Our packs are heavily loaded, roughly 20kg each and we're heading to Angelus Hut, one of the picture-postcard huts of the Richmond Ranges in the South Island. We depart Mt Robert Road Carpark outside St Arnaud at the climb-saving elevation of 800 metres. The track begins in beautiful beach along the pinchgut track. This quickly... Continue Reading →
Tramping: Elder Hut via 666 ridge, return via Mt Hector
We depart Otaki Forks at 8:30am. There's Maj-Britt (from my first Meetup), Mike, Jack and I. All attendees got in touch personally about this trip before the RSVPs opened, so they're all keen, capable and determined - which is a blessing as I really don't know what to expect. We're missing one though - Joe,... Continue Reading →
Tramping: Kapakapanui track day walk
A last-minute organisation on a the new Wellington Region Trampers meetup group has me meet with two other trampers on a rigourous daywalk around the Kapakapanui track. Loretta joins me in Wellington and we meet Dale at the Ngatiawa road end. Weather forecasts were for a bit of wind, but not a breeze greets us as... Continue Reading →
Tramping: Gollans Stream, East Harbour Regional Park
A long weekend arrives and I haven't organised a tramp. Over breakfast I am racked with FOMO, I want to go bush! So I head off to do one of my close-to-home bucket-lists and explore the East Harbour Regional Park behind Eastbourne. There are multiple access points as I drive south along the coast, but I enter at the... Continue Reading →
Tramping: Holdsworth > Jumbo Circuit
Jonesing for a challenging solo tramp but still unsure of my current abilities, the weather gods agreed - Saturday was a time to tackle the Holdsworth-Jumbo Circuit, the 'great walk of the Tararuas'. I wake at 5:30am and am treated to a stunning sunrise over the Remutaka range driving to the road end. I'm not the... Continue Reading →
Guide to tramping with randos
The bush is an amazing place and it does me a world of good. I run public tramps fairly often to meet trampers, help others get into tramping and welcome our foreign friends to this most-kiwi pass-time. I've written this to help you gain a common understanding, know what is expected, avoid surprises and have... Continue Reading →
Tramping: Tutuwai Hut via Mt Reeves
We meet at the Waiohine carpark. We're a party of six randos from the Meetup tramping group on a repeat of my first meetup tramp. To mix things up and make the most of the weather we take the loop in the opposite direction from last time. We've got Kev, Mark, Mich, Nik, Carol, me and Carol's young... Continue Reading →
Tramping: Papatahi Hut
Late one night many months ago as I scrolled about the topomap in search of tramps I spotted the Papatahi Crossing, the Orongorongo valley's longest DOC trail. It's a long tramp and needs a break in the middle. I investigate the sole-occupancy Papatahi Hut and find it free on a Saturday many months in the future... Continue Reading →
Tramping: Atiwhakatu Hut loop via Gentle Annie Saddle and Pinnacle Ridge
We meet at Platform 9, Wellington Rail Station - there's five of us on this eight person Wellington Meetup Tramping group trip after some uncool last-minute quitting by various 'attendees'. We struggle to know who's coming - there's a bunch of other trampers here loading up as well. Eventually introductions are made and we decide to take... Continue Reading →
Tramping: Totara Flats
With my mate R we took a car-swap tramp out to Totara Flats Hut, organised via the Meetup Wellington Tramping Group. R's party of four came from Holdsworth Roadend, and mine came from Waiohine. I have shown my groups timing in my photo, but we were bloody casual about our pace. Stopping for rests, views,... Continue Reading →
Tramping: Hawdon Hut
My Tour Aotearoa was a success and on the way I got to know Claire, an amazing lady I met tramping a while back. I am writing the whole adventure into a book hence the silence, but I still want to record my tramps in the meantime so here's one Claire and I did on a little... Continue Reading →
Tour Aotearoa, Training: Remutaka Cycle Trail (mostly)
The Remutaka Cycle Trail is the obvious choice for a proper bike excursion before I set off, collecting many of my training routes into one large 115km loop. Brother Dave and I set off from Mums. Dave arrives via a mountainbike route over the Western hills. His bike is built for mountains, with the front and... Continue Reading →