Kia ora,
April has sped past and I hope you were able to make the most of the Easter and ANZAC breaks to spend time out in the hills.
Thank you in particular to those Members who attended the Club’s AGM on 15 April, where there were robust discussions about the future direction of the Club. You can read the draft AGM Minutes here, and further information below.
Please read on for a summary of what has been happening in your Club recently. And as always, please feel free to contact me on [email protected] if you have any questions or feedback on how your Club is running.
Ngā mihi
Daniel Madley
President
Committee changes – I would like to welcome Nicole Wood, Michael Moore and Everard Halbert to the 2026/27 Committee as your Social Officer, Treasurer and Secretary respectively. Congratulations also to Andrew Brown, Miles Davison and James Hancock for their re-election to the Committee. I am confident that collectively, and with the help of the Club’s many other volunteers, we are well placed to continue to push the Club forward over the next year.
I would also like to acknowledge and thank the outgoing Committee members, Sam Harrison, Ellis Pike and Megan Madley for their hard work and enthusiasm on the Committee in recent years. Serving on the Committee does involve a fair amount of personal sacrifice, and your contributions are recognised and greatly appreciated.
Congratulations to Roger Bolam – The Club is pleased to welcome its first Life Member in 15 years, with Roger Bolam’s election at the AGM on 15 April. As a Club Member for 40 years, Roger has been the President and Vice President, and has been extensively involved in organising the Club’s transport. He is the only person to currently hold two formal roles with the Club, as the Maintenance coordinator and the Veterans coordinator. Congratulations Roger on this well-deserved recognition.
It was also fantastic to see many Life Members at the AGM, and to hear Julie Catchpole speak on behalf of her father Dave Catchpole about how the Club has been an important of their lives. The Committee was pleased to provide Life Members with a plaque to mark their contributions over the decades.
Membership fees – Members agreed at the AGM to increase the annual membership fees, with a focus on the increased revenue funding a wider array of Club activity, to foster an inclusive Club culture and help keep fees down in other areas. The Committee is very conscious of wider cost-of-living pressures that Members are facing, and want the Club to remain accessible. If you are suffering hardship and want to discuss your options around membership fee payment, please contact myself on [email protected] or the Membership coordinator (Mike McGavin) on [email protected]. Please be assured that such queries will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Increased fuel reimbursement for trips – We know the increased price of fuel is causing concern for some Members, particularly if you are kindly offering your vehicle for use on Club trips. We want to ensure that no-one who uses their vehicle on a Club trip or activity is out of pocket, so the Committee has decided to increase the reimbursement rate from 37 cents per km (IRD Tier 2 rate) to 45 cents per km until the end of the current trip schedule (26 July). Trip fees will not change as a result of this increased reimbursement rate. We will reconsider this approach as the next trip schedule is prepared. If you have any concerns, please contact James Hancock at [email protected].
Mid-week Lodge discount for Members – The Lodge Sub Committee is pleased to introduce a 25% mid-week discount for Club Members during the 2026 Winter Season. The discounted bed fees will be valid for Sunday night to Thursday night inclusive, from 1 July to the end of the ski season – approx. October. The discounted Member rates will be $45 for an adult, $30 for a child and $5 for infants.
As mentioned previously, the Committee is not increasing Lodge fees for 2026, and the fees have remained pretty much static since COVID. Miles, Roger and the team are doing a great job getting the Lodge ready for winter, and soon the Lodge will have more Club archive material to peruse, and a projector for special presentations when you are not out skiing!
Winter Lodge bookings now open – You are now able to making Winter Season lodge bookings for weekends from 1 July. Soon, the Lodge team will open up bookings for three skiing weeks, with themes around veterans, families and tramping and mountaineering. Get your bookings in and keep an eye out as more availability opens up!
Lodge training on 20 May – If you would like to learn how to operate the Lodge and be a Lodge leader, come along to the training on Wednesday 20 May at 5.25pm at the TTC Clubrooms. This is a great way to be independent, not have to rely on someone else (who has been trained) to be booked in at the Lodge on the dates that work for you, and to give back in supporting the Club and the Lodge. And you get a 20% discount on your Lodge fees while you’re the leader! If you would like to attend, please email Sam Kempthorne on [email protected].
Club talks on 6 May and 20 May – I encourage you to come along to the TTC Clubrooms on Wednesday 6 May to hear about Sam Harrison and friends’ 12 days in Fiordland, complete with home-made pack rafts. Doors open 6.30pm for a 7pm start.
On Wednesday 20 May, Bruce and Margaret Jefferies will speak to “a lifetime shaped by big landscapes” – from the Tararua to establishing Sagarmatha (Mt Everest) National Park. Doors open 6.30pm for a 7.15pm start, and stick around afterwards for the quarterly veterans catch-up.
Remembering Steve Kohler – Many Club Members were saddened to hear of the peaceful passing of Steve Kohler on 30 April. Steve was a dedicated Club Member for over 20 years and had a great passion for data and statistics. He dutifully collected the records of Club trips for many years, and built up a very extensive database going back decades. Steve will be missed, and the Club’s thoughts go out to his family. Rest in peace.
Join Victoria University Tramping Club for Ceilidh dancing – Our friends at VUWTC are hosting a Ceilidh dance at the Hunter lounge on Friday 8 May from 7.30pm. Join them for a fun night of dancing and meeting new friends. Tickets are $24 and cover the venue, band and pizza, with drinks available to purchase. You can find more information and buy tickets here.
Mountains on Stage – This film festival returns to Wellington for a screening on 7 May 7pm at the Penthouse Cinema. Club Members are able to access discounted tickets – please email India on [email protected] or find more information here.
Federated Mountain Clubs – Following the AGM, WTMC has returned to being a Full Member of the Federated Mountain Clubs (FMC), to help strengthen their advocacy work. You can read FMC’s most recent newsletter here, and you can read their quarterly Backcountry magazine online here (the latest edition doesn’t appear to be online yet). We expect the next quarterly magazine, and annual FMC discount cards, to be provided to the Club later in May, and these will be available for Members to collect from the Club rooms each Wednesday (6.30-7.00pm in the gear room), or upstairs in the Hall on Club talk nights.
Recent trip anecdotes – Despite the terrible weather, the Club has gotten out far and wide in the past month.
Anne led a trip to the geographic centre of New Zealand, close to Mt Reeves in the Tararua. Thanks to the group for your flexibility and planning a new route at short notice on account of Cyclone Vaianu making the original trip to Leon Kinvig Hut unsafe. Likewise, Harry’s cycling trip to the Pohangina Valley was cancelled due to Vaianu. Another trip schedule beckons for both!
On ANZAC weekend James led a group into the Ruahines to visit Colenso Hut, explore the Mangatera River and find whio. They enjoyed stunning weather and proudly wore poppies on their clothes and packs. The same weekend India led a group down to Mt Richmond Forest Park to explore the Pelorus River and Captain’s Creek Hut. They made the most of the many swimming holes, with India going for 7 swims!
We had a busy weekend in the Ruahines, with Anna and Ashley leading two separate groups doing the Daphne/Howletts loop, and Ellis leading an adventurous trip across Sawtooth Ridge and down Black Ridge.
Finally, Sara led a families trip into Tutuwai Hut – it’s great to see more of these trips back on the schedule!
