The Goat (http://www.thegoat.co.nz/) is an exhilarating adventure run from Whakapapa to Turoa Ski Fields on the Round the Mountain track, traversing the western slopes of Mount Ruapehu. The 21 kilometre course has over 1000 metres of vertical ascent and covers a whole bunch of amazing terrain. It is a demanding yet achievable run that is … Read more
What better way to spend the long Labour weekend of the 2011 Rugby World Cup Final than isolated in the second best mountain range for tramping in the world? I certainly couldn’t think of a better way: it was easy to wing my way back to New Zealand and head into the Ruahines! I stapled … Read more
On Friday November 25th, two Canucks and a Kiwi assembled together for the first time in the parking lot of the Interislander. Their mission: to “sail to the other side” and do some mountain biking in the Nelson area. Anna had decided to take an open-ended approach to the cycling itinerary: after a fine feed … Read more
So what is it that children like most about tramping? A sense of adventure? Staying in a cool hut? Enjoying nature? Nah – it seems it is the one time in their lives that their parents let them eat whatever yummy food they like. Our trip to Totara Flats was no different. Our group kept … Read more
Everyone knows the Ruapehu Lodge is where you go for winter weekends; for snowboarding, alpine adventures and the like. Summer? What’s there in Summer? Well, that was our mission: to find out. I well know that the lodge is very comfortable for regular punters and families alike. It needs to be because snowboarding at Mt … Read more
I was down to lead the medium traverse of the Haurangis, one of my favorite tramping haunts, but with no punters signed up things looked grim until Craig McGregor, an ex-Chief Guide, signed up. It’s been a few years since our glory days at the Tongue & Meats and, with no one else signed up, … Read more
My second tramp with the WTMC lead us into the beautiful Tararua Range. I wasn’t really sure about my experience nor my fitness level, but it sounded like a nice achievement to climb a mountain, so I gave it a try. Looking back I am a bit embarrassed about my naivity, and will tell you … Read more
Normally writing a trip report you can get away with a few continued jokes and well, general lies. This one is different as someone might actually want to know where we went or didn’t! A shiver runs down my spine, responsibility aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh! So the serious stuff: We got permission from the farmer to cross his … Read more
For Joanne, Debbie, Catherine and Paul, this was the first trip to the Mangatoetoe Hut in the Aorangi (Haurangi) Forest Park. The tramp was led by our illustrious leader Ray who had visited the hut once before. The tramp from the road end to the hut was relatively flat, and consisted of many river crossings, … Read more
Firstly, for those who know me, let me state that this trip actually started and was completed on Plan A! Yes, I managed to actually lead a trip that not only went someplace but was successfully completed on the intended plan and I didn’t lose any punters along the way. You can check with my … Read more