Rangiwahia Hut and Deadman’s Track – Ruahine Forest Park

As the medium (M) group had cancelled their trip to Triangle Hut, the 5 of us had the van to ourselves and decided to leave on Saturday morning instead of Friday night. We left the Railway Station at 8.30am, and after a coffee stop in Shannon we set off from the Renfrew Rd carpark at … Read more

Back to nature in the Ruahines

Ruahine Ranges above Iron Gate Hut

We were all ready for a weekend away and the best excuse is the opportunity to get back into nature. We arrived Friday night with a relaxing 30 minute walk to Alice Nash Memorial Heritage Hut. The advantage with reaching summer time is the long day light hours and arriving to the hut before dark. … Read more

The Haunting of Iron Gate Hut

Picturesque Iron Gate Hut

I am not a superstitious man, but even I am loath to tempt fate by venturing out, away from civilization, on All Hallow’s Eve. On the night of Samhain, when the veil between the worlds is thinnest and the spirits of the dead are free to roam the earth, anything is possible, and good, sensible … Read more

Waterfall Hut

Walking up a shingle spur

We set off on Friday after work with the club van and headed for Hawke’s Bay. After dinner in Carterton and a few driver changes, we parked at North Block Rd end at 10pm, and were asleep by 10:30pm at Triple X Hut. On Saturday we could take it easy and have a relaxed breakfast … Read more

See-the-Saw Soaring into the Sky

Looking down on the full length of the Sawtooth from Tiraha

Let’s start by listing the things this trip did not have: injuries, complaints, Turkish food. That’s about it. Ok, let’s look at what it did have; everything else! Our carefully laid plans to get over the hill and enjoy a kebab in Carterton were scuppered after we found the long time WTMC favourite dinner-stop closed … Read more

In Search of Ruahine Mountain Dolphins & Pasta in the Ruahine Ranges

Sunrise in the Ruahine Ranges

On Friday we stayed at Triplex Hut before our group had a very relaxed start, while the medium group took off by 7am. The climb up to Sunrise Hut was interspersed with interesting little info signs about the surrounding bush (such as mistletoe) and bird life. At Sunrise Hut we left our overnight gear behind, … Read more

Winter wander to Makaretu Hut

Reading about Maarten’s achievements in visiting all huts in the Ruahines, and in particular his recommendation of Makaretu Hut as a hut to visit, prompted me to finish the report for a trip to the hut we did back in August. While the natural home for the WTMC may be the Tararuas, I grew up … Read more

Randonée in the Ruahines

Many trampers choose to take on a challenge to give their tramping adventures a purpose. Te Araroa trail hikers are one example, Kuldeep Nandurkar, who is bagging 900 huts in 900 days, is another. Even amongst our own club members we have some ambitious hut-baggers and long-distance adventurers. Maarten Ruiter is one of them. Earlier … Read more

How about a trip to Howlett’s Hut?

The weather forecast for this trip was pretty bad, and we debated whether it was a good idea, with a forecast of heavy rain and gales, to go into a hut where the only way out was via ridge or river. After some careful analysis of the weather maps, our leader, Richard, encouraged us to … Read more

A Steak in the Hills

Trampers / Masterchefs: Mark (Trip Leader) – Supervisor, menu designer, apron wearer Emily – Chocolate Cake Billy Baker Garth – Steak Master Extraordinaire and Scrambled egg Supremo Bridget – Queen of custard Objective As a first time leader, an easy walk to the hut, eat well, enjoy the scenery and relax. Simples! Why Gourmet Tramping…? … Read more