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.
We were contacted by Dan Clearwater, author of the Canyoning in NZ guidebook and staff member at FMC about some history of the early explorations of Chamberlain Creek. If you are able to help him out, please send him a message at dan.clearwater@fmc.org.nz. “Chamberlain Creek seems to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue when talking … Read more
Be aware. Consider … Environmentally Conscious Tramping brochure By Maj-Britt Engelhardt I’m passionate about tramping and nature (mountains, trees, flowers, birds, etc) but have struggled to find useful information to help me make better environmental decisions when tramping. At my 2018 club talk on Environmentally Conscious Tramping I realised others had the same problem when … Read more
This was not a WTMC trip, but, with the five passes coming up on the schedule soon, I thought it might be useful to share our experience, times (walked at a leisurely pace) and route finding tips. We had three weeks on South Island to go anywhere and do anything. Plan A was the Tin … Read more
What a lark! Hooning down the Tararua rivers in a 1.6 kg inflatable dinghy—including all the kit (floatation device (PFD) and paddle). Welcome to the wonderful world of packrafting! Having had a very harebrained thought to do just the same thing by myself a few years ago, except with questionable gear, no training and no … Read more
It takes courage and skills to organise an alpine tramp for a party of 20 to go all the way from Wellington to Arthur’s Pass, and our amazing Megan Sety had the courage, the skills, and much more. With at least three months of planning, she managed to put together an outstanding frontline of six … Read more
This trip was a wobble around South-eastern area of Tararua Forest Park. We started at Waiohine Gorge Road end, taking the Mt Reeves Track to Tutuwai Hut. We then walked about 45 minutes down the Tauherenikau track, finishing with a small scramble up to the unmarked Joe Gibbs Hut. We back-tracked to Tutuwai Hut, went along … Read more
Looking for some great adventure stories from WTMC members for your relaxed reading or inspiration for future tramping trips? Well go no further than the recently published 2018 WTMC Journal. Read about a 9 day trip to the fabled Ivory Lake, mountain biking the Heaphy Track, packrafting safety instruction and much more. The Table of … Read more
Two and a half years ago Elisabet and I signed up to a High Alpine Skills course in Temple Basin, Arthur’s Pass. On day one our American instructor Pete sat us down and asked each of us what our motivations were for the training. Why did we want to take on the risks the mountain … Read more
Photos by: James Wratt (professional looking ones of birds) and Tash (group shots from the top of the trig). A bleary-eyed group of strangers met at Wellington train station at 7am on Sunday morning. We drove north and arrived at Paraparaumu Beach in good time for our 8:30 sailing with Kāpiti Island Eco Experience. Our … Read more
North Mangahao Bivvy’s claim to fame is being the most northern official hut in Tararua Forest Park. As a part-time hut bagger, I needed to tick this one off the list. However, rather than coming from the eastern side which requires permission to cross private land, I decided to challenge myself navigationally (and in other … Read more