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.
Friday night had us hiking the 50 odd minutes required to get to the confluence of the Blackwater and Ohau streams. The campsites were brilliant. Some of us erected flys, the others relied on tree cover, mocking the weather gods. The next day our boots hit the Blackwater at a lazy 8:30am, but we made … Read more
In the middle of the southern Tararuas there is an enticing route that leads up to (or down from) Mt Hector. It fulfils all the necessities of a great shortcut: it looks like it should be quicker than other routes; it isn’t as well travelled as the traditional Southern Crossing and it promises unusual views … Read more
After a serene Thursday night ferry crossing we made our way to Tony’s ‘secret, secluded DoC campsite’ just north of Kaikoura. Arriving there before midnight, we were surprised to find that a pleasant campground had been turned into a campervan carpark and was full of campervans. We managed to find some free space underneath some … Read more
The Kepler Challenge is promoted as NZ’s premier mountain running event and is an event that I thought was achievable in a respectable time with the correct training and utmost commitment. It takes place along the entire route of The Kepler Track outside Te Anau and is 60km long with approximately 1500 metre of ascent … Read more
Back before the break, Helen Law led an excellent pre-Christmas trip to Te Kopahou Reserve near the south coast. We gathered at the WTMC club rooms on Saturday morning to begin our walk to the reserve. Our ultimate goal was some World War II bunkers and an observation post high above the Red Rocks and … Read more
Conditions couldn’t have been more perfect as we set off from the Khandallah swimming pool at around 9.30am. There was just enough sun to make it a beautiful day and just enough cloud to make it not so hot. Not a lot of wind was forecast for the day, although that didn’t mean anything to … Read more
It’s hard to think of a new angle on a trip across the Southern Crossing. It’s a classic Tararua tramp, but so well traversed by so many feet that all sorts of invention is practiced to make it a more interesting story to relate. This ranges from the traditional one day and moonlight versions, through … Read more
Dear Santa, I swear I’ve been good this year. Don’t eat that dehy meal I’ve left out for you too quickly or you’ll get indigestion. It’s not compulsory but you may want to add hot water to it. Jug is on the left hand side of the bench just flick the switch. Also, I would … Read more
At the last minute, the Summer schedule came together and far exceeded my expectations. A big thanks to all our trip leaders! As an experiment, we’d included January again (after making it part of the Spring schedule) to see if we could get some more leaders. This worked, with a better array of trips now … Read more
This month we welcome Michael Schier as a new senior member. Your subscription invoice is being sent out at the moment, if you do not receive yours by Christmas, either by email or by post, please contact me to verify your contact details and resend the invoice to you.