Track Talk – July 2011

Sometimes trips aren’t as tough as you anticipate. In late May, I made my third attempt on the Maungahuka circuit. This involves going from Holdsworth Road end over Holdsworth Peak and Isabelle, down to Mid Waiohine Hut, up that punishing climb to Aokapanui, along to Maungahuka, down past Concertina Knob to Neill Forks Hut, up again to Cone Ridge, down to Totara Flats, then along and up and down back to the road end. That was how I’d done it on the previous two attempts; the first in a weekend, the second over three days. But this time we decided to give it a go in reverse. The rationale was staying at the new Aokap hut, one of my handful of non-visited Tararua huts. Richard and I would walk to Totara Flats hut on Friday night, then head up, down to Neill Forks, up to Maungahuka and along to Aokap hut (a relatively new two-bunker in the mode of Arete hut). On Sunday we’d head down to Mid Waiohine, then up Holdsworth and down to the road end.

I thought the Friday night might be challenging, with the ups and downs along Totara Creek. But it was surprisingly pleasant to not be climbing (usually par for the course on dark Friday nights), even if the ground was waterlogged from recent rain. There was one person in residence at Totara Flats hut but we never conversed with him/her, arriving about 10pm and leaving by 7am. The next day also felt relatively ok and we arrived at the happily unoccupied hut about 4pm. Sunday didn’t feel too bad either, and we managed in eight hours what we thought might take significantly longer. Maybe it’s easier in that direction, or maybe I’m fitter now, but it was an eye-opening experience to repeat what had been my first F trip, nearly five years later.  Aokap hut is definitely worth visiting, with a good ground trail down from just south of Aokap peak making it much easier to find than the old biv.

We’ve rescheduled the leadership weekend and outdoor first aid course for 27-29 October (the weekend after Labour weekend). By holding both courses at the same venue, there will be the chance to share meals as well as ensure that they both go ahead. The leadership course provides the tools you need to lead a WTMC trip (and some skills occasionally useful in everyday life, including advanced navigation and weather reading). The outdoor first aid course will be presented by the same instructor as last year, so comes highly recommended. Please put this weekend in your diary now – sheets will go up on the board in early September, or email to book your place.

One piece of feedback given by newbies (or ex-newbies) is that freezing nights at wind-swept road ends can lead to them never coming back to the club. So one thing we are experimenting with this winter is making Friday nights less painful. This can mean leaving early on a Saturday morning to road ends that are nearby (like Megan’s trip to Waitewaewae next weekend, or Ray’s trip to Burn hut later this month, or the trips to Putara in August). Or it can mean finding less desolate places to stay, like the road-end camping area at Waiohine Gorge for Jo’s trip at the end of July, or the DOC lodge at the Kawhatau road end that we have booked for the trips on 19-21 August. Feedback on this approach is very welcome.

 Upcoming trips

1-3 Jul Kahurangi NP and Tararua FP

Tramp     EM    Waitewaewae                                   Megan Banks
Day         EM    Butterfly Creek                                 Barbara Keenan

Megan heads in from Otaki Forks for a reliable, all-weather trip to a spacious hut, while Barbara leads a perennial favourite in the hills behind Eastbourne (perhaps with a cafe stop!).

8-10 Jul Ruapehu Lodge

Alp1        M       Tongariro Crossing                            Spencer Clubb
Instr        MF     Alp1 and Alp2 alpine refresher           Sharron Came
Family     All      Rimutaka Incline walk/MTB                 Sarah Young

There are several options from our comfortable club lodge this weekend, including a bit of crampon, ice axe and ropes practice. Remember that the lodge fare includes all your food for the weekend! Or closer to home, join Sarah (and maybe Alistair and Bella) for a very gradual climb up the Rimutaka incline.

 15-17 Jul Tararua FP – Mangahao Rd

Tramp     E        Burn hut                                             Ray Walker
Day         M       Kapakapanui                                      Mika Verheul

Join Ray for a trip to a seldom-visited Tararua hut that’s just about on the bushline, while Mika does a classic M daywalk around the lovely Kapakapanui circuit near Waikanae (even with a hut to have lunch in).

 22-24 Jul Ruapehu Lodge

Instr        M       Snowcraft I                                         Sharron Came
Tramp     F        Richmond Ranges (4 days)                 Jenny Cossey
Day         EM     Canons Point – Birchville Dam             Helen Law
Family     All      Colonial Knob                                     Constanze Schwind

Snowcraft kicks off at the lodge (email Sharron asap to secure your place), while Jenny aims for an epic on the Te Araroa section in the Richmond Ranges, and Helen and Constanze lead daywalks in the Porirua vicinity.

 29-31 Jul Tararua FP – Waiohine Gorge Rd

Tramp     EM     Tutuwai to Kaitoke                               Jo Boyle
Tramp     MF     Neill Pk – Neill Forks hut nav                Amanda Wells

Another couple of classic Tararua trips, with the EMs traversing the length of the beautiful Tauherenikau valleys. If you’re a confident M, you could handle the MF trip.

 5-7 Aug Ruapehu Lodge

Instr        M       Snowcraft II                                         Sharron Came
Family     All      Mt Bruce wildlife centre                        Mike Gilbert

More snowcraft at the lodge, while Mike takes all-comers to the Mt Bruce centre – watch out for the eel feeding!

12-14 Aug Tararua FP – Putara Rd

Tramp     E        Herepai hut                   Donna Maher
Tramp     EM     Roaring Stag hut            Paul Andrews
Tramp     F        Neill Winchcombe          Richard Lardner
Day         E        Colonial Knob                Ray Walker
Family     All      Plimmerton daywalk       Ally Clark

Donna and Paul head into the road end near Eketahuna, with Donna’s E trip heading for the well-placed Herepai hut just near the tops, and Paul making for the riverside Roaring Stag. Ray leads the popular day trip to Colonial Knob (no prizes for spotting the mistakes in the printed version of the schedule!) while Ally heads to the beach.

If you’d like to sign up for any of these trips, come down to the club rooms on Wednesday nights from 7.30pm.