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.

Hopelessly head over heels for Hopeless

Who names a mountain “Hopeless”? By all accounts, “an early survey party with a poor attitude”! Three days before our ferry left Wellington, I carried out my standard ritual of emailing all the trip plans to my Dad. He usually replies with “Thanks Son, be safe out there” or encouraging words to that effect. This … Read more

“You never have to cross a river”: River Safety Training

Noel started the course of with the question “Who has ever had to cross a river?” The strong take-home message for the day was that river safety was mostly about the decisions made before entering any river, particularly whether to cross or not. There were 16 course attendees including the club members. Many were walking … Read more

St James Walkway

After leaving Wellington on Thursday afternoon and staying the night in a Picton Backpacker, all of us were itching to get on the road. Friday morning was an early start for us as we repacked our packs and threw them into the van, keen to get moving. After what felt like an impossibly long drive … Read more

Ruapehu ski touring from WTMC lodge

Ruapehu ski touring

Some of the best skiing at Ruapehu is high on the mountain in the spring time. With this in mind Graeme organised and led a ski touring trip on Labour Weekend based at the club lodge. Over the next 2½ days we skied and boarded the Mangatoetoenui, Whangaehu, Whakapapa, and Mangaturuturu Glaciers, and dropped down from … Read more

Ivory Lake

Ivory Lake - with its glacier and icebergs

Ivory Lake – a hiking trip through spectacular west coast NZ scenery. A 10 day hike through Westland National Park to visit Ivory Lake and its icebergs. Day 1: 23rd Dec 2017 – Hokitika Gorge to meadow campsite (45 mins) We arrived in Hokitika eager for shade and faffing time. Having driven from Picton that … Read more

From the President…in November

As always things have been busy in the world of WTMC this month, particularly on the training front. Club members have variously attended first aid training, a pack-rafting safety course, canyoning abseiling basics and we’ve got river safety training coming up this weekend too. Many thanks to those involved with organising these training sessions and … Read more

Akatarawa Canyon Day Trip

Team Badger post-canyoning adventure

Canyoning has a narrow season – focused around summer for less time shivering and lower water hazard. This trip was great as a season starter – to get back in to the swing of it and to take a few people out on their first trip – the access is relatively easy and the canyon … Read more

Mitre Peak

The EM and MF groups arrived at the Pines Road-end on Friday at 830pm and walked in to Mitre Flats Hut. The track was OK but there was lots of fallen trees which made the going a bit slower. We got to the hut at 11:30pm and tried to get a sleeping spot as quietly … Read more

Holy Cupola!

On the summit of Mt Cupola, Nelson Lakes National Park, on a beautiful day

Holy Cupola! A snowcraft graduates ascent of Mt Cupola in Nelson Lakes National Park Spring was marching on, the snow was melting, and enthusiasm for alpine trips appeared to be on the wane. I felt like I hadn’t squeezed enough out of my snowcraft experience yet, so when Tony G offered Angelus trip-goers another bite … Read more