Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club
Enjoying the great outdoors since 1947
Not a great walk, but an epic one! You know you are up for an incredible weekend when you have a smooth drive out from Wellington, enjoy a primo kebab a la Bulls (OMG those chips and Iskenders), and instantly connect with a bunch of awesome people from the get-go! This weekend was no exception. … Read more
Most of our group met at Wellington railway station at 4.30pm on Friday, apart from Jo, Caeden, and Antonia who travelled separately. We shared the van with the Medium-Fit group. We met up with Jo and the others at Bulls and then at the top of Bruce Road at Whakapapa ski field, where we went … Read more
Emily and I took an impromptu trip up to Tongariro, excited by the promise of clear sunny skies and Emily a chance to get moving again after a bout of illness. We decided Mangatepopo would be a good Friday destination, followed by a climb over Tongariro via Hardman’s Ridge, a full moon camp in the … Read more
“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.” This quote came to my mind as I approached the summit of Te Heuheu via Pinnacle Ridge, something I never dreamed I would be doing. I was once again chasing dinosaurs up the mountain on a … Read more
Seven keen alpinists departed the railway station on Friday, chasing a stunning forecast promising bluebird conditions on Ruapehu. After a cosy night in the well-appointed WTMC lodge, the group made early progress up the hut ridge in the golden light of dawn. Wispy cloud and rays of light played about Ngauruhoe and surrounds. Some truly … Read more
The idea for this trip came up as I was looking for off the beaten track options to put on the trip schedule. I remembered seeing this video of Sarah adventuring through the Hauhungatahi Wilderness Area, and found this old trip report on the website. Good enough to hatch a plan. While I was confident … Read more
Friday – Wellington to Rangipo Hut Excitement was in the air as we left Platform 9 at 5pm on Friday – we had a great group, a promising forecast and a full moon to look forward to. 4.5 hours later we turned on to the Tukino Access Road. It’s a bumpy ride at the start … Read more
Some trip specifics Friday night – 2.45pm left Wellington. Arrived Mangetepōpō hut (1,190m) about 8.30pm (20 min walk in from carpark) Saturday, circa.9am (well hydrated and fed) – Tongariro Crossing track to South Crater. Track started getting icy near the top of Devil’s Staircase. Good place to put on crampons. Met tour group at junction. … Read more
Tash was the original leader of this trip but caught covid leading up to it so handed over the reigns to me. Luckily for me she still did all the pre-trip organising, and what a thorough and excellent job she did! It was super easy for me to take over, and as a result things … Read more
I had not done the Tongariro Northern Circuit for many years so signed up for this tramp when it was advertised. Dan was the leader but unfortunately he had to pull out a few days before we left due to blisters that he had developed on a tramp to the Kaweka range. Luckily Dan had … Read more