Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club
Enjoying the great outdoors since 1947
Friday night had us hiking the 50 odd minutes required to get to the confluence of the Blackwater and Ohau streams. The campsites were brilliant. Some of us erected flys, the others relied on tree cover, mocking the weather gods. The next day our boots hit the Blackwater at a lazy 8:30am, but we made … Read more
In the middle of the southern Tararuas there is an enticing route that leads up to (or down from) Mt Hector. It fulfils all the necessities of a great shortcut: it looks like it should be quicker than other routes; it isn’t as well travelled as the traditional Southern Crossing and it promises unusual views … Read more
After a serene Thursday night ferry crossing we made our way to Tony’s ‘secret, secluded DoC campsite’ just north of Kaikoura. Arriving there before midnight, we were surprised to find that a pleasant campground had been turned into a campervan carpark and was full of campervans. We managed to find some free space underneath some … Read more
The Kepler Challenge is promoted as NZ’s premier mountain running event and is an event that I thought was achievable in a respectable time with the correct training and utmost commitment. It takes place along the entire route of The Kepler Track outside Te Anau and is 60km long with approximately 1500 metre of ascent … Read more
Back before the break, Helen Law led an excellent pre-Christmas trip to Te Kopahou Reserve near the south coast. We gathered at the WTMC club rooms on Saturday morning to begin our walk to the reserve. Our ultimate goal was some World War II bunkers and an observation post high above the Red Rocks and … Read more
Conditions couldn’t have been more perfect as we set off from the Khandallah swimming pool at around 9.30am. There was just enough sun to make it a beautiful day and just enough cloud to make it not so hot. Not a lot of wind was forecast for the day, although that didn’t mean anything to … Read more
It’s hard to think of a new angle on a trip across the Southern Crossing. It’s a classic Tararua tramp, but so well traversed by so many feet that all sorts of invention is practiced to make it a more interesting story to relate. This ranges from the traditional one day and moonlight versions, through … Read more
The trouble with a working world is that we never seem to have enough time to complete the trip that one wants. This year was different and Anzac day fell on a Wednesday so with just two days leave we could manage a full five day trip. Plenty of time, none of this let’s run … Read more
After a wonderful side trip to the stunning Travers Falls, a few of us decided to tackle Cupola Hut. DOC’s estimated time was 2.5 hours to the hut and we saw from the map that we would have a 500m climb just before reaching it. Our honourable leader did not think we could make it … Read more
We: Mike, Sharron, Michael and Me (Brendan), met at platform 9 on the Thursday evening and all headed to the ferry terminal. The 3 hour ride across the strait was calm, dinner was served and 500 was played, Sharron didn’t do so well on the 500 front, but like the crossing remained calm. At the … Read more