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.