Monthly Report

Club Night 9 August 2021

Tuesday, August 10th, 2021

The Club decided to participate in Conservation Week at the beginning of September. The committee will decide what to do.

Members were asked to report any wallaby sightings while out in the hills to a District Council, especially sightings on the south side of the Waitaki River.

Trip Reports
The Wednesday Walkers had day trips to Cornish Head and Matanaka, finishing with a return beach walk to the Waikouaiti River Mouth, the Earthquakes and farm walk near Duntroon,  The Tapui 3 Peaks and 2 Tunnels circuit, and the A2O track from Aviemore to Kurow.
The Tramping Club had a  weekend trip to Queenstown, where they joined up with Hokanui Tramping Club members. They walked the Mt Crichton Loop Track which took them past Lake Dispute. Some went night skiing or down the luge, and on Sunday they did the Sawpit Gully Walkway near Arrowtown.

The other Tramping Club Trip was to the Waiorau Snow Farm where they enjoyed snow shoeing and cross country skiing, staying in Wanaka. They managed to make it home over the Lindis Pass in a snow storm.

Coming Trips are skiing at Ohau, a weekend of Dunedin walks, and climbing the Ben Ohau Range returning via the Greta Track. The September Club night will be a quiz night.

The rest of the Club night was taken up with planning trips until the end of the year.

Club Night July 2021

Tuesday, July 13th, 2021

Club Trips

6 Members walked the length of Katiki Beach from the North end and continued round over the Shag Point Rock Shelf at low tide. The exit from the beach was, as usual, guarded by a contingent of fur seals, but as they were sleeping in the warm sun, it was easy to dodge around them.

Mt Cargill was climbed from Bethune’s Gully along with lots of other walkers and runners. The fine day enabled 360 degree views including the Rock and Pillar Range. They returned via the Organ Pipes.

Woosies bike trip from Kakanui took them down the coast, with the pedal power bikes turning up Bowalley Rd. and the ebikes continuing to the Waianakarua River. Both groups returned via inland routes to lunch at the Kakanui Café.

Coming Trips are to Big Hut on the Rock and Pillar Range, Queenstown walks with the Hokanui Tramping Club and cross country skiing at the Cardrona Ski Farm.

Wednesday Walkers had return walks on the A2O from Windsor through Rakis Tunnel and Otematata to Benmore Dam. A Timaru coastal walk revealed substantial damage from the previous night’s high seas, and a circuit from Ashlands Rd to overlooking Trotters Gorge and a return via Snake Gully was endured in a bitterly cold Sou-wester.

Club members then showed photos of various trips they had been on.

They included a return trip up the Karangarua River to Douglas Pass, some exquisite photos of mountain flowers, a tramp on Great Barrier Island, “creatures of the forest” showing life like moss covered stumps, the Hump Ridge track in a snow storm, and the Able Tasman which finished with a kayak trip in rough seas.

Club Night June 2021

Wednesday, June 16th, 2021

Club Night 14 June 2021

Trip Reports

16 bikers did a round Otago Harbour ride, starting with a ferry crossing from Port Chalmers to Broad Bay, doing a return trip to Portobello, lunch at McAndrew Bay and back to Port Chalmers via the Dunedin waterfront. An enjoyable ride on a sunny autumn day that will be even better once the tracks at each end are finished.

Trotters Gorge had some much needed track maintenance with 2 Trotters Creek Tracks being opened up again and a start made on Dave’s Track.

Swallows Track in the Herbert Forest received some gravel on the muddy areas.

The Wednesday Walkers had day trips to Lower Ben Lomond, returning via Sheepwash Creek, Black Cap and Scout Hill, Maraeweka Forest and Kuriheka via the Island Streem waterfall, Moeraki Millennium Track round to No2 Kaika and a new farm walk in the Island Cliff area. Older members also provided a guard of honor for Ivan Main’s funeral.

