Author: Amanda Wells, Chief Guide
Hard to believe but it’s time for a new trip schedule. The summer schedule runs from February to April and we’re looking for ideas of road ends now. Please email them to Richard () by the end of this week. Trip planning, when we figure out the actual tramps for each road end, is at the club rooms from 5.30pm (free pizza!) on Wednesday 9 November. Even if you’re not a leader, your ideas are still very welcome. One issue over winter has been the number of trips we’ve had to cancel due to lack of punters: trip planning is everyone’s chance to make sure the trips appeal!
I’ve had a couple of interesting weekends in the Ruahines lately. Sometimes just when you think you’ve finally got your tramping legs properly trained, they are swept out from under you. After a weekend Southern Main Range in the Tararuas in late September, Richard and I were feeling pretty strong. Well, after a couple of recovery days had passed! But then a stressful time at work noticeably sabotaged my energy as we headed to Maropea Forks hut in early October, with thoughts of an F trip quickly scaled back. By the time the Friday before Labour weekend rolled around, my throat wasn’t feeling great but I hoped it would go away (to be fair, sometimes it does!). But as I write, I have been gobbling down antibiotics and moping around at home all week.
It’s an interesting experience when your legs just won’t go at a normal rate. Intellectually you are aware that it’s not usually like this, but “now” is such a powerful concept that any other time seems difficult to believe in. You may even feel slight resentment at others’ easy scampering uphill (not that I’m naming names!). Hopefully someone else who was part of the Ruahine Corner trip has been coerced by Sarah to write a fuller account for this newsletter or the next one. I am grateful that significant amounts of my gear were carried by my companions, and for their patience with my out-of-sorts-ness. Knowing without question that you can rely on others to help you out is an amazing feeling (even if perhaps better appreciated in retrospect).
We had an interesting experience on Saturday night, when our plan was to camp high by some tarns. We were in the Northern Ruahines, on the Hawkes Bay side. The forecast good weather had translated into drizzly cloud all day and by 3pm when we reached the tarns, pushing on another 3-4 hours to Ruahine Corner hut was not an attractive option. We hastily set up our flies, pointing into the light southerly.
At this point I will depart from the story to have a rant. When Kevin and Illona got out their small club fly, the pole was broken. This would have been obvious to the person who had broken it. Yet it was returned to the gear room and nothing was said. If you break gear on a trip or observe someone else breaking it, please make sure your trip leader knows, and report it when you return it. If you are a trip leader and gear is broken on your trip, please email Pete G with the details, irrespective of whether your punter promises to tell the gear room person. We don’t care if mistakes happen and we know things do break; but we do care if people are placed in potential survival situations due to others’ thoughtlessness. In this case, we had a small metal pole sleeve in a personal repair kit so could eventually manage a workaround. By this time, Illona and Kevin were pretty cold. And it didn’t end there: Mike’s fly had had the end snapped off its pole, so that it couldn’t lock into the relevant hole. He also managed a work around.
Eventually we were all in warm clothes and managed to enjoy one of Illona’s stylish dinners. All was good, till 2.45am, when the wind did a 180 degree turn and started to bring wet cloud indoors. Luckily, as forecast, it wasn’t a strong wind. But it wasn’t a great start to the day, especially for Richard who heroically did a 3.15am re-peg. Most of us had wet sleeping bags, thermarests, and anything else we had been foolish enough to leave outside our packs. It made us all think less casually about fly camping on the tops and its wisdom, and perhaps whether some walls should have been dug/built, and other similar easy-in-retrospect actions. It made me vow to always pack up everything inside a fly in future!
You do learn more from challenging experiences than when everything rolls along smoothly. Our urban-dwelling lifestyles are comfortably challenge-averse, and tramping translates us into a totally different plane of existence. This week I’ve been reading stories of Himalayan climbers and marvelled at their abilities to freeze digits solid and yet descend from 8000 metres. It’s out of my league, but tramping is also becoming out of the league of many Kiwis’ everyday experiences. When I explain why I like tramping, I tend to mention the need for a touch of mascochism. But it’s interesting to consider whether this trait is becoming less common in future generations.
Hard to believe but it’s time for a new trip schedule. The summer schedule runs from February to April and we’re looking for ideas of road ends now. Please email them to Richard () by the end of this week. Trip planning, when we figure out the actual tramps for each road end, is at the club rooms from 5.30pm (free pizza!) on Wednesday 9 November.
Even if you’re not a leader, your ideas are still very welcome. One issue over winter has been the number of trips we’ve had to cancel due to lack of punters: trip planning is everyone’s chance to make sure the trips appeal!
I’ve had a couple of interesting weekends in the Ruahines lately. Sometimes just when you think you’ve finally got your tramping legs properly trained, they are swept out from under you. After a weekend Southern Main Range in the Tararuas in late September, Richard and I were feeling pretty strong. Well, after a couple of recovery days had passed! But then a stressful time at work noticeably sabotaged my energy as we headed to Maropea Forks hut in early October, with thoughts of an F trip quickly scaled back. By the time the Friday before Labour weekend rolled around, my throat wasn’t feeling great but I hoped it would go away (to be fair, sometimes it does!). But as I write, I have been gobbling down antibiotics and moping around at home all week.
It’s an interesting experience when your legs just won’t go at a normal rate. Intellectually you are aware that it’s not usually like this, but “now” is such a powerful concept that any other time seems difficult to believe in. You may even feel slight resentment at others’ easy scampering uphill (not that I’m naming names!). Hopefully someone else who was part of the Ruahine Corner trip has been coerced by Sarah to write a fuller account for this newsletter or the next one. I am grateful that significant amounts of my gear were carried by my companions, and for their patience with my out-of-sorts-ness. Knowing without question that you can rely on others to help you out is an amazing feeling (even if perhaps better appreciated in retrospect).
