A Fairytale climb of Gloriana Peak – Spenser Mountains

I almost pulled the pin on this trip. By the Thursday evening before we were due to leave, the weather forecast had changed daily, if not hourly, for the past few days. And the Interislander had already bumped our outbound sail to a less convenient time for everyone. I was weighing up whether it was … Read more

Faerie Queene – climbing a peak near Lewis Pass

Faerie Queen title

As many WTMC holiday weekend trips do, this trip started with the Interislander ferry to Picton and a drive to a DoC campsite. This time Kawatiri just beyond St Arnaud and handily situated right next to the both SH6 and SH63 (handy for access that is, less handy for sound sleeping). Queueing for the loo … Read more

Faerie Queene solo trip

Waterfall near the top of Camera Gully

Over Easter weekend I was on a climbing holiday in Takaka and having a very excellent time; and looking forward to a tramping trip over the ANZAC weekend up to the summit of Faerie Queene (a mountain in the Spenser range, just south of the Nelson Lakes). The plan was simple, head down the St … 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

Pell Stream Pioneers – Mission Accomplished! (mostly)

Background As far as we can tell, no WTMC club trip has visited Pell Stream hut in the Lewis Pass area in recent years. The hut is considered to be ‘remote’, receiving few visitors. This was the club’s third attempt to get to Pell Stream hut since January 2016, and Catherine, David, and I had … Read more

Christmas Tramp: Lewis Pass to Nelson Lakes

New Years Day 2010 a bunch of keen yet slightly crazy trampers jump onto the interislander on a 9 day excursion taking them deep into the heart of the Southern Alps going from Lewis Pass up to Nelson Lakes. The initial plan is to head over three alpine passes Three tarns pass, Thomson Saddle and … Read more