We started our long weekend adventure on Thursday afternoon, catching the Interislander to Picton. Thankfully, the recent technical issues plaguing both the Interislander and Bluebridge ferries (and recent cyclones!) were not an issue, and it was a perfectly smooth sailing. We drove to St Arnaud and pitched our tents at the DOC campground at Kerr Bay ($20). Great … Read more
Summary Day 1: Boyle Village – Magdalen Hut Day 2: To Waiau Hut via Boyle Flat, Rokeby, Anne and Lake Guyon Huts (side trip) Day 3: To Blue Lake Hut Day 4: To Upper Travers Hut via West Sabine Hut Day 5: To Cupola Hut Day 6: To Coldwater Hut via John Tait & Hopeless … Read more
Timings Dawson falls to Waiaua Gorge Hut: 3 hours 50 minutes Waiaua Gorge Hut to Kahui Hut: 3 hours 15 minutes Kahui Hut to Holly Hut: 3 hours 40 minutes Holly Hut to Dawson Falls: 5 hours Day one We spent Friday night at Konini Lodge, by Dawson Falls. MetService had been warning of “severe … Read more
Six of us left the Catchpool carpark just after 9 am in slightly cool conditions. We were soon in the Orongorongo Valley and headed upstream to Goat Stream. At Goat Stream Hut we had morning tea. We didn’t see the person staying at Goat Stream Hut, but the door was unlocked and there were signs of habitation in … Read more
Day 1: D’Urville Hut to George Lyon Hut – Weather: Sunny, no wind, 16 degrees CDOC travel time: 8 hrs/ Group travel time: 9.45 hrs /Pace: Slow – medium After arriving at Lake Rotoroa campsite at about 10pm Thursday night, we slept fitfully amid the roar of stags from the local deer farm. Prior to … Read more
As is the tradition, we met at Wellington train station at 5pm, for a 5.15pm departure to Egmont National Park. We arrived at the Camphouse, our accommodation for the night, which is situated close to the Egmont National Park Visitor Centre (North Egmont)/ DOC office, at around 10.30pm. The Camphouse is located right beside the … Read more
Not a great walk, but an epic one! You know you are up for an incredible weekend when you have a smooth drive out from Wellington, enjoy a primo kebab a la Bulls (OMG those chips and Iskenders), and instantly connect with a bunch of awesome people from the get-go! This weekend was no exception. … Read more
Disclaimer: This trip report was written by ChatGPT. Trip start date – 17 March 2023: I can’t think of a better way of reconnecting with my deep and treasured Irish roots on St Patrick’s Day than a dry, teetotalling WTMC club tramp along the famously brown volcanic Central Plateau. I do not speak of hiking … Read more
Friday 10 February The Southern Crossing in the Tararuas has been on my to-do list for the last few years and when I saw it on the trip schedule for February, I did not hesitate to sign up for the walk. The plan was to have two groups of trampers do the Southern Crossing, with … Read more
While it was not the trip we had planned originally, our 50km+ Ōtaki Forks circuit tramp had a little bit of everything: views, blue skies, slugs and slips. Our intention had been to stay at Maungahuka Hut on Saturday evening. Maungahuka is known as a difficult hut to reach. It involves climbing a steel ladder, … Read more