Naturists on Tongariro

Note to the Committee: I feel I must notify you of a conflict of interest I have, as myself and others have formed a new club that inevitably will compete with the WTMC.  A group of us have had a flash of insight that there is a totally un-serviced need in the tramping community, and … Read more

Butterfly Creek walk

How about that? It was the middle of winter and I was debating coating the children in sunscreen. You’ve got to make the most of cloudless, windless days in Wellington and we were looking forward to spending this one on the Butterfly Creek walk in the East Harbour Regional Park. The meeting spot on Kowhai … Read more

City to sea day walk

We assembled bright and early on a slightly overcast Saturday morning in late October, by the Cenotaph at the end of Lambton Quay and wandered up to Bowen Street Cemetery for the official start almost managing to lose half the group before we even got to the information board describing the route ahead. After a … Read more

Hawkins Hill to Red Rocks

This day trip in the southern coast area has some interesting variation and views, despite the lack of natural setting: you pass above the southern landfill and it is almost all on 4wd tracks. As we set out it was looking like it might rain, but luckily there was no wind; travelling the ridge line … Read more

Korokoro Dam

A group of 16 set out in good weather for the popular Cornish St to Korokoro Dam walk, a 3 hour return trip. The track follows Korokoro stream all the way to the dam, which was built in 1903 to supply Petone. Remnants of the water pipeline remain. Our group had a good number of … Read more

Tongariro in the mist – peak bagging for 8 year olds – November 2011

Everyone knows the Ruapehu Lodge is where you go for winter weekends; for snowboarding, alpine adventures and the like.  Summer?  What’s there in Summer?  Well, that was our mission: to find out. I well know that the lodge is very comfortable for regular punters and families alike. It needs to be because snowboarding at Mt … Read more

Covert Ops Black Tie Lunch at the Waihohonu Hilton – November 2011

Friday night, 5.30pm, Wellington Railway Station. Perfect. We have infiltrated a party of climbers heading for “The Lodge”. This lodge will be a perfect base for our weekend operation. We hope this lodge will prove as comfortable as it sounds, even if it  traffic reports indicate we might be in for a long drive. Friday … Read more

City to Sea

No one can say that it was an ‘early’ start at 10am, but then that is what the City to Sea day walk was offering us, an easy ramble with some sightseeing and chatter for five hours, on a Saturday. This is a very well known walk, described as a walkway that starts in the … Read more

Mt Holdsworth Day Walk

On a slightly overcast Sunday, we set out for a day on the tracks of Mt Holdsworth.  We got out of bed in uncivilised hours (7:30am) for a Sunday morning, packed lunch and left home around 9:00am.  My wife would have rather enjoyed a traditional Mothers’ Day, tucked up in bed ‘till 11am pampered by … Read more

Wainuiomata Catchment Day Walk

Do you know a place within 30 minutes from a city where you can walk amongst predominantly pristine podocarp forest?  Yes – from Wellington! Just go past the Petone waterfront and over the hill into the Wainuiomata Water Collection area! The Wainuiomata Water Collection area has stayed almost completely intact, except for a little logging … Read more