Check out the latest news and trips reports below or view the archives using the menu on the left. If you want to know more about the newsletter including submitting stories, see Newsletter>Publication Details. To learn more about the club, check the top menu. Some links will take you to the old website, but content will eventually move to this site.

Cone Hut

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Date: 25-26 May 2013.
Trip type: Easy Tramp.
Location: Tararuas.
Author: Tracey Black.
Trampers: Barry Cuthbert, Fiona Elliott, Murray Sutherland (trip leader), Tracey Black.

The punters who’d signed up for this tramp dropped like flies this weekend – so much so that we managed to fit the E, EM and M groups all in one van! However, given our trip was going to the rather cosy Cone Hut (which DoC alleges is a six-bunker, but that’s taking a liberal … Read more

Waitewaewae Nav

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Date: 14-16 June 2013.
Trip type: EM/Nav Tramp.
Location: Tararuas.
Author: Gareth Gretton.
Trampers: Debbie Buck, Rebecca (Beccy) Day (photos), Gareth Gretton, David Heffernan (trip leader), Alastair Shelton.

David’s plan for this EM nav trip was to investigate rumours of an alternative route into the YTYY hut. This route was purported to depart from the track somewhere in the vicinity of a large slip, which has already forced a short re-routing of the original track, and ascend towards the summit marked with a … Read more

Field Hut family trip

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Date: 18-19 May 2013.
Trip type: Family Tramp.
Location: Tararuas.
Author: Joshua Tabor.
Trampers: Barry & Ella Cuthbert, Josh & Duncan Tabor, Yingjie Zhang & Alex Huang, Mike & Toby Gilbert, Richard Lyth (without Hamish!).

A small contingent from WTMC family group made the climb up to field hut on Saturday night (18 May). The party consisted of four 10-year olds and a rag tag assortment of five adults. The weather was overcast and dry – as dry as walking through the clouds can be. The tramp included five families … Read more

The Nature of Things – June 2013

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We are a very lucky Club. Last weekend four of our life members braved a freezing southerly to patch the roof of the Club Lodge thereby fixing the lounge leak. Life members are worth their weight in gold particularly when it comes to looking after our Lodge. They are also an inspiration in terms of … Read more

Track Talk – June 2013

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This is Debbie Buck the Assistant Chief Guide, filling in for Mike, who is off mountaineering in Alaska. This makes me think of two short and sweet topics to write about whilst I fill in for him this month: navigation and enjoying the cold outdoors. 1) Navigation There are a few day and weekend navigation … Read more

Membership Update – June 2013

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This month we welcome the following new members: Child members: Thomas Ralls, Charlie and Iona Wood Associate member: Jane Cox, and her children Matthew, Henry and Angus Cox Senior members: Mike Moore and Rob Edward The club has ordered the 2013-2014 Federated Mountain Clubs (FMC) membership cards. If you are a full club member, you will receive a … Read more

Ruapehu Lodge Update – June 2013

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Jan and I have spent a week early May looking after a school group and then helping a very hard working team to bring in winter food supplies for the lodge and making it clean and ready for the winter ski season. The Sunday prior to this, four of us spent the day doing remedial … Read more

Ruataniwha reconnaissance

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Date: Anzac weekend 2013.
Trip type: ALP2 (Fit).
Location: South of Mt Cook National Park.
Author: Sharron Came.
Trampers: David Jewell (trip leader), Mike Schier, Mike Phethean and Sharron Came.

Plan A: lug rock climbing kit up the Hopkins to Dasler Biv enjoying spectacular views of Mt Ward along the way. Camp in an alpine basin above the biv and climb the Dasler Pinnacles: a spectacular set of grey pointy things at 2315m. Plan abandoned due to a lack of interest in the frostbite thought … Read more

Travers-Sabine Circuit

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Date: 24-28 April 2013.
Trip type: Easy-Medium Tramp.
Location: Nelson Lakes National Park.
Author: Tracey Black.
Trampers: Dmitry Alkhimov (trip leader), Emily Shrosbree, Fiona McWhirter, Mike Moore, Mike Travers, Murray Sutherland, Tatiana Krayushkina, Tracey Black.

Just in case I have written a boring trip report and you don’t get to the end, let me put one of the concluding points at the beginning: this was Dmitry’s first time to lead a trip – and he’s a great trip leader! I admit that my opinion may have been influenced by the … Read more