I seem to do the Heaphy Track once every 25 years. The last time was in 1973 (don’t ask me about the time before that if you value your life!); the most recent time was earlier this year at Waitangi weekend when Austin, Andy Sweet, Suzi Penny and I took an extra day off and … Read more

We peered down into the clag. Below us, the slope seemed to disappear into an abyss of hideous bluffs and gullies. Above us, the steep snow slopes and rocky bluffs soared upwards, disappearing out of sight into the thick, enveloping clag. Which way should we head? If we continued upwards, would we reach our goal, … Read more

When it is the middle of the night and you are lying in your sleeping bag in a tent and it is cold and drizzly outside and you hear someone get up for a pee and then you realise they aren’t peeing, they’re lighting a primus because they don’t realise it is still the middle … Read more

The mission was to install the new dunny at Maungahuka. And Gerard was excited! He’d been waiting for a “window” of fine weather and at last he had it! He rang Roger excitedly: Gerard:The weather’s looking good. Real settled. There are four suns! Roger: Four what? Gerard: Four suns! On TV there was a sun … Read more

The weekend was fun!?! Friday evening – we left the car at Kiwi Ranch and caught the Club transport up to the Putara roadend. We started walking at 9.42 pm so we had to be out by 9.42 pm on Sunday evening to do the 48-hour S-K! We arrived at Herepai Hut at 11.16 pm … Read more

“Take your fishing rod! You’ll regret it if you don’t.” We were headed off to the us of A for a holiday and in between planning on how many hundred miles a day we would drive and the quality of the barbecue, I had mentioned that Montana was famous for its fishing. I knew this … Read more

Mt Arrowsmith was the challenge.  All 2,781 metres of her on the Main Divide west of Ashburton.  Steve Reeves pulled out on the eleventh hour due to straining his back at Rock ‘n’ Roll dance classes.  The group was now down to eight with Joe Fraser (leader), Tony Reeves, Charlie Batho, Andrew Downes, Simon Wakeman, … Read more

“Only one more sleep before sailing!” was the excited call from skipper Roger on Thursday night. Three yachts: 31 ft Raport, 35 ft Benedictine and 36 ft Syrena and their crews of 21 trampers were to set sail in the Marlborough Sounds the following day. Three of those trampers claimed to know enough about boats … Read more

For those who find it tedious to wade through lengthy trip reports of trips they missed here is a quick precy: Two-hour Friday night grunt to Travers Hut; leatherwood crawl; river-bash to Forks Hut; vertical bush-bash to Makawakawa Stream; river-bash to Diggers Hut; quick grunt; mud slide to West Branch of Tamaki River; more river-bashing; … Read more

Following a cruisey venture over the Five Pass trip, 5 punters (Eric, Roger, Andrew, Garry and I) sat in Wanaka, taking it easy, trying to work out what was next on the list. With only 3 days we were restricted but finally made up our minds, it would be a jet boat assisted trip through … Read more