Mt Ruapehu

Mt Ruapehu day walk and the ice cave

Date: 11 April 2025.
Trip type: Tramp (EM).
Location: Mt Ruapehu.
Author: Tony G.
Trampers: Tony G, Sarah F.

Mt Ruapehu Summit Plateau Glacier ice cave featured image

Mt Ruapehu day walk and the ice cave. A day hike from the Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club (WTMC) Mt Ruapehu Lodge to a spectacular ice cave in the Summit Plateau Glacier Sarah enjoys staying at the WTMC Ruapehu Lodge. Mainly because it is easy there for her to make tasty pancakes and raisin scones. … Read more

WTMC Ruapehu Lodge – its survival may depend on your help

WTMC Ruapehu Lodge – its survival may depend on your help Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL) who has run the skifield at Whakapapa for 60 years is in Liquidation and Receivership. If no buyer can be found before the 2025 ski season it is very likely that all skifield infrastructure will be removed from the mountain and … Read more

Mt Tongariro – Cinderella and the Dancing Dinosaur

Date: 26 - 28 July.
Trip type: Alp 1.
Location: Tongariro National Park.
Author: Sarah Fisher.
Trampers: Anne (leader), Dave (co leader), Lynsey, Sarah.

Mt Tongariro – Cinderella and the Dancing Dinosaur A 2 day hiking loop trip through the spectacular mountain scenery of the Tongariro National Park in early winter Sarah, could I please have my shoes back? I looked down at my feet and realised I was having a Cinderella moment at Mangatepopo Hut on Saturday morning and … Read more

WTMC Ruapehu Lodge – what goes on when you’re not watching 😆

Date: 7-9 June 2024.
Trip type: Tramp (E+).
Location: WTMC Lodge Iwikau Village Mt Ruapehu.
Author: Roger B.
Trampers: Nicci (chef extraordinaire); Rene and Jo (food provedoring, windows); Sam (sanding, painting, varnishing); Josh (windows, food provedoring), Geoff (speakers, cladding), AJ (smart door lock, tech assistance, fixing things), Miles (Booking systems, Lodge systems), Roger (Lodge Leaders Manual, general dogsbody) .

WTMC Ruapehu Lodge Working Party June 2023

WTMC Ruapehu Lodge – what goes on when you’re not watching 😆 A report on the WTMC Lodge at Mt Ruapehu working party June 2024 that attended to the outstanding maintenance issues before opening for the 2024 ski season. WTMC RuapehuLodge Webpage

WTMC Ruapehu Lodge and the solitary wilding pine 🌲

Date: 11 May 2024.
Trip type: Working party.
Location: Mt Ruapehu.
Author: Fred Bear.
Trampers: Sarah, Teddy.

Aerial view of the location of thee wilding pine

WTMC Ruapehu Lodge – and the solitary wilding pine  🌲  The wilding pine on the Whakapapa slopes of Mount Ruapehu needed to be removed – so Sarah and her teddy bear set out to do the job Some time ago while passing across the western slopes of Mt Ruapehu around towards the WTMC Lodge Sarah Saurus … Read more

A WTMC ski trip to Mt Ruapehu Labour Weekend 1948

Date: Labour Weekend 1948.
Trip type: Skiing.
Location: Mt Ruapehu.
Author: Ione McIntyre.
Trampers: Ian Bain, Inez Bluck, Allan, Den Collins, Dave Cracknell, Ruth Dixon, Horry Dixon, Nancy, Eric, Brian Heath, Ione McIntyre, Max Martin, Mike Reddington, Muriel Sinclair, Ellen Slattery, Bob Williams, Trevor, Stan Kinder, Dennis O’Neal, Colin Horne, Noeline Lowe, Bill Campbell, Kathleen Tunnell, Allan King, Adele, and one unknown.

The fantastical flying bed bus

A WTMC ski trip to Mt Ruapehu Labour Weekend 1948 An entertaining account of a 1948 ski trip to Mt Ruapehu in a broken-down bus, stormy weather, and very little skiing

Round the Mountain Track – Tongariro National Park

Date: 2-7 January 2024.
Trip type: Tramp(EM).
Location: Tongariro National Park.
Author: Tony.
Trampers:  Debbie (leader), Jo (Leader), Harry, Carolyn, Tony, Nicci, Wyatt, Archer, Toby .

Nine people signed up for the club’s New Year Round The Mountain – Ruapehu trip. The group featured a few people new to multi-day walks, a few new to the club, as well as some very experienced club members and trampers. The distance and demanding terrain mean that an excellent baseline fitness is a prerequisite, … Read more

Paratetaitonga…. nearly! Mt Ruapehu – Tongariro National Park

Date: 11-13 Aug 2023.
Trip type: Alp1(MF).
Location: Mt Ruapehu - Tongariro National Park.
Author: Lynsey.
Trampers: Leaders: Anne (WTMC) and Tom (NZAC). Trampers: Anne and Lynsey (from WTMC) and Aly, Gracie, Meisha, Matt, Tom, Jen (from NZAC).

*Editor’s note: Paratetaitonga (2535m) is a mountain peak located on the edge of Mt Ruapehu’s Crater Lake. It’s always nice when you are lucky enough to have a Friday off work for early travel to your weekend’s destination! It’s even better when you know there’ll be no soggy camping at the road end on a … Read more

Alpine training courses with NZAC

Date: Winter 2023.
Trip type: WTMC scholarship: Alpine training.
Location: Mt Ruapehu.
Author: All.
Trampers: Jon, Mathew, Anne.

Thanks to WTMC scholarships that helped to cover some of the cost, Mathew and Anne signed up for a backcountry avalanche course and an intermediate snowcraft course with the New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC). Jon had already utilised a WTMC scholarship to attend a summer rock course earlier in the year, but signed up anyway … Read more