Club Night August 2019

Monday, August 12th, 2019

The Cubs trapping programe in the Herbert Forest has been suspended while the area around the tracks is being logged, but the tracks could be open again by the end of August and trapping will commence again after that. We now have 34 mouse traps, which will be placed inside the larger predator traps, so the mice will be prevented from eating the larger predator’s bait.

We were told about a documentary about regenerating forest on marginal farmland on Banks Peninsula. Called Fools and Dreamers, it can be viewed on Youtube

Trip Reports.
One trip was cancelled because of wet weather but there was a day trip on the coast below Palmerston from the Pleasant River Estuary up the coast to Bobby’s head. It was a round trip initially walking down Goodwood Road and Goodwood Settlement Road, then heading down to the estuary thence to the beach at the tip of the peninsula. After morning tea there was a short climb to the top of the cliff for the walk up the coast. They were able to drop down to the beach after a while because of the low tide. Lunch was on the beach below Bobby’s Head and then a climb around the Head before a short road walk back to the cars.

Coming trips are a bike ride from Maheno, a weekend trip up the South Temple and a day trip up the Ewe Range in the Oteake Conservation Park.

The Wednesday Walkers have had walks on Derdan Hill and Baldy behind Waikouiti, Pidgeon Bush, Mt. Harris Run in the Waiho Downs district, the Domet Loop and a Tapui Homestead farm walk.

The Clubs Trip Programe was organise for the October – December period.

We were then treated to photos of a mid-winter Routeburn Caples tramp without the summer crowds and another from Lake Harris up to Lake Wilson a rugged but spectacular

Club Night July 2019

Monday, July 8th, 2019

There were two Club Trips over the last month.
Seven members did the climb up to Big Hut on the Rock and Pillar Range for an overnight stay. It was warmer than usual for this time of the year, but there was still enough snow to make a few snowballs —. With some good competition in table tennis and some excellent shared deserts, a good time was had in the evening. However with a fall of snow overnight and still foggy in the morning, the walk to the next hut was cancelled in favour of a direct return to the cars.
A walk along Katiki beach was enjoyed by nine members, starting at the North end car park and heading north initially, before returning and carrying on to the south end of Katiki beach. The wide range of rock formations made for an interesting walk at low tide.
Coming trips are to the Orokonui Eco Sanctuary and a coastal walk north to Bobby’s Head.
The Wednesday walks were along the Weston Escarpment with nine from the Avon Tramping group, a Tapui- Crown Hill-Slaty Creek circuit, three short walks in the Waikouiti, Karitane area and a walk from Ashland’s Road to South Peak, all on fine winters days with some spectacular winter views.
The evenings speaker was John Chetwin who told us of a recent five day trip with Club members along the Old Ghost Road near Murchison.
Starting at the Lyall end on the first day, they followed an old dray track 18k up the Lyall Valley to the Lyall Saddle at over 1300m asl.
Although there were plenty of predator traps spaced along the track, bird song was scarce, apart from lots of friendly robins.
The second day was along the tops and there were plenty of slips, some live, to negotiate. There would be about a dozen bikers passing them each day.
The Ghost Lake Hut on the second night was on a high bluff and had spectacular views of the Thousand Acre Plateau to the West, Nelson lakes area to the North and the Kaikoura Mountains to the East.
It was then along the Skyline Ridge, down 300 steps and following the Mokihinui River to the road head.
Signs of the Murchison earthquake damage were still visible along the track.

Club Night June 2019

Tuesday, June 11th, 2019

In the Herbert Forest the Hoods and Podocarp Tracks are closed due to logging operations by the owners Port Blakey. The Swallows track remains open.
Other nearby Tramping Clubs are interested in doing trips with us within our district, as a means of getting to know the area better.
The Club is looking to improve tramping leadership skills and may use the community day next year to develop these.
Trip Reports
There have been 2 trap round checks in the Herbert Forest, with hedgehogs and rats being the main catch.
7 trampers had a trip up Deep Stream on a cold and often blustery day. They headed up the lower gorge, across the river and up the flats to the upper gorge. After dodging the thick matagouri the climbed up the saddle to the right where they had lunch. It was then down a 4wd track to Fisherman’s Bend and up the road to the cars. Wallaby sightings were few compared to the last time this trip was done.
Coming Trips are Big Hut, checking tunnel traps, and one from Katiki Beach to Shag Point. See the website >what’s on, for more details.
Wednesday Walkers and Wanderers
Walks enjoyed were Verbakel’s farm, a coastal trip up to Bobbys Head, Elephant and Mussen Hills, Kuriheka, and Ridge Road farm by the Wanderers.
Guest Speaker was Bronwyn McCone with the second part of her cruise up “Siberia’s Forgotten Coast”, this time north from Anadyr. As with the first part of her trip, they had to have specific permission to land anywhere on the coast from the Russian equivalent of DOC. There are very few roads, because of the permafrost and the tundra, so the landings were from zodiacs which were able to go up the rivers.
We were treated to fantastic pictures of thousands of sea birds, including cormorants, puffins, and harlequin ducks. Also sighted were brown and polar bears, humpback whales bubble netting and orcas. As it was late spring we saw many pictures of colourful ground hugging flowers including red rododendron’s and green gentians.
They got as far North as Wrangel and Herald Islands in the Chukchi Sea, where they sailed through pack ice before returning to Anadyr and the flight home via Alaska.

