July 2025 Meeting Report

July Meeting Report

Julian chaired the meeting.

Trip Reports

Otekaieke Hill
A fine day with a frosty start. The river was high, so the group climbed 1000 m, followed the ridge for about 2 km to the trig, then returned the same way. Deer were seen in the area.

Arthurs Pass Trip
Five people travelled to Jacksons, crossed the high Taramakau River, and walked to Lake Kaurapataka. The weather was wet, with many river crossings required to reach the hot pools. They returned to camp by following the true right of the river. A very watery weekend.

Wednesday Walkers
A brief report was given.

Up and Coming Trips

Port Chalmers Bike Ride
Ferry from Port Chalmers to Portobello, then bike back to the cars.

Luxmore Hut
Stay in Te Anau on Friday night, climb to Luxmore Hut on the Kepler Track on Saturday, stay the night, and return Sunday.

Aviemore to Ben Ohau
Walk from Aviemore to Ben Ohau.

Cape Wanbrow
Mark outlined a planned vision for the Cape tracks, including metal sculptures depicting ancient animals and plants found in the area. These will become an attraction worth visiting.

There was no photo competition as advertised. Instead, Jonathan demonstrated several useful websites for planning tramps. The Mountain Safety Council site offers good advice on topics such as river crossings and weather forecasting. Outdoor Access Maps and Topo Maps are also helpful for route finding, showing actual topography and allowing overlays. Members found the session informative.

The meeting closed at 8.45 pm, followed by a cup of tea.