After a slightly unsettled sailing from wellington (Southerly) we arrived at Picton on Friday night. Waiting for us at the Ferry terminal was Nat from Sea Kayak Adventures and we climbed into the parked vehicles which took us to their base in Anikiwa, where we would stay the night. Waking early Saturday morning we … Read more
After arriving in Murchison late Friday night and staying the night in cabins at Riverview holiday Park, we set off in the morning to the Jamieson’s Ridge road end, near Tutaki. A relatively gentle incline up Jamieson’s ridge through typical South Island beech forest and into subalpine scrub, found us at the edge of the … Read more
Having tried out several of the club’s activities – tramps, navigation, snowcraft, even the club’s annual Bum Sliding Competition – it was time to check out what else WTMC had on offer. There’s trapping, climbing, mountain biking, rock climbing, canyoning, skiing/ski touring and kayaking. I decided a club kayak trip would be the next cab … Read more
On the Wednesday before our Wellington Anniversary long weekend trip up to the Kawekas, Megan gave a talk about a trip she did with Tony, Fons and Rohan at Labour Weekend last year, where they were able to visit seven huts over the three days. Not that we were into anything like competitive hut-bagging but … Read more
It was hot hot hot in the Kawekas on Wellington Anniversary Weekend! The Medium group commenced their trip into the Kawekas from Makahu Saddle. Ahead of us was the climb up Kaweka J. Minutes into the trip I was sweaty enough to pick up a fine dry coat of Kaweka dust all over my legs. … Read more
Taking an extra day off work for this adventure was bittersweet – 6 interested punters were whittled down to just 3 as we were the only ones who could get the time off before the closing date for the trip. However in the end we were glad we did it as we ended up with … Read more
Journey prep at the station after work on Friday involved us fitting five bikes, eight people and eight packs into and onto the van. The jigsaw came together well with people generally strapped in seats and bikes generally strapped to the bike rack so we had a comfortable if slow journey up to the lodge … Read more
When I saw a beer tramp listed on the trip schedule, I thought it was a mistake. Since when were we allowed to drink alcohol on club trips? I discovered it was a pub crawl requiring punters to walk between bars around Wellington on a hot sticky Saturday. What a great idea – I could … Read more
As a city bloke through and through, who loves his cocktail bars and having a wealth of restaurants to dine at, I can’t quite put my finger on why I have a yearning to get exposed to the elements on a wind-ravaged hillside. Maybe getting out in the elements is my way of restoring balance … Read more
I signed up for this tramp in order to brush-up on my navigational skills and also to travel over Pinnacle Ridge between the Atiwhakatu valley and Barton track. However, soon after signing-up I found myself organising and leading this trip with the expectation that I would be instructing on navigation! On the Friday evening we … Read more