Some work weeks can be quite nice, some are ok, but this one just had sucked from the very beginning. However, knowing that there are some great outdoorsy activities waiting at the end made the week a lot easier to endure, especially when it is a really scenic destination such as Mt. Egmont. As usual, … Read more
We headed off for Egmont National Park on Friday night in good weather and good spirits and, after a hefty drive, were lucky enough to catch a view of the mighty Mt Taranaki as we drove past in the dark. After a good rest overnight at the local backpackers, we set off from the North Visitor centre … Read more
The original plan for this trip was to go to Howletts Hut in the Ruahines via a Friday night stay at Longview. This would be a great plan for a dry and moonlit Friday night, but that wasn’t the way the weather was shaping up. Instead, the forecast was for strong winds and heavy rain … Read more
Doing this walk reminded me how lucky we are to live in Wellington. The Southern Walkway between Oriental Bay and Island Bay is an 11 km track through the town belt, across ridge tops and along a short section of coast. It is easy to access and very easy walking (it took us about four … Read more
The walk started up the track near the intersection of Landfill Road and Happy Valley Road. Still evident were the effects of the scrub fire which occurred in late February this year. Blackened scrub covering higher regions of the hill contrasted with the lush green below the main track which must have acted as a … Read more
A two day retreat away from city life is always good for breaking the stress (or boredom) of a working week and so Ed Newsletter and I decided that, in spite of a MetService severe weather warning for the North Island mountains, we would head into the local hills. A wander over the Orongorongos to … Read more
When I put this trip on the schedule it was intended partly as a joke at my own expense, partly as an attempt to lure some of the people I went tramping with 20 or 25 years ago out into the hills again, and partly as a theme trip with old-style clothes and gear. My … Read more
We made a 7:30 am Saturday departure from the Railway station, with a couple of guest punters, Gareth and Steve coming along to do the van driving and their own gourmet tramp. After passing through the Wairarapa towns without kebab or coffee stops, we were at the road end and ready to tramp at 9:15am. … Read more
The weekend following the most fierce storm to hit Wellington since the Wahine Storm, proved an ideal time to take the kids for a winter tramp. Once Saturday morning sports were dispensed with, the car was loaded up with packs and the relatively short drive to Waikanae was in bright sunshine. We arrived at the … Read more
On Friday evening, the Fit and Easy groups met up before heading off to the Lodge. The compulsory dinner stop in Bulls had all the punters feeling well fed and ready to continue the journey up north. After arriving at Whakapapa village it was surprising to note that the roads were not covered in snow … Read more