Evening picnic at Carkeek

A deep longing.Carkeek! Carkeek! Oh, Carkeek!We’ll be with you soon. Those who tramped with me over the last couple of years will know this trip to Carkeek hut had been a long time coming.  My interest in the most remote hut in the Tararuas started turning into an obsession in 2023 on a new years … Read more

Mitre Flats – tramping with science

Mitre Flats tramping with science featured image

Mitre Flats – tramping with science A hiking trip into Mitre Flats, Tararua Range, to use some simple experiments to explain everyday phenomena in the hills Wind chill (W) = 13.12 + (0.6215t) – (11.37k0.16) + (0.3965tk0.16) Have you ever wondered why a rainbow disappears when you view it through polarised sunglasses? Or why the rivers … Read more

WTMC – my first club tramp

My first tramp with the WTMC

My first club tramp My first club tram- – a weekend at the WTMC Mt Ruapehu Lodge by Toby Durnall 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 … Read more

Lees Hellfire Circuit — The Bounds of Hades

Lees Hellfire Circuit Featured Image

Lees Hellfire Circuit — The Bounds of Hades A 5 day hiking loop trip through spectacular mountain scenery of Lees Creek, Misery Stream and Hellfire Stream in the Raglan Range – an area once called The Bounds of Hades 😈 Reports of other WTMC trips in the Leatham Conservation Area:

Putangirua Pinnacles track open or closed? – it was open in 1948

A view of the Putangirua Valley showing the pinnacles from above

Putangirua Pinnacles track open or closed? – it was open in 1948 The Putangirua Pinnacles – the story of a WTMC trip to the Putangirua Pinnacles in 1948 with added photos taken in 2024. As at February 2024 the track from the campsite and carpark into the Putangirua Pinnacles is closed because of a dangerous … Read more

Round the Mountain Track – Tongariro National Park

Nine people signed up for the club’s New Year Round The Mountain – Ruapehu trip. The group featured a few people new to multi-day walks, a few new to the club, as well as some very experienced club members and trampers. The distance and demanding terrain mean that an excellent baseline fitness is a prerequisite, … Read more

⭐Kaukau walk – by Torch Light

On the summit of Kaukau and the view of Wellington City at night

Kaukau walk – by torch light, A walk to the summit of Kaukau at night. Photographs on a walk to the summit of Kaukau after dark and the wonderful views of Wellington City and suburbs including information on tracks, what to expect to see, and noting that kiwi are now living in the area and … Read more

Aokaparangi loop and Maungahuka Hut – my ‘why’ of tramping

Maungahuka Hut above the clouds in the Tararua Range

Aokaparangi Loop and Maungahuka Hut A 4 day hiking loop trip around the Aokaparanki Loop to Maungahuka Hut – the hut in the Tararua Range that started me on my tramping journey. The hut that started it all for me … Years ago, when I got my first Tararua Forest Park map for a school … Read more

Sunny Trip to Snowy Hut – Tararua Forest Park

We decided on a day trip to Snowy Hut, after a changing weather forecast swept away our plans for a 6-day expedition. Starting out from Otaki Forks just after 8am, we walked for about an hour on the road until we reached the start of the Waiotauru Hut track. In the first few kms of … Read more

Te Tatau-Pounamu – the other Tongariro wilderness

Mangahouhounui Stream

Te Tatau-Pounamu – the other Tongariro wilderness Te Tatau-Pounamu. A guide to the seldom visited Te Tatau-Pounamu wilderness area on the eastern side of Mt Tongariro in the World Heritage Tongariro National Park Tongariro National Park holds a prestigious position in the list of the world’s protected natural areas—the park is one of only 29 … Read more