Mt Holdsworth Day Walk A day walk on the Mt Holdsworth summit track as far as the Mountain House Shelter. On a slightly overcast Sunday, we set out for a day on the tracks of Mt Holdsworth. We got out of bed in uncivilised hours (7:30am) for a Sunday morning, packed lunch and left home … Read more
It had been a while since I’d headed into the hills, and my feet were getting restless. The Tauherenikau Valley is the primary reason that I’d joined WTMC after unintentionally spending two nights in the open, without a fly or sleeping bag, in horrendous conditions (including snow), several years earlier. It was time to face … Read more
The forecast was for heavy rain and strong cold southerly winds but we decided to go anyway. After all we would be in the bush most of the way and so out of the worst of the weather, and the stretch in the open would be short enough. And we both needed a day out … Read more
Having a spare weekend in mid-February, I decided to sign up for a club trip. There were two trips going from the Kaitoke road end, meaning a Saturday morning start (yay!). The Medium trip appeared to involve a long slog along the Marchant Ridge, which I’ve never done, having been deterred by its reputation. The … Read more
One of the easy aspects of this E/M tramp was the Friday evening to sort out your stuff and fill your pack, although a little voice in the back of my head kept telling me we had to get up reasonable early on Saturday. Indeed the alarm went off shortly after 6AM, allowing us to … Read more
Tuesday evening before the tramp. I was supposed to be leading a Medium trip to Kime on the coming weekend but unfortunately one signed up. Thankfully, Paul Jefferies was leading an overnight tramp to Tutuwai and as there was space I decided to join Paul’s trip. Friday 17.00. At this point on a weekend tramp … Read more
As I passed Wellington airport with the orange needle horizontal on Cobham Drive, and the radio informing me that wind gusts of up to 140km/h were being recorded, I was beginning to wonder why I was heading into the hills. The horizontal hailstorms announced that summer had ended and autumn had begun. Buses were crashing … Read more
Dear Sir/Madam I am writing this letter as a warning to other young women in the club. It is based on my actual experiences of a recent trip I did, which overwhelmingly confirmed my initial suspicions that the WTMC has a serious problem with the type of men it attracts. This latest trip was touted … Read more
Wellington Anniversary Weekend meant an opportunity to have a slightly longer trip in the Tararuas than the usual weekend, and we used it to visit the middle part of the main range, beginning from Otaki Forks and ending at Poads Road near Levin. The forecast leading up to the weekend was uninspiring, suggesting several large … Read more
I volunteered to lead this medium trip after Michael Lightbourne pulled out due to unfamiliarity with the route. On the trip list were six club members, plus Vlad. Vlad had never tramped in New Zealand, although assured me he had hiked in the Ukraine. Best let him know what he’s in for, I thought. You … Read more