Ōrongorongo South Saddle – Remutaka Forest Park

A relaxed start and some questionable navigation lead us to the Ōrongorongo Station carpark at 9:30am. We left a car there, drove to the Catchpool Valley carpark, and were walking by 10am. In no time at all we were heading up the Ōrongorongo Valley. A vague attempt was made to keep boots dry on the … Read more

Pig Flat Hut and the Remutaka Trig

My hopes to complete a circuit in the Kawekas over King’s Birthday weekend were compromised by the ongoing impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle. Without being able to confirm road access or track conditions, we were onto plan B: a delightful off-track adventure in a remote part of Whanganui National Park. However, with heavy rain in the … Read more

Barney’s Whare – Remutaka Forest Park

Route: Return trip from Orongorongo carpark to Barney’s Whare.Weather: Fine, no windGroup Time: 3.5 hrs + 45 mins A beautiful autumn day greeted us as we departed platform 9 at Wellington Railway Station. The Harbour was a millpond and as we crested the Wainuiomata Hill we disappeared into the thin layer of fog which enveloped … Read more

Navigation Course

Navigation in action

After having to cancel the bushcraft course, the next best thing seemed to be a day out in the Remutaka Forest Park for a bit of map and compass practice, with an intro to river safety. We started the day with map reading theory at the Catchpool carpark. Identifying symbols on the map – easy! … Read more

WTMC Families Paua Hut

The normal week is pretty busy with school, sports, friends and jobs. Organising the kids for an overnight tramp just adds on top of everything. All of a sudden, the shoes and the fleece were too small and need replacing, and wearing Dad’s old gear isn’t cool anymore. Finally two funerals on the Friday for … Read more

Mount Matthews and Ocean Beach: wild and wonderful weather

Long summery evenings are a most wonderful thing. It was still light as we bounded along the Orongorongo Valley track on Friday evening; dark only settling down upon us as we reached the river. Using a waypoint that Bram had marked on his gps we successfully navigated in the, suddenly rather dark darkness, to the … Read more