It all began at 5.30pm on a balmy Wellington Friday afternoon. Setting off enthusiastically into rush hour traffic, we began our journey to the start of the track. Van conversation ranged from the art of being a llama farmer who farms llamas, buying boats, mermaids, Bolivian taxi drivers and the number ‘37’ and the obvious superiority of pilates over … Read more
Now I’ve been in New Zealand for 9 months, I thought it was about time for my second overnight tramp with the club. For a Brit, looking at the summer schedule in January was a little confusing, but the Edwards-Hawdon trip looked like a good one; good potential for great views and nice timing for … Read more
The idea Following the thrill and tranquillity of water-focussed South Island tramps at Christmas, I was keen for aquatic adventures closer to home. Spencer floated the appealing idea of a weekend pack float along the Waiohine river from Mid-Waiohine hut to Totara Flats. It sounded fun and challenging. The planning Meticulous research and preparation happened … Read more
. 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