Friday night, waiting for the Ferry to load, there was a palpable sense of excitement for the upcoming adventure in the Kahurangi National Park. Would we see the reclusive South Island Kokako? Could Mike survive the trip with only six cans of V? And what exactly was going on in the back of the van … Read more
With rumours of Cyclone Pam encircling us, our determined band of ten trampers headed in to Otaki Forks, hopeful of some time on the tops. On arrival, our erstwhile leader Anna had to make a decision and with some reluctance, relinquished hopes of glory and great views in the face of uncertain weather and the … Read more
My hopes of Wellington being the sort of city that can be escaped in matter of minutes in favour of the great outdoors were dashed as we discovered the state highway choc-a-bloc with others making the same assumption. Spirits stayed high though for the long drive north. Our initial delays meant we couldn’t get as … Read more
We had a looong drive to Makahu Saddle carpark in the Kawekas and we arrived there at midnight. In our group there were two tents and I was put in charge of putting up the fly for three of us. Um, so surprisingly enough after all the time I have been with the club, I … Read more
An endless summer holiday period about to come to a close. Warmth and a lack of precipitation forecast. The remaining question was where to take a full van of EM punters. Our trip was originally scheduled for Waitaewaewae, but Sarah, Rachel, Dan & I had tramped that route recently due to route adjustment when trips sharing … Read more
We started with a well-used pattern: depart Wellington railway station, dinner at Bulls and then camp at the very nice campsite by the river at Mangaweka. For company on the trip we had a party of three cyclists. The night at Mangaweka was uneventful although the temperature dropped below zero and the tents were coated … Read more
Our journey to Holdsworth road end was more eventful than usual, with a few van issues to contend with. Let’s just say that Mark had a very warm bum from a and there may have been a tiny bit of ! Anyway, we arrived safely and set off to Atiwhakatu hut in the rain, arriving about 1hr … Read more
Photos from Tony Gazley Sadly, for a NZer, I’m reasonably well informed given that I can name around 20 plant species, and identify quite a few of them. However, I wanted to be able to tell the difference between a couple of species by bark, given that these trees grow very tall, and leaves are … Read more
Our weekend starts with Katie pulling out at 5.30pm on Friday due to a pulled muscle. We hear there was a good party on Saturday night too…. Katie was a good sort, acting as a shuttle driver to and from the club van, and passing over her group rations; including a wonderful dessert that even … Read more
On a dreary Saturday morning we contemplated alternative routes as we made our way to Levin. A southerly was forecast and there was already snow on the coastal foothills of the Kapiti coast. As we ascended the windy road to Mangahao Dam 2, the sunny calm weather convinced us to stick with our planned trip … Read more