Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club
Enjoying the great outdoors since 1947
Day one – The tramp started with a meet up at Wellington train station under a reasonably grey sky. The drive was long, so it was hard to pick what the weather was going to be like when we made it to the start point – but we ended up with rain. Steady slow rain. … Read more
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
Day 1: Shields Flat car park to Field Hut Weather: Humid and no windDOC travel time: 1-3 hrs from Otaki Forks plus 45mins from Shields Flat carparkElapsed Time: 3.38hrs, Time moving: 3.09hrs. Distance: 10.51km, Ascent: 744m, Descent: 158mThe trip was planned for a 4-day Anzac break so that a leisurely pace could be taken around … Read more
Route: Return trip from Kiwi Ranch Road carpark to Joe Gibbs HutWeather: Humid, no windDOC travel time: 8hrs Group time: 9hrs (with 3 stops). While others were at home no doubt preparing for the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, a small group took to the hills on a hut bagging mission to find … Read more
After months of amping each other up about Carkeek Hut, the time was finally here. Carkeek or bust! In my bundle of excitement I composed a spotify playlist to capture the vital essence of Carkeek and to keep the momentum up. However, as the week wore on, I watched in horror as the weather radars … Read more
Friday 10 February The Southern Crossing in the Tararuas has been on my to-do list for the last few years and when I saw it on the trip schedule for February, I did not hesitate to sign up for the walk. The plan was to have two groups of trampers do the Southern Crossing, with … Read more
While it was not the trip we had planned originally, our 50km+ Ōtaki Forks circuit tramp had a little bit of everything: views, blue skies, slugs and slips. Our intention had been to stay at Maungahuka Hut on Saturday evening. Maungahuka is known as a difficult hut to reach. It involves climbing a steel ladder, … Read more
The first stop on this trip was the mysterious Mount Holdsworth Pizza restaurant. This joint – a Canadian Rockies style log building located close to the Mount Holdsworth camping area – is only open on Friday nights during summer. It’s a full-blown pizza restaurant however, serving delicious pizzas to an enthusiastic clientele. I can recommend … Read more
I have been keen to complete the Southern Crossing after visiting Kime Hut in the snow last year. We had two groups completing the Southern Crossing; one from Otaki Forks to Kaitoke starting Friday afternoon, the other from Kaitoke to Otaki Forks starting first thing Saturday morning. I liked the concept of an early start … Read more
Friday This trip was all about the pizza. The plane wreck as well, but mostly the pizza. The pizza can be found at the secret Mill Bakery, just near Holdsworth Road End on Friday nights. We’d pre-ordered bases and had a table for 7pm. The traffic up the Hutt Valley on SH2 was crawling even … Read more