Club Night – March 2012
35 people attended the March meeting of the club. The president discussed a recent notification from the FMC on changes to club registration and outlined the various options. The matter was decided on a show of hands and there was a further debate on subscriptions for the coming year. Members were also asked to record their best ever tramp for use in future trip planning. The secretary gave various notices and there was a brief report on the progress with the web-site. Recent trip reports included a 2 day trip to Mt Somers in good weather with an opportunity to see interesting rock formations, varied landscape and excellent views. There was also a river crossings course and a number of cancelled trips due to bad weather. The Wednesday walkers group reported on several trips in the past couple of months to Dome hills, Awakino gorge and Kurow hill, Quailburn, Stoneyards, Clear Stream and an abortive trip to Mt’s Alexander and Nobbler because of fog.
The meeting then had a marvellous presentation from Ross Milmine on his trip to Chile and Argentina in November 2011. We were treated to entertaining description of a journey across two vast countries travelling in a small group using buses, ferries and planes. Part of the journey was on the Pan-American highway through Chile and the photos along the way gave us a glimpse of the rugged coastline, the volcanoes and spectacular mountain ranges and glaciers with some similar plants and landscape to New Zealand. There was also some insight into the people of the region and their lives. We saw red Chilean Fire bush giving vibrant colour to the Southern beech forests and Humboldt and Magellan penguins enjoying the isolated coastline. Switching to Patagonia, the scenery was even more spectacular with huge lakes, an abundance of wildlife and the famous rock towers near El Chalten rising amidst impressive glaciers some 10kms wide and 35 kms long. All of this was beautifully photographed and all major features described mixed with anecdotes bringing alive both the country and the culture. Finally from 55 degrees south, we fast forwarded to 23 degrees to the Iguazu falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil – tropical birds, lush vegetation and immense cascading waterfalls. A true South American odyssey.