Annual Meeting and Club Night May 2019

Tuesday, May 14th, 2019

43rd Annual Meeting 13 May 2019

In his Annual Report President John Chetwin spoke about the diverse range of activities the Club had enjoyed over the past year. Things like nordic ski-ing, mountain biking, track maintenance, School bush-craft education and of course, single and multi-day tramps.
He also spoke about the need for the Club to be more flexible in arranging activities and trips that meet the expectations of Club Members.
Robbie Verhoef was elected the new Club President, and most other office bearers remaining the same as last year. There were some changes in the committee.
In the General Meting following there was more discussion about flexible planning and the change to Trip Planning meetings to be during the Monthly Club Night. Trap baiting in the Herbert Forest is to be extended from 2 to 3 weekly intervals. There is now a Facebook page for the Tramping Club.
Trip reports over the last month were the biennial Herbert Forest Guided Walks day where 50 guests were guided around the 3 bush tracks in the forest. Then the Otago Peninsula day walk where 16 members walked around the Macandrew Bay, Larnach Castle, Sandymount, Portobello area.
Coming trips are to Deep Stream with a walk up the gorge and over a saddle back to Fisherman’s Bend and a winter overnighter to Big Hut near Middlemarch. This NOTMC website has more details in “What’s On”.
The Wednesday Walkers had walks to Ashlands Road – Trotters Gorge, a Ngapara Farm walk, Otematata Walkway to Benmore Peninsula, Tapui 3 Peaks and 2 Tunnels, and a new one on Roseneath Station above the Aviemore Dam.
The event of the night was a talk and photos of 8 members “Old Ghost Road” Trip. This was a 4 day tramp from Murchison, climbing over the Lyell Saddle, crossing an unstable slip, staying in a hut built on top of a bluff, sidling steep faces on a narrow track above the bush-line, descending 300 steps and dodging mountain bikers determined to do the whole 85k trip in one day!

Club Night March 2019

Tuesday, March 12th, 2019

20 members were at the Clubs March meeting, with some preliminary discussion on trip planning, which will be looked at further next month.
Trip Reports
The Ahuriri Bike ride had 6 members riding up the Ahuriri Valley from just past the Birchwood Homestead because of serious washouts further on. This entailed riding the 9k on a rough road to the locked gate. Some decided to turn back at this point, while the rest rode to Shamrock Hut for lunch, shared with a swarm of voracious lunching sandflies.
Several members spent the day at Camp Iona showing the Arthur Street school children the basics of bush craft, including what to take and practising river crossings.
A trip down Clear Stream from the lavender farm to the Beatie’s Hill bridge was enjoyed.
Coming Trips
Otago Aniversary weekend, tramping from the East Ahuriri to Lake Dumbell and tenting at the tarns on the way, and two Herbert Forest days doing track maintenance and checking traps.
Wednesday Walkers walks were the Herbert Forest clockwise circuit, followed by a swim at Cosy Dell and an evening barbeque Milmines, Mt. Dryburgh with 2 groups doing either a short or long walk, Deep Stream where we saw the preparations for the next days A2O Ultra Marathon, and Derden Hill and Mt. Baldy a new walk behind Waikouaiti.
Guest Speaker was club member Bronwyn McCone who spoke and showed photos of the first part of her Cruise to “Siberia’s Forgotten Coastline”.
With only a 30 day Russian visa allowed and a 29 day cruise, it involved some slick work by her travel agent to get in and out of Russia in the remaining 24 hours.
The cruise was on the same ship that Bronwyn had done Antartic cruises on and started at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy on the Russian side of the Bearing Sea, visiting the fiords up the coast towards the Artic Ocean. They needed permission to land anywhere, and on Bearing Island, not far from the USA owned Aleutian Islands of Alaska, they were not allowed to take pictures of the military installations or personal.
They were able to travel up rivers in Zodiacs seeing wildlife feeding on salmon and walk up valleys and over the tundra among the blossoming rhododendron and ranunculus wild flowers. Highlights were seeing lots of brown bears, artic foxes, grey and humpback whales, thousands of walruses, sea otters, puffins and sea eagles. The first part of her cruise finished in Anadyr.