Sharron Came, President
Kia ora fellow trampers
Spring has sprung! I know this because most days the weather is decidedly hormonal with sunshine, rain, wind and clouds all mixed together. The arrival of daylight saving enhances our ability to enjoy the mix. We have designed a similar level of variety with respect to the outdoor activities we offer through the trip schedule. You may have noticed that we are persisting with trail running and there is a kayaking trip although it is already over- subscribed. We’re keen to get more interesting trips happening to balance out the traditional local day walks and tramps in the Tararuas and Ruahines.
Spring is a good time to plan Christmas trips. The Christmas – New Year – school holiday period provides a great opportunity to execute ambitious adventures to exotic places. If you have any ideas, or would like some help with trip planning or just want the goss on who is plotting what, get in touch with Amanda at
Spring is a good time to up-skill. What new skills do you need to acquire to help improve your tramping, kayaking, biking or climbing experience? We usually run a Bushcraft course early in the year and we will likely do so again in 2013. We used to organise outdoor first aid courses but we have found it hard to get sufficient people to commit to a date so this year we are encouraging people to take responsibility for their own training. The next outdoor first aid course available in our region is scheduled for the weekend of November 23-25. If you are interested check out the link here http://www.mountainsafety.org.nz/Training/training_results.asp.
Variety is the spice of Spring. We would love to run more tramping trips with a navigation focus and more trips where punters can learn about our indigenous flora and fauna, some gourmet and themed trips would be cool too. It has been too long since the Southern Crossing cross dressing trip! If you fancy leading educational or social trips let us know, don’t wait till we start preparing the Summer schedule.
Spring is a good time to get out of the house. You don’t need a television set to know that Wednesday night television is crap – may as well head along to club. In the past a few keen people have organised pre-club cycle trips, climbs at Fergs, (remember WTMC members get a discount on Wednesday nights), runs or catch ups at the kebab shop on Kent Terrace. If anyone wants to get the ball rolling with these activities just post on the Phorum or make an announcement on a Wednesday night. Likewise, the practice of slinking off to the pub after the Wednesday night talk is thriving. This provides a great opportunity for everyone to empty their wallets, tell tall stories, indulge in other forms of social intercourse, (only because it is mandated in the constitution of course), or chill. The current practice is to go for the hipster vibe offered by the Hop Garden in Pirie St, next to KFC. If you’ve been looking for us in the Welsh bar don’t worry, the club hasn’t turned teetotal.
We are always on the hunt for more people to help out with the social side of club life whether you choose to make the tea, prepare a slideshow or indulge in the often underrated practice of pimping the club to work colleagues or friends. Have a chat to Jenny or email her
Spring 2012 is a good one for snow, especially in the North Island. Alan Higgins showed me some photos taken at Whakapapa last week – firm snow and plenty of it as well as calm, settled weather. Interesting clouds of steam rising off Ngauruhoe… .
Snowcraft 2012 is done and dusted. Big thanks to Jenny Beaumont, Steve Austin and Mike Phethean for their vital contributions and to the course participants who, with the possible exception of the punter who split his over-trousers, gave new meaning to the phrase “low maintenance”.
Spring is a great time to join us. Know someone who has been on loads of trips but hasn’t quite gotten round to joining? Wave a membership application form under their nose. The 2012 Club Journal is coming soon, members get a copy for free and it is going to be stunning.