From the President – May 2023 – Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club

Kia ora,

This article provides a brief update on club activities, including:

WTMC May recap: Committee, trips and lodge updates
Coming up in June

If you have any questions, comments or ideas please get in touch.

Ngā mihi

Anne de Ferron

(left) Fiery sunset and hot pink trousers on the ridge to Mt Fell Hut – M group (credit: Emily)
(right) Heading up to Richmond Saddle Hut – EM group (credit: Jane)
(Richmond Forest Park)

WTMC May recap

From the Committee

Club night hosts needed – We are looking for more volunteers to host club nights – about once every two months. It means showing up about 6:45/7pm to set up coffee, tea and biscuits and help the speaker get set up. Start the meeting at 7:30pm, by welcoming everyone, call for announcements and hand over to the speaker. When everything is finished, send people home, quick tidy up and lock up. Induction is provided for new hosts, to express interest please contact Megan ().

FMC discount cards – All WTMC members eligible for a FMC discount card, which gives you access to a wide range of discounts for outdoor gear, training courses and more. To make sure you receive your FMC card, please make sure your address details in Hello Club is up to date. To update your address: log in > open your profile by clicking on the icon in the upper right corner > select ‘Member details’ > update your address. For any help, please contact David (Membership)

FMC elections – A new President and Executive for the Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand (FMC) have been elected. Thanks to everyone who send through their views to inform how to use WTMC’s votes. The results are available on the FMC website.

WTMC Constitution and Annual Financial Statements – Following decisions made at the EGM in March and the AGM in April, the updated Constitution and Financial Statement for the last financial year are now publicly available on the Societies Register.

Trips updates

May adventures – Despite a few cancellations due to bad weather, WTMC has been busy this month: bouldering near Baring Head, snail hunting in the Richmond Range or hut bagging in the Tararuas to find Joe Gibbs Memorial hut to only name a few. The impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle continue to affect access to key road ends in the Ruahines and Kawekas – however this hasn’t stopped our creative leaders who swiftly rerouted a couple of trips to the Tararuas instead: a Medium trip to Mid-Waiohine hut and EM group to Roaring Stag hut.

Unique Whanganui river adventure – While this trip ran a couple months ago, the trip report is still worth a read! Under Meredith’s leadership a group of keen paddlers travelled down the Whanganui river with the support of two awa navigators. Waiata practice, pōwhiri, night in the whare at the marae… a special way to experience Whanganui National Park and its unique cultural and historical heritage.

Next trip schedule – Planning is underway for the new trip schedule, which will cover July to October. If you are a trip leader – please remember to sign up to lead a trip before Friday 2 June! Email Monique (Chief Guide) for any queries.

Alpine season 2023 – We are reviewing our club processes for alpine trips and training. If you have any feedback on alpine activities or are interested in supporting this process please get in touch with Anne (President) or Jon (Vice President).

Leadership course – Tash and Jamie successfully ran the leadership evening course for new trip leaders on 10 May. There was a lot of interest and the course was oversubscribed, which is really positive. We will look at running another course in the coming months. To express interest in taking the course or help run the training, please contact Jamie (Assistant Chief Guide)

Important information for trip leaders – Please make sure the intention sheet for your trip is sent to both the emergency contact and . This allows selected members of the committee to have access to the trip intentions, so they can quickly support the emergency contact and search & rescue services if an incident occurs on a club trip.

Lodge updates

From Tony G (Lodge promotion officer)

” Lots of Ruapehu skiers are booking South Island winter holidays leading to popular skifields such as Cardrona, Remarkables, and Mt Hutt becoming ever more crowded. Angry skiers are being turned away at the access roads because carparks are overflowingly full. Lift lines are long and stressful. And at the end of the day you are driving miles back to your expensively cramped and noisy hotel room.
” Meanwhile at Ruapehu, RAL’s new owners are getting the lifts running. El Niño is arriving as forecast and bringing the best snow for years. The maunga’s wide open ski runs are mostly empty. Lift lines are short and happy skiers are chatting and laughing. And for the last run of the day you are skiing back to the WTMC’s lodge and taking off your skis at the front door.

” Now, all you are needing to do to be part of this adventure in our alpine wonderland is to be booking into the lodge and then wishing really really hard and… boomshanka… just like a happy fairy tale it will all be coming true.

” PS If you weren’t wishing quite hard enough for the new RAL peeps and the lifts aren’t opening then you can be getting a full refund on your lodge bookings.
“PPS When you are going to the WTMC Ruapehu Facebook page you will be getting more lodge news, and the forecast for the El Niño event coming this winter and bringing with it the unusually large piles of snow ❄❄❄❄❄