We had an interesting experience on Saturday night, when our plan was to camp high by some tarns. We were in the Northern Ruahines, on the Hawkes Bay side. The forecast good weather had translated into drizzly cloud all day and by 3pm when we reached the tarns, pushing on another 3-4 hours to Ruahine Corner hut was not an attractive option. We hastily set up our flies, pointing into the light southerly.
At this point I will depart from the story to have a rant. When Kevin and Illona got out their small club fly, the pole was broken. This would have been obvious to the person who had broken it. Yet it was returned to the gear room and nothing was said. If you break gear on a trip or observe someone else breaking it, please make sure your trip leader knows, and report it when you return it. If you are a trip leader and gear is broken on your trip, please email Pete G with the details, irrespective of whether your punter promises to tell the gear room person. We don’t care if mistakes happen and we know things do break; but we do care if people are placed in potential survival situations due to others’ thoughtlessness. In this case, we had a small metal pole sleeve in a personal repair kit so could eventually manage a workaround. By this time, Illona and Kevin were pretty cold. And it didn’t end there: Mike’s fly had had the end snapped off its pole, so that it couldn’t lock into the relevant hole. He also managed a work around.
Eventually we were all in warm clothes and managed to enjoy one of Illona’s stylish dinners. All was good, till 2.45am, when the wind did a 180 degree turn and started to bring wet cloud indoors. Luckily, as forecast, it wasn’t a strong wind. But it wasn’t a great start to the day, especially for Richard who heroically did a 3.15am re-peg. Most of us had wet sleeping bags, thermarests, and anything else we had been foolish enough to leave outside our packs. It made us all think less casually about fly camping on the tops and its wisdom, and perhaps whether some walls should have been dug/built, and other similar easy-in-retrospect actions. It made me vow to always pack up everything inside a fly in future!
You do learn more from challenging experiences than when everything rolls along smoothly. Our urban-dwelling lifestyles are comfortably challenge-averse, and tramping translates us into a totally different plane of existence. This week I’ve been reading stories of Himalayan climbers and marvelled at their abilities to freeze digits solid and yet descend from 8000 metres. It’s out of my league, but tramping is also becoming out of the league of many Kiwis’ everyday experiences. When I explain why I like tramping, I tend to mention the need for a touch of mascochism. But it’s interesting to consider whether this trait is becoming less common in future generations.
11-13 November Taranaki NP
| Alp 1 | MF | Summit climb/ski | Sharron Came, Tony Gazley |
| Family | All | Kaitoke waterworks | Jo Bonny |
| MTB | EM | Rimutaka incline | Amelia & Mark White |
| Work | All | Paua hut working party | Mike Pratt |
Head up to the top of Taranaki in the capable hands of Sharron and Tony. Or take it easy with the kids at Kaitoke waterworks, which has great camping and swimming only a short drive away. Amelia and Mark cycle the nicely graded Rimutaka rail trail, while you can get your hands dirty working on our Paua hut in the Orongorongos.
18-20 November Tararua FP – Kiriwhakapapa
| Tramp | M | Ruamahunga – Blue Range hut | Spencer Clubb |
| Tramp | F | Tarn Ridge | Amanda Wells |
| MTB | EM | Pencarrow lakes | Pete Gent |
| Day | M | Puke Ariki Belmont | Helen Law |
| Family | All | Totara Flats hut | Kelvin Thiele |
Head to the Tararuas again, on the Wairarapa side for some bush and river travel with Spencer, or some ambitious tops with me if the weather cooperates. Pete takes a nice easy ride out to the Pencarrow lakes, past Eastbourne, while Helen heads up into the Hutt hills. Take the family to Totara Flats hut in the Eastern Tararuas.
25-27 November
| MTB | M | Wakamarina | Anna Lambrechtsen |
| Day | EM | Boom Rock (fishing) | Spencer Clubb |
| Day | M | Hawkins Hill – Red Rocks | Marie Henderson |
| Family | All | Makara walkway | Beth Piggott |
Anna leads a mountain bike adventure down Nelson way. Other trips are closer to home: walking with the family at Makara beach, fishing a little further north along that coast or a classic south coast walk with Marie.
2-4 December Ruapehu Lodge
| Tramp | MF | Snowy River hut | Jenny Cossey |
| Day | E | Photography | Amelia White |
| Day | EM | Meads Wall nav | Mark White |
| MTN | F | The Goat | Amanda Wells |
| Family | All | Castlepoint | Ally Clark |
Do some navigation near Otaki Forks with Jenny. Or head up to the lodge with Amelia and Mark for some gentle walks or photography. It’s also the weekend of the Goat mountain race, though it you’re doing it you will already know! Take it easier at Castlepoint with Ally and family.
9-11 December Tararua FP – Kapakapanui
| Day | M | Kaitoke | Marie Henderson |
| Day | E | Matiu/Somes gourmet picnic | Sharron Came |
Head into the southern Tararuas for a day walk with Marie. Do less walking with Sharron to a gourmet picnic/wildlife spotting experience on Matiu/Somes Island.
9-11 December Tararua FP – Kapakapanui
| Tramp | E | Paua hut | Jenny Beaumont |
| Tramp | M | Papatahi Crossing | Jo Boyle |
It’s the last trip weekend of the year! You have a choice between an easy tramp to Paua hut in the Orongorongos with Jenny B or a crossing of the Orongorongos that may well also end up at Paua hut with Jo.