This trip shared the van with a group going to Howletts Hut. The Cattle Creek road end had a campsite and toilets, so it made sense to stay there on Friday night. It had been arranged that we had enough tents to use at the road end, but there was a fresh set of dry (and light) … Read more
We thought you might like a quick update on the WTMC trap line. The trap line is based at Upper Makaroro in the Ruahines and encloses a river valley that is home to Whio (Blue Duck). Members of the WTMC visit the trap line around once every month to empty the traps of predators and … Read more
In late June four of us headed up to the Ruahines to tend to the WTMC trap line. The tramping club adopted the line in early 2015 and it forms a circuit, with another line, to enclose a section of the Makaroro River where Whio (Blue Duck) live. The idea is to visit the line … Read more
Friday 6th of May (10min) Our nine person tramp started out on a cool Autumn Friday night. A swift trip over the Rimutaka’s led us to the comforting stop that is Café Istanbul in Carterton. We all spread out amongst the cushions and enjoyed our nutritious yet affordable kebabs in a semi authentic setting. It … Read more
The tramp to Rangiwahia Hut on the Saturday took us 2 hours with quite a few stops. The return trip on Sunday was quicker at 1½ hours and fewer stops. We walked about 4.4 kms each way, and climbed approximately 500 meters to reach the hut at 1,327 metres above sea level. The route This … Read more
It’s great that the WTMC is looking after a Ruahine trap line to help protect blue duck from predators, and a visit had long been on my to-do list. I’m currently attempting to get fit for summer trips so I ambitiously signed up for Amanda’s Medium-Fit option. I emailed Amanda: “err…. I’m a wee bit … Read more
Are you a ‘peak bagger’ a ‘hut ticker offer’? Do you love going out into the bush to satisfy your personal desire to experience our beautiful natural heritage? Let’s face it; unless you are leading a trip helping others, tramping is done for our own selfish reasons of personal enjoyment and experience. And there is … Read more
It is depressing to all those that love the outdoors that so many of NZ’s native birds are either recently extinct, or are now classified as nationally critical or nationally endangered. Kea that were once common in large flocks are now rarely seen on tramping trips in the South Island mountains, falcons and rock wrens … Read more
Looking at the weather report on a daily basis I felt we would have at least one good day – and that would be the day we would go across the tops. We camped at the road end which made it easy for setting off the next morning and we could take our time tramping. … Read more
Thanks to Paul and the 5 other punters, for a great trip into the Ruahine tops…a first for most of us. It was a delayed start from the Railway station due to a spill on the motorway, leaving after 6 instead of after 5…with great relief we made good time after having dinner before we … Read more