Tararuas

“Just a Stroll” My First Tramping Trip with the WT&MC – A trip report from 1959

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Date: May 1959.
Trip type: Historical!.
Location: Tararuas.
Author: Graham McCready.
Trampers: Norm, Graham and unknown others!.

In May 1959 as a 14-year old teenage after an unsuccessful attempt to join the Tararua Tramping Club, I was invited by Norn Whiteside a fellow Wellington Technical College student to join him on what he described as “a Friday night stroll from Kaitoke to Walls Whare”. I asked him where Walls Whare was and … Read more

Families Southern Crossing

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Date: 4-6 February 2017.
Trip type: Tramp.
Location: Otaki Forks-Kaitoke, Tararua Ranges.
Author: Barry C.
Trampers: Ella (14), Gustav (9), Constanze, Beth, Barry.

By some small coincidence, keen kids and a small sunny weather window coincided with Waitangi weekend during one of the least sunniest Wellington summers for a trip that was planned some four months earlier. Thursday and Friday had been awash with rain and the Otaki Gorge road was closed again at the Blue Bluff due to … Read more

Cattle Creek Hut

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Date: 3-5 March 2017.
Trip type: Easy Medium Tramping.
Location: Eastern Ruahines .
Author: Tony Stephens.
Trampers: Tony, Matt, Bernie, Melanie, Elaina, Duncan, Richard and Tim.

Two groups piled into the van at Wellington Station on Friday night and then headed off to the Wairarapa and then Tamaki West Road campsite (near Dannevirke). The plan was to drop Richard off for the night at his parent’s house near the road-end and for the rest of us to camp at the road-end.  … Read more

The Old Penn Creek Sidle Track

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Date: February 18-19, 2017.
Trip type: I think this may have been a merger of an Easy and a Medium Fit trip - Maybe it's somewhere in-between!.
Location: Tararuas.
Author: Ian Harrison.
Trampers: Illona, Jessie, Tony S, Ian.

The weather this summer hasn’t been great, and so it wasn’t a surprise to see a forecast of thunderstorms for the weekend where we planned to tramp the Otaki Forks – Penn Creek – Pakihore Ridge – Kime – Otaki Forks loop. And so the route evolved during the week and ended up as a … Read more

Broken Axe Pinnacles

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Date: 27 to 29 January 2017 .
Trip type: Medium Tramp.
Location: Tararuas.
Author: Simon.
Trampers: Simon, Kerry, Mike, Jim, Dave.

I was a bit concerned about the weather and this trip certainly had a reputation (as I had been told that the last Club attempt at the Pinnacles resulted in a trip turn-around due to weather). Nevertheless, once the trip was organised and food allocated, we met up at the train station on Friday night … Read more

Jumbo Holdsworth Tramp – Powell Hut (EM)

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Date: 28-29 January 2017.
Trip type: EM Tramp.
Location: Holdsworth, Tarauas.
Author: Bridget Robinson.
Trampers: Richard, Karen, Grant, Bridget, Frances, Della, Isaac, Luke, (and Garth in spirit).

We all met at Platform 9 at 8.00am on Saturday, a delayed start from Friday night due to a running race being held on the Holdsworth Track. We also changed our route plan, missing Jumbo Hut, so as to avoid the ridge on Sunday. The weather looked good as we headed to the Wairarapa onto … Read more

Waiopehu Hut

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Date: 3-4 December 2016.
Trip type: Easy medium grade tramping.
Location: Waiopehu Hut, Tararuas.
Author: Aimee.
Trampers: Sun, Jaz, Rory, Rachel and Aimee.

We departed on Saturday morning from the Railway Station at 8am with a glorious day ahead of us. This was despite the small accident my water bladder had on the front passenger seat of the van. We stopped for water filling/coffee in Levin, and we also went on a tiki tour of farm land around … Read more

Mangahao Muddy Meandering

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Date: 3-4 December 2016.
Trip type: Easy Medium.
Location: Tararuas.
Author: Michelle.
Trampers: Bram, Marieke, (leaders) Anne, Diana, Lauren, Kirsty.

An early Saturday morning meet up (7am) and we headed off up the coast turning onto SH57 at the south of Shannon. A gravel road for the last 40 minutes or so to upper Mangahao Dam, the back seaters started to feel woozy and we were relieved to park up and get going on a … Read more

Mitre Flats Hut navigation

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Date: 3-4 December.
Trip type: Easy Medium Navigation .
Location: Tararua Forest Park.
Author: Caitlin.
Trampers: Tony (Leader), Caitlin, Matt J, Heather, Matt C, Ryan, Frances, Helen, Chris, Lisa.

Route to Mitre Flats Hut

Mitre Flats Hut navigation A hiking trip into Mitre Flats Hut via Blue Range without any tracks and using magnetic compass and map for navigation Ten WTMC members set off on Saturday 3 December with compass and maps to do an EM navigation trip to Mitre Flats Hut via Blue Range. It was such a … Read more

Blue Skies for Blue Range

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Date: 16 October 2016.
Trip type: Easy medium day walking.
Location: Blue Range Hut, Tararua Forest Park.
Author: Aimee Paterson.
Trampers: Maarten, Ryan, Cormac, Tony, Mike, Emma, Clelia, Zenovia, Erika and Aimee.

This was a sunny Sunday day trip into the Tararuas. We had a late start (due to Aimee arriving late with the van!) So after asking my team to be at the Railway Station at 8am sharp, I made them wait for 15 minutes. But we were on the road by 8.15am, and it was … Read more