Summer Nights in the Orongorongos

The last Friday of the school holidays was the closest the group could get to a Friday night at Turere Lodge, so we grabbed it. And we absolutely hit gold with the weather! Unlike friends who were in there in the 10 days before us, we had golden sunshine and light breezes all weekend – … Read more

A Sunny Southern Walkway

After a busy Easter break, I was looking forward to an easy day walk with a lovely bunch of people. And Wellington certainly turned on the weather for us! We started at Oriental Parade, by the pedestrian crossing near Carlton Gore Road. After some huffing and puffing, we obtained the highest point on our trip … Read more

Rangipo Hut

Lahar valley. Photo: Jon Keyzer

Tash was the original leader of this trip but caught covid leading up to it so handed over the reigns to me. Luckily for me she still did all the pre-trip organising, and what a thorough and excellent job she did! It was super easy for me to take over, and as a result things … Read more

WTMC Matiu Somes Island

Group at the start of Matiu/Somes Island

A trademark Wellington day was in store as our group came together in front of the East by West ticket office. The early morning cloud cover was in full retreat as people scouted out a coffee shop and made introductions. It would turn out that we had ample time for both activities, due to a … Read more

Waikamaka Hut

Photo credit: Emily. Waikamaka stream.

This trip started life as a short weekend trip to the Seaward Kaikoura range to do a Kowhai circuit but early on in the planning it was clear the ferry times were not going to accommodate our needs. Everyone who had already signed up was automatically transferred to my chosen alternative which was based around … Read more

Maungahuka Loop

Sunrise at Maungahuka Hut

Our group of four decided to take advantage of the long Wellington Anniversary weekend to get up onto the Main Range of the Tararuas. Starting (and finishing) at Holdsworth carpark, we’d gain the Main Range via Powell Hut, Mid Waiohine Hut and finally a climb up onto Aokaparangi, before traversing the Main Range to Maungahuka … Read more

Navigation Course

Navigation in action

After having to cancel the bushcraft course, the next best thing seemed to be a day out in the Remutaka Forest Park for a bit of map and compass practice, with an intro to river safety. We started the day with map reading theory at the Catchpool carpark. Identifying symbols on the map – easy! … Read more

Tararua Southern Crossing: West to East

Friday 18 March – The night walk in We had a stunning Southern Crossing adventure, enjoying one of the classic Tararua tramps! On the Friday, seven of us met up at the Wellington Railway station at 3pm, ready for an early departure to Otaki Forks. Arriving at the “new” Otaki Forks carpark at 4.30pm, we … Read more

Quoin Ridge to Eastern Hutt

I was very nervous before this tramp. The trip leader was well known for being lighting quick, very strong and a great navigator. How was I ever going to keep up?! Of course there was never any need to be nervous. Tereza took most of the group gear leaving me with a light pack, set … Read more

Paekākāriki Escarpment

After meeting at the Wellington railway station we headed out to the Pukerua Bay end of the track. The weather was fine (18-20 degrees) with a southerly wind (average wind speed around 25 km/h). Apart from a few more exposed places, the wind was light and helped us avoid overheating too much on the steep … Read more