Club Night, June 2015

Tuesday, June 9th, 2015

The NOTMC Clubnight on 8th June was held at the Search and Rescue Rooms, Severn St. Past trips by Wednesday Walkers included Evansdale Glen, Shag Point and Kuriheka. The recent trips by the tramping club took in Mt Horrible and track clearing on Staircase Ridge. Our guest speaker was Bronwyn McCone, who travelled to Switzerland, Austria and Italy for a month long tour which included walking tracks above 3000 metres. All of the walks started with a gondola or cog train ride to where they start walking. The highlights were Mount Pilatus near Lucerne, Switzerland where bunkers built in the war were seen in the mountain due to being so close to the border. Tracks here were around the sides of sheer cliff faces. On to Grindelwald where work began building the Jungfrau railway in 1896. The cog trains carry thousands of people to the highest railway station in Europe. The walking track down to Grindelwald takes them through steep areas and eventually meadows of gentians, lily of the valley, and Rhododendrons which were only a metre high. The small farm meadows have grass which would be cut by small mowers, rolled downhill by hand and loosely stacked in sheds so very labour intensive. These meadows also become ski runs in winter. After taking in the Matterhorn, they travelled to Cinqueterry, Italy, where they walked through steep terraced vineyards. The trip ended with Pisa and Vienna.

Club Meeting, May 2015

Wednesday, May 13th, 2015

The monthly meeting, which included the AGM, was held in the revamped Search and Rescue Headquarters to ascertain whether these premises would be a suitable venue for future club meetings.

The AGM saw Jane Green re-elected as President. Robbie Verhoef and Neville Corry retained their positions of Secretary and Treasurer.

Members voted in favour of holding future club meetings in the SAR Headquarters.

During the General Meeting Wednesday Walkers reported on day trips in April to the Benmore Walkway, Elephant Hill and Mussen – both on the northern side of the Waitaki River, and Mt Dryburgh from the Hakataramea side. The first trip for May to Mt Difficulty (inland from Five Forks) from The Hectors Road saw walkers battle cold winds and needle-like rain.

A club trip to Aspiring hut planned for ANZAC weekend was cancelled due to bad weather. Wallabies were roaming in large numbers when a group walked from Lake Aviemore, up and beyond Deep Stream earlier this month.

Modern technology enabled members to be given helpful tips on how to navigate the club’s website – www.NOTMC.org.nz.

Guest speaker, club member and keen photographer Noel Pullan, shared his ‘Views from the Tops’ – stunning photos from some of his climbing expeditions in the Southern Alps, Kaikoura ranges and Mts Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Egmont in the North Island. Noel can claim membership of the ‘Ten Thousand Club’ – ie those who have climbed to altitudes of 10,000 feet or more. On one trip he climbed three 10,000 feet peaks in three days. Most of us only get to look up to these peaks from ground level but Noel’s images transported us to razor-edged ridge lines, seemingly impassable rock faces and enabled us to look down on endless lines of icy peaks and snaking glaciers and be in awe of the miniscule dots that were the climbers and huts in the snow below. Magnificent!

Club Night 13th April 2015

Thursday, April 16th, 2015

The club held a very successful Open Day in the Herbert Forest on Sunday 12 April with over sixty people (including an eighty year old) enjoying walking the tracks in small groups, guided by club members. Many folk had travelled down from South Canterbury. The forecasted rain turned out to be a very short early shower and sunshine prevailed for the remainder of the day. The tracks were in very good condition, thanks to recent working bees by members of the club.

Recent tramps have been to the ABC caves in the Silverpeaks district, and  over the Easter break to the Harper Pass – between the Lewis and Arthurs Passes, which is  part of the Te Araroa Trail.

Wednesday Walkers have enjoyed walks around Otematata and Livingstone, the Nimrod Reserve track  in the Hunter Hills, the Domett Loop and  walks closer to home on the Oamaru  Walkway and local beaches. A large contingent had a great time biking the Clutha Gold and Roxburgh Gorge Trails before Easter.

Club night speaker, Jane Matchett and her team mates Mike and Kevin shared their experiences in the GODZone Adventure race last year, starting and finishing in Kaikoura. Participants knew nothing about the course until four hours before the start of the race so navigational and logistical skills were put to the test as well as the sheer physical demands of the 520km course. Over six days, sections included an ascent of Mt Tapuae-o-Uenuku (2885m), biking 151km through Molesworth Station and paddling the length of the Hurunui River. Not for the faint hearted!

Club Night March 2015

Monday, March 16th, 2015

Numbers were a little depleted at our March meeting as 19 Wednesday Walkers were heading to the Clutha Gold and Roxburgh Gorge Cycle Trails the next morning.

Club members held a working bee on the Herbert Forest tracks (and have another in the pipeline) in preparation for an Open Day on 12 April. This is such a lovely area right at our back door. Family groups will be encouraged to tackle the Swallows Track. Kids – look out for the cave!

Those who joined the day tramp to Otekaike Hill via the south side of Bushy Creek earlier in the month were rewarded with great views of the Waitaki Valley and North Otago coast.

Wednesday Walkers trips have taken members up the north branch of the Kakanui River to Balmoral Hut, round the back of Aviemore dam and down Deep Stream, to Kaiwarua Station (and its numerous swimming holes) in the Hunter Hills, and to Mt Myer.

Speaker for the evening, Jane Green, recounted the bike trip she and husband Graham undertook last winter in the North Island, beginning with The Forgotten World Highway from Stratford to Whangamomona in Taranaki. Next was a 54km circuit of Mt Karioi and the Pipiwharauroa Trail, both near Raglan in the Waikato. Further north they biked the Hauraki Rail Trail from Thames to Waihi then headed south to tackle a maze of tracks near Rotorua. After three days biking the Waikato River Trails Jane and Graham undertook the Pureora Timber Trail west of Taupo, and were most impressed with two purpose built swing bridges – one 140m long – and a portion of track that included a spiral in its descent before reaching Ongarue.

These new cycle trails have made previously remote areas much more accessible so add them to your Bucket List!

Club Night November 2014

Sunday, November 16th, 2014

A goodly number attended our November meeting in spite of twenty-four walkers being away on the four-night, Banks Peninsula Track.

Wednesday Walkers kept up their varied programme with walks to Anderson’s Lagoon near Palmerston and along the coast to the Shag River mouth; a new walk around the Livingston diggings; from the Leith Saddle towards Mt Cargill and through bush and logged-over forest to Sullivan’s Dam; Black Cap across to Scout Hill and Scout Hut. These Wednesday walks are a great way to explore what’s on our very own doorstep.

NOTMC held a successful “Getting Out There” day in October to give prospective members a taste of day tramping. A walk from Tulliemet Rd to Devil’s Elbow, back down to Round Knob and back was a good introduction to Otago’s accessible high country.

Labour Weekend saw an intrepid group of seven, travel down to Borland Lodge near Lake Monowai then the following day, venture by kayak and powerboat, to Rodger Inlet on the lake.

Speakers at our November meeting were members Phyllis, Maurice and Bronwyn who earlier this year tramped the Northern Circuit on Stewart Island. This walk is not for the faint-hearted. It’s an eight day slog with no room in packs for unnecessary treats – and rain and mud are practically guaranteed. The group walked in a clockwise direction – from Freshwater Creek out to Mason’s Bay then up around the coast and back to Oban – though it tends to be tackled anticlockwise. The circuit included numerous interestingly named places such as Chocolate Swamp, Hellfire Pass, Long Harry Bay, Christmas Village Hut. Coastal vistas were stunning even through misty rain and it was hard not to feel lured to this vast, largely untouched part of Stewart Island.