I woke up to my alarm at the ungodly hour of 6:00AM on a Saturday. This only reminds me of my time as a struggling student, having to wake up for the early morning shift at Moore Wilsons. Nevertheless I put on my tramping gear and threw my pack over and ventured into the early … Read more
Before I get into the juicy facts, here’s a wordy summary of our Southern Crossing Medium tramp from Otaki Forks to Kaitoke. We headed up to Field Hut from Otaki Forks around 8pm on Friday night. It was a beautiful night, with an almost full moon. We set off from Field at 9am the next … Read more
It was going to be a great weekend with light winds and sun shine for Weimen’s trip to Tarn Ridge hut. I had been in that area many times, so I asked Weimen what he had planned and I gave him the times I thought the different options would take. After he had studied the … Read more
It had been five years since I’d last been to Maungahuka, so I signed up to lead the southern main range, a physically demanding trip which takes you across the tops between Bridge peak and Crawford. Friday night: Tramped to Field hut. Saturday: We arose with some hunters at 5:30 am and were away by … Read more
With only one punter signed up (Alyn) for the official WTMC trip to Snowy Hut, the trip became an unofficial WTMC fit trip with a party of two, later to become three punters on a 24 hour jaunt into the hills. I was the only person in the party not to have visited the hut … Read more
Due to the early 8am Saturday morning start we did what many of the other competitors did and headed out to camp at Holdsworth roadend on the Friday night. We left the railway station at 6pm, and after a substantial dinner at Istanbul in Carterton we set up our tents and had an early night. Cars … Read more
We left Wellington on a beautifully calm and sunny Friday afternoon. In fact, if you didn’t live in Wellington, you might have thought that summer had finally arrived. If the forecast was true, then most of the lower North Island would enjoy a rain-free weekend. Alistair Young was going to be leading our Medium-Fit fivesome … Read more
It all began at 5.30pm on a balmy Wellington Friday afternoon. Setting off enthusiastically into rush hour traffic, we began our journey to the start of the track. Van conversation ranged from the art of being a llama farmer who farms llamas, buying boats, mermaids, Bolivian taxi drivers and the number ‘37’ and the obvious superiority of pilates over … Read more
The idea Following the thrill and tranquillity of water-focussed South Island tramps at Christmas, I was keen for aquatic adventures closer to home. Spencer floated the appealing idea of a weekend pack float along the Waiohine river from Mid-Waiohine hut to Totara Flats. It sounded fun and challenging. The planning Meticulous research and preparation happened … Read more
We were rushing to get out of town on Friday night and eat a fast dinner, because David Heffernan and Shay had planned to tackle the SK challenge – the North to South crossing of the Tararuas in under 48 hours. Since the Medium and Medium-Fit trips for the weekend only had one punter and … Read more