. We left Wellington early, arriving at a sun-streaked Putangirua Pinnacles after a quick 30 minute walk from the road end. These badlands had a starring role as Dimholt Road in Lord of the Rings, the road to the land of the dead. Heading up the ridge from the pinnacles, we quickly realised that this … Read more
If they served tramping trips in restaurants, then this trip might have been called the Westland tasting menu. The group convened in Hokitika on boxing day. Some had had an entrée in the Arthur’s Pass area, others dived straight into the main course. After more than a little debate about the best location for weather … Read more
I’m not quite sure where to start. The idea to do the 3 passes at Christmas emerged, I think, from Ian’s head sometime in September. From there it spread, multiplied, mutated, entered the Cloud, and finally was brought down to earth again at 6.15pm at the Railway Station the Friday before Christmas, after an epic … Read more
We were rushing to get out of town on Friday night and eat a fast dinner, because David Heffernan and Shay had planned to tackle the SK challenge – the North to South crossing of the Tararuas in under 48 hours. Since the Medium and Medium-Fit trips for the weekend only had one punter and … Read more
I decided to enter the Kepler Challenge after being inspired by Mal Law’s book, One Step Beyond, which had the message that ordinary people could achieve extraordinary things. So after reading this I was inspired to sign up for the Kepler Challenge which would be double the distance I had run in any race, and … Read more
A varied group of people we were. From unemployed I.T. Geeks to people who had to attend work phone meetings even on the Saturday! Yes – one of us had to be in on a phone meeting for at least the first few kilometers. Personally, I would like a job like that – going for … Read more
This trip report is brought to you by the letter ‘L’. L is for Lighthouse of which there were two. One was old and one was new(er). L is also for Lakes. Again there were two. One was circumnavigated and the second just viewed from afar. Finally, L is for Lunch – an important supporting … Read more
Summerlike conditions with bright sunshine and highs of early 20’s were promised and delivered for the weekend, and a couple of keen lads were ready to go. The track up to the Holdsworth/Totara Flats junction seems to have been continuously upgraded towards a metalled highway of constant gradient. In the warm weather, a break at … Read more
The majority of Team Bushcraft had made every effort to keep their feet dry on the way to the campsite. But when it came to learning about river crossing later that afternoon, it was immediately apparent that notwithstanding our previous efforts, no amount of side-stepping, tree-clinging or stunning athleticism would change the fact that we … Read more