Club Night April 2017
The 10 April meeting welcomed 2 new members.
The Club will celebrate its 40th Anniversary on the 28-29 October this year with a dinner and a walk in the Herbert Forest.
Wednesday Walkers walks over the past month were a Mt. Meyer circuit on the North side of the Waitaki River, Gunns Bush and White Horse Hill near Waimate, Doctors Point at Waitati, and the Millenium Track to Moeraki then up to the boulders.
Club Trips were; the Otago Aniversary weekend trip to the East Matukituki in good weather with side trips up valleys to spectacular circs and waterfalls.
4 members guided Arthur Street School children on a walk upstream from Camp Iona to introduce them to our N Z bush.
Members biked the back roads from Dunback to Shag Point and a working bee was held in the Herbert Forest tracks, clearing the tracks and putting in steps.
The main event for the month was the Herbert Forest Guided walks Day where 20 members organised and guided 80 guests through the podocarp bush on a brilliantly fine day. Many were family groups with young children, keen to enjoy the outdoors.
Our Guest Speaker for the evening was Eion Rutherford, who together with his wife Liza, travelled by motorhome with two other motor homers from London to China and back. Careful preparation was essential including joining the Silk Road Club, obtaining visas and insurance and establishing contacts in Europe who could obtain and send spare parts when necessary.
Their route lead through Europe and Kazakhstan to China, where they toured for 3 months, then back through Russia and Europe to London.
They became proficient at negotiating Borders, dealing with corrupt police and solving breakdown problems, the roads being fairly hard on the vehicles.
They stayed mainly at truck stops surrounded by huge rigs, found the locals friendly and helpful and they enjoyed some spectacular scenery.
In a few months they set out on an extended trip in their motor home round South America.
Club trips planned for the next month are the Motatapu Track, with groups starting from each end and Hidden Lake via the Omarama Saddle. The NOTMC website has more deteils.
The Club AGM will be held on the 8 May, at which the Gray’s will share their experiences of volunteering with DOC.