Welcome to the May edition of the Presidents Column. Over the last month or so there have some excellent activities going on with the Club. I really hope you have had a chance to participate in some of them.
Steve is the Club’s statistics man and he collates all manner of information about Club activities. During March for example, we had 51 people participating in Club activities while the number for April was 84. Numbers for May are still being collected but as an indication
I was on a tramp to Trains hut with 11 other people plus another tramp went out with seven people.
The long weekends of April helped with the high turnout but you can see that we are an active Club with lots of people getting out and enjoying what our Club can offer. With the two long weekends in June (Queen’s Birthday and Matariki) there are more chances to do some slightly longer tramps and to travel further afield. We have tramps planned to Nelson Lakes, Richmond Forest Park, the Kaweka Forest Park and the Te
Urewera National Park over the two long weekends. I’ve signed up for one of the tramps to the Kaweka Forest Park.
Of course we have plenty of other tramps planned for June ranging from easy tramps (such as Mt Matthews and Mangahau Flats) to Medium-Fit (Jacks Flat biv). We also have day trips on the schedule plus a course for alpine leaders which will be held at the Club lodge on Mt Ruapehu. Hopefully the weather will be agreeable so that these tramps/trips can go ahead as planned.
During the weekend of 4-6 November we will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Club. Turning 75 is a real achievement and testament to the hard work that countless numbers of people have put into the Club over the years. Over the weekend we will be having a celebratory dinner, an easy tramp to Paua hut and then a gathering and BBQ at the Catchpool Centre at the Remutaka Forest Park.
Meredith along with a few others have started making arrangements for the anniversary. If you would like to register your interest and/or offer to help organise the anniversary please get in touch with Meredith at .
On my trips away with the Club recently I’ve been reminded of what the Club is all about – people getting out into the outdoors and enjoying the physical and mental challenges of the tracks, the hills, the water (and sometimes the mud). Then there is the camaraderie and friendships that facing these challenges creates along with the fun of shared meals and conversations in huts and campsites.
We really have an excellent programme of trips planned and I encourage you all to sign-up and participate in Club activities. The more you put into the Club the more you will get out.
See you in the hills or at a Club meeting.
Tony