I don’t think many of us could quite trust the more-or-less perfect forecast as the trip weekend approached, and a few times were we reminded that there had been many WTMC attempts at this area of the Ruahines, all thwarted in some way or another by bad weather. Well, it seems we finally lifted the … Read more
After a classic Friday afternoon departure from the Wellington Railway Station, our group of 12 made the most of some sunshine from the club van before boarding the ferry to Picton, where a spirited game of Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza attracted a fair bit of attention from our nearby Bluebridge passengers. From Picton, it … Read more
Kahurangi Keepers House is a DoC hut situated in a remote, beautiful location near the Kahurangi lighthouse on the far north of the West Coast. Access by land is either a multi-day bush bash from the Heaphy track via the Ministry of Works hut or a 3 to 4.5 hour beach walk from the north. … Read more
The secret society of Central Whirinaki Hut left no evidence behind of their esoteric full moon ritual. While the Waikato vegan tramping club did catch a glimpse of our trip leader yodelling a particular song, no suspicion was raised as that group was busy fishing – catch and release, of course – or were they … Read more
Having had my West Coast dreams crushed by the wet weather over the Christmas break, I was waiting for a fine spell to do something local but interesting, which presented itself in the form of a Carkeek SK (Schormann’s-Kaitoke) with a twist in the first week of January. Several people in the club had been … Read more
While we had originally hoped to packfloat down the Waiohine river, a stormy couple of days earlier in the week and light rain in the forecast meant that we had to turn our minds to Plan B in the Ruahines. After last minute sickness in the group, only Tayla and I pitched our tents at … Read more
🎵What a way to start a medium tramp on a Thursday, cruiiiiising on the Interislander (okay it was the Bluebridge), sailing to the other side. After the ferry dropped our crew of 13 (including James’ MF group) in Picton, we grabbed a bite to eat from one of the many fine dining establishments in town. … Read more
The plan for the weekend was a Waipakihi Hut loop – heading in over Urchin and following the Waipakihi River to the hut on Saturday then out via the Umukarikari Range on Sunday. A perfect mix of tops and river travel. While this was a medium trip, I’d indicated to the group that we were … Read more
With a red warning storm on the doorstep, we barrelled out to the Tararuas early on Saturday to go for a wander. Heeding the forecast, we adjusted plans slightly to avoid getting drenched and battered, opting for a day mish, inevitably followed by a warm shower and cozy bed at home. We arrived at Holdsworth … Read more
