The Southern Brevet; 1,100km of stunning Central Otago MTB riding, on tarmac, gravel roads, 4WD tracks and all sorts. There’s a set route and a few guidelines but the rest is up to you; carry what you will, stay where you like and take your time (within 8 days). The idea is somewhat intimidating (it’s … Read more
Easter/Anzac weather featured a cyclone, extensive flooding, high winds and bad Kiwi driving so I was more relieved than surprised when our Thursday night ferry was cancelled. We rebooked for Easter Saturday and enjoyed a warm, sunny Good Friday in Wellington prior to heading south. With our trip shortened by a couple of days and … Read more
“Hmm, maybe my hatchback wouldn’t make it here after all,” I finally admitted, at about a quarter to midnight. Whilst it’s a ‘gravel road’ on the map, the road to Lake Chalice is a lot more like a goat track than a road. It’s narrow, steep, winding and rough. For once I was grateful to … Read more
See photos from Kevin Cole It was the kind of hot Friday night that cricket commentators call balmy or sultry when our party of five departed on a two day Medium/Fit Dundas tramp. Our first goal was to get from the road end to Herepai Hut in total darkness. The modern marvel that is the LED light … Read more
I woke up to my alarm at the ungodly hour of 6:00AM on a Saturday. This only reminds me of my time as a struggling student, having to wake up for the early morning shift at Moore Wilsons. Nevertheless I put on my tramping gear and threw my pack over and ventured into the early … Read more
Most of our group met up at Wellington Railway Station on Saturday morning, while a few drove straight to the park. Before we left we checked how much our packs weighed on a portable scale. I was looking forward to trying out my new boots, and hoping they would prove comfortable. The weather was delightfully … Read more
Outrageous Otago mountain biking Some of thee best mountain biking in Central Otago including the ????? areas. Toward the end of summer in past years Paul and I have always tried to fit in a multi-day MTB’ing trip—but this time we planned to change that idea and try a number of single-day rides instead. This … Read more
Before I get into the juicy facts, here’s a wordy summary of our Southern Crossing Medium tramp from Otaki Forks to Kaitoke. We headed up to Field Hut from Otaki Forks around 8pm on Friday night. It was a beautiful night, with an almost full moon. We set off from Field at 9am the next … Read more
The extended Waitangi Day weekend afforded the perfect opportunity for WTMC members to take in the delights of the top of the South. So along with a ‘fit’ group tackling the Leslie-Karamea track and others defying gravity in the Nelson Lakes area, a select group of three ‘easy-mediums’ took on the less strenuous, less technical, … Read more
To the South Island with racks and ropes and heavy packs. We started out early on Thursday with a water taxi across Lake Rotoiti to Coldwater hut, weather calm and sunny, couldn’t ask for more for the 8-9 hour trudge up the Travers valley. Lunched at John Tait in fairly good time and continued up … Read more