Only two of us were travelling to the club lodge on a Friday evening, after a small detour we arrived at the lodge. The weather forecast promised us wonderful weather so we decided to book a shuttle for the Tongariro Alpine crossing for the next day. Marieke has not walked this track before and Bram … Read more
The trip was listed as a navigation trip to Pararaki Hut but as the logistics with the other groups made it possible, we took the opportunity to do the full Aorangi crossing from the Pinnacles down to Mangatoetoe. On Friday evening we headed across the hill and stopped at the Lake Ferry Hotel for dinner. … Read more
We headed for Bulls which was our dinner stop, then a short 40 min drive to Mangaweka camp ground – our destination for the night. We were all in bed at 9.30pm to get a good sleep as I told the crew that there is a steep hill first thing when we get to our … Read more
Day 1 – Kiriwhakapapa Road end to Blue Range Hut The walk started off at sunset at the Kiriwhakapapa Road campground in the Central Tararua ranges. We arrived after stopping at the usual kebab shop in Carterton, which I believe the club must be getting kick-backs from judging by the amount of business we send … Read more
Our noble band of aquatically-inclined adventurers set foot on South Island soil well into the night. It was the kind of portentous start to our paddle-bashing adventure we all craved; for though we were tired, the dark, silhouetted Sounds held a spooky mystery and untold secrets that were ours to explore over the next three … Read more
In May 1959 as a 14-year old teenage after an unsuccessful attempt to join the Tararua Tramping Club, I was invited by Norn Whiteside a fellow Wellington Technical College student to join him on what he described as “a Friday night stroll from Kaitoke to Walls Whare”. I asked him where Walls Whare was and … Read more
It was a rainy Saturday morning when a group of 6 porters and 6 punters met at Catchpool Valley for an overnight to Paua Hut. The plan was originally to have a few people tent outside, but given the forecast, we we decided to squeeze everyone in to the hut and leave the tents behind. … Read more
A full 24 of us piled into both vans to drive to the Lodge and scale Mt. Ruapehu, the highest peak on the North Island. We got there in time to catch the tail end of the “Tasman Tempest,” and thus were unable to ascend the peak. We did still, however, have a great weekend … Read more
By some small coincidence, keen kids and a small sunny weather window coincided with Waitangi weekend during one of the least sunniest Wellington summers for a trip that was planned some four months earlier. Thursday and Friday had been awash with rain and the Otaki Gorge road was closed again at the Blue Bluff due to … Read more
Two groups piled into the van at Wellington Station on Friday night and then headed off to the Wairarapa and then Tamaki West Road campsite (near Dannevirke). The plan was to drop Richard off for the night at his parent’s house near the road-end and for the rest of us to camp at the road-end. … Read more