 Calling all past members Palmerston North Tramping and Mountaineering Club celebrate their 50th Jubilee 27-29 November 2015 with a weekend of fun and fellowship at Camp Rangi Woods in the picturesque Pohangina Valley. If you have been a member of PNTMC and would like … Read more

First aid doesn’t happen by accident

The club recently ran a very successful two-day first aid course with a special emphasis for trampers. Sixteen club members have now updated their first aid to First Aid Level 2 under the enthusiastic instruction of Margaret from St John. They revised their CPR skills, stemmed serious bleeding, tended to fractures and wasp stings and burns, warmed hypothermic … Read more

WTMC whio protection

It is depressing to all those that love the outdoors that so many of NZ’s native birds are either recently extinct, or are now classified as nationally critical or nationally endangered. Kea that were once common in large flocks are now rarely seen on tramping trips in the South Island mountains, falcons and rock wrens … Read more

Maps for tramping

One of the most important pieces of kit we carry when heading into the hills is a map – especially for those heading far away from marked tracks. LINZ provides the data for the maps we use – and are lost (literally) without. So have a read of the info from them – we cannot … Read more