Day 1 It was a still and overcast morning when we arrived at the Putangirua Pinnacles car park at 9.30am. We had the option of walking up the river or heading up the track to a high view point. There were ominous red flood warning signs and significant signs of flooding where trees had been … Read more
We had an extraordinary number of sign-ups for the Aorangi Crossing trip, originally graded Medium, which was very encouraging to see. We were keen to accommodate as many trampers as possible, as the club had signed up to support the Federated Mountain Clubs (FMC) ‘Love our Huts’ campaign (unbeknown to those who had signed up). … Read more
– “Not all fun is created equal: – Type 1 fun is enjoyable while it’s happening. Also known as, simply, fun. – Type 2 fun is miserable while it’s happening, but fun in retrospect. – Type 3 fun is not fun at all. Not even in retrospect.” – After the trip was canceled once, and … Read more
When the Aorangi Crossing has been on the schedule in the past it has attracted a handful of signups. This time however, there were two handfuls – in fact a round baker’s dozen of keen beans signed up. The reason for this, I believe, is simple – people love a challenge. The last club trip … Read more
The trip was listed as a navigation trip to Pararaki Hut but as the logistics with the other groups made it possible, we took the opportunity to do the full Aorangi crossing from the Pinnacles down to Mangatoetoe. On Friday evening we headed across the hill and stopped at the Lake Ferry Hotel for dinner. … Read more
This was a weekend traverse of Aorangi Forest Park, starting from the sea, ending at the sea, and going over some big hills in between… Friday night we converged on Platform 9 and bundled into the club van to test drive the newly opened Smart Motorway. Opinions about its performance varied slightly but generally were … Read more
We left Wellington on a sunny Saturday morning and after a caffeine boost in Martinborough arrived at the Putangirua road ready for our adventures. With boots and packs on we set off to find orcs amongst the Putangirua Pinnacles. Possibly it was too sunny for the orcs to be out so we had no success … Read more
Both Sharron and Marie have written up their experiences of the race Marie’s running adventures The Aorangi Undulator is a ‘run’ taking in some 30km of Aorangis over a series of bumps. Our trip leader decided to truly lead the way by doing the Aorangi 100 Ultra – a three day event taking in 100km … Read more
. We left Wellington early, arriving at a sun-streaked Putangirua Pinnacles after a quick 30 minute walk from the road end. These badlands had a starring role as Dimholt Road in Lord of the Rings, the road to the land of the dead. Heading up the ridge from the pinnacles, we quickly realised that this … Read more
I was down to lead the medium traverse of the Haurangis, one of my favorite tramping haunts, but with no punters signed up things looked grim until Craig McGregor, an ex-Chief Guide, signed up. It’s been a few years since our glory days at the Tongue & Meats and, with no one else signed up, … Read more