Mt Tongariro – Cinderella and the Dancing Dinosaur A 2 day hiking loop trip through the spectacular mountain scenery of the Tongariro National Park in early winter Sarah, could I please have my shoes back? I looked down at my feet and realised I was having a Cinderella moment at Mangatepopo Hut on Saturday morning and … Read more
WTMC Ruapehu Lodge – and the solitary wilding pine 🌲 The wilding pine on the Whakapapa slopes of Mount Ruapehu needed to be removed – so Sarah and her teddy bear set out to do the job Some time ago while passing across the western slopes of Mt Ruapehu around towards the WTMC Lodge Sarah Saurus … Read more
WTMC Ruapehu Lodge – the aurora and the honey mead At the WTMC Ruapehu Lodge the Teddy Bears Tramping Club enjoyed viewing the aurora and then also the tasty honey mead Today was an exciting time for us teddy bears at the WTMC Ruapehu Lodge. First there was an activation of the lahar warning system … Read more
WTMC Ruapehu Lodgea brief history 1952 to 2022 A concise history of the Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club (WTMC) Lodge on Mt Ruapehu from its initial construction in 1952 until 2022. Most club members will know we have a lodge at Mt Ruapehu. Many of you will have stayed there. But the lodge didn’t just … Read more
A WTMC ski trip to Mt Ruapehu Labour Weekend 1948 An entertaining account of a 1948 ski trip to Mt Ruapehu in a broken-down bus, stormy weather, and very little skiing
Mt Tongariro and the ancient molten lava lake at North Crater A 2 day hiking loop trip over Mt Tongariro and past the once molten lava lake that occupied the North Crater before cooling and solidifying. When the warrior gods Tongariro and Taranaki fought over the lovely Pihanga flames lit up the sky, … Read more
WTMC Mt Ruapehu Lodge Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club (WTMC) has a lodge on Mt Ruapehu Security footage shows that the WTMC Ruapehu Lodge is beginning to display increasingly erratic behaviour. It appears to be the result of summer boredom brought on by a lack of fun-loving guests. Is anyone interested in visiting the lodge … Read more
Rangipo Desert – hiking to the small volcano named Te roro o Taiteariki A 2 day hiking loop trip across the Rangipo Desert to Te roro o Taiteariki – named after an unfortunate warrior who died after his brain (roro) was seriously damaged in a land related skirmish. Across Rangipo Desert from the WTMC Ruapehu … Read more
We had a great drive up to the WTMC lodge on Friday night, discussing our favourite tramping trips, travel destinations, and Bluey episodes (definitely Dance Mode). On arrival we met lodge leader Murray, who entertained us throughout the weekend with his stories of how tramping used to be in the good old days. In short: … Read more
At 7.45 am seven bright-eyed and eager trampers stepped out of the WTMC Ruapehu Lodge and set off up Mt Ruapehu. It was a great day for a climb—blue skies with barely a breath of wind. It didn’t take long before we left the road and stepped our way across shingle and large rocks, tinged with … Read more