Let’s start by listing the things this trip did not have: injuries, complaints, Turkish food. That’s about it. Ok, let’s look at what it did have; everything else! Our carefully laid plans to get over the hill and enjoy a kebab in Carterton were scuppered after we found the long time WTMC favourite dinner-stop closed … Read more
Megan and Sam arrived at the train station to meet Simon on the Friday night, and the three of us were the only ones rattling around in the WTMC van. We stopped briefly for pizza & kebabs at Carterton, then drove to the Holdsworth road-end to arrive at about 7pm. We then hoofed up to … Read more
Leave the Catchpool Carpark at a leisurely 10:00 am Saturday morning. Wander through to the Orongorongo River – always pleasant no matter how often you go. Climb up to South Saddle and try to avoid being blown off the ridge in the north-west gale. Scurry down into the Mukamuka to find a sheltered spot for … Read more
I had never been to the Kaimanawa Forest Park so when Tereza put this trip on the schedule I signed up. This trip also coincided with the start of some annual leave for me, so if we had a late return to Wellington on the Sunday I didn’t have to worry about getting up early … Read more
INTRODUCTION Following the great success of the first WTMC packrafting instruction course our chief-guide Richard organised a second one – which helped to alleviate our feelings of envy. Packrafting is a very exciting way to travel down a river by using a special inflatable kayak weighing in at just over 2 kg and folding to … Read more
This trip was Marie Henderson’s idea. Walk into Roaring Stag on Friday night and sleep in the hut. Then packraft down the Ruamahanga River on Saturday to a Mt Bruce exit on the highway. But at the last hour Marie was called by SAR for four days assistance in the search for a tramper missing … Read more
INTRODUCTION Over Easter weekend I took a trip through and around the Forgotten World Highway, between Taumarunui and New Plymouth. This area is surprisingly beautiful for how little I have heard about it before going, and still relatively quiet in terms of traffic. As you pass through, there are stunning views of the Ruapehu massif, … Read more
Tama Lakes Solstice 2018 A day hike around the Upper and Lower Tama Lakes from the WTMC Ruapehu Lodge in Tongariro National Park Seven bright eyed faces peered out of the windows at the brown rocks and patchy snow as the van drove down Bruce Road. A right turn before the Chateau and they arrived … Read more
INTRODUCTION This route is one of the few opportunities to make a weekend loop from Holdsworth that gets you onto the stunning middle range of the Tararua Ranges. It does, however, require quite a bit of effort to make it work, with multiple steep climbs and descents, and with Powell Hut currently out of commission … Read more
This trip was planned as a Medium trip to Mt Patriarch in Kahurangi NP…. but the week leading up to Queen’s Birthday weekend had rather a lot of rain so there was no way we were getting across the ford on the Wangapeka River Road. (The advice we had said not to even try crossing … Read more