Coming trips are to Silver Peaks looking for Hermits cave, a Katiki Beach and Shag Point rock shelf beach walk, the Mt Cargill organ pipes and a 35k bike ride from Maheno. Members were asked to bring some photos of their favorite trip, to the July Club Night.

Guest Speaker was club member Julia Christie who gave a presentation of her and husband Bob’s Federated Mountain Club trip in Peru and then a private tour of Chile, Brazil and Argentina.

FMC tour leader Eileen Cameron took them on some fantastic tramps in the Andes mountains of Northern Peru in altitudes of up to 5000m above sea level. She made sure they acclimatized to the altitude gradually so there were only minor altitude sickness problems. Fast climbs were definitely not on the agenda though! We saw some fantastic photos of the high Andes with a smattering of June snow and a large variety of native birds and animals.

Another highlight was a trip into the Amazon Jungle with its associated animal and bird life including large flocks of white herons.

Cuzco, centre of the ancient Inca empire was the next stop, with a trip to Machu Picchu followed by walking the Lares Inca Trail nearby. Walking the Ausangate Trek brought to an end their FMC part of the trip.

It was then over the border to NE Chile, to the town of San Pedro de Atacama in the high altiplano and its extensive salt flats, pink flamingos, Valley of the Moons, volcanos, geysers and hot springs.

A flight to Rio de Janeiro and visits to Brasilia, a New Zealand owned dairy farm, the Iguazu Falls, Montevideo and Buenos Aires completed a fantastic 5 month tour of South America. 

Club Night May 2021

Tuesday, May 11th, 2021

Club President Julian Hardy presented his Annual Report. Club membership has risen to 84 and finances are healthy. The club purchased a new locator beacon to replace the out of date one from a grant from the Waitaki District Council.

Trip Reports:

Cone, 1563m was climbed from Danseys Pass road. After leaving the cars at Bayley’s yards it was a long climb mainly on a 4wd track with some gully’s to cross before heading up through tusscock to the ridge to the right of the peak. Lunch was eaten below the summit before the final scree climb up the ridge to summit views that were worth the effort. Several mobs of deer were spotted in the distance. It was then straight down the slippery tussock slope to the track and back to the cars, for an enjoyable 1000m up and 19k walk.

A walk through native bush up Freehold Creek was enjoyed before overnighting at Twizel. The Sunday walk was curtailed by heavy rain.

The Wednesday Walkers has day trips on the A2O from Sailors Cutting to Benmore Dam, a Ngapara farm walk, Doctors Point and Mopanui at a very low tide and a Te Waimate farm walk where the owner explained the history from the original 99,000 sheep run to the present.

Coming Tramping Club trips are a bike ride around the Otago Harbour, Trotters Gorge track clearing, Mt. Cook “social “ weekend and Hermits Cave in the Silverpeaks. See the NOTMC website for details.

Club Night 12 April 2021

Friday, April 16th, 2021

Julian welcomed us and started the night with the trip reports.
Robbie led a working bee at Herbert forest. 10 people helped mainly on the Hoods creek track.It was in a mess after harvesting.The other tracks were checked out too.Traps are being set off by rats and mice bo Robbie asked for volunteers who could help out everyday for 10 days and have a concentrated hit then not do it again for a few months.
The trip to the Huxley Forks hut went well.Six members went and had lovely weather.They tramped to the Forks hut on Saturday then on Sunday walked up to the Broderick hut and back ,stayed another night  and tramped out on Monday.
Up coming trips were then spoken about . Colin is taking a trip to Cone peak .The plan is to leave early at 7.00am.and to go up a 4wd track around to the left then on up to the top.
Anzac weekend Roz is taking a trip from the Ahuriri over and down to the Top Dingle hut.On Sunday walk up Mt Gladwish and back to hut. Back over and out Monday.
30th April Bessis going to Freehold creek on Saturday Accomodation will be in Twizel that night and on Sunday she plans to do Flannagans Pass or as far as people want to go
10 May  A G M and trip planning meeting.A secretary and vice president are needed.
While we waited for the  speakers to arrive Jane Green recalled how things had changed in the 50 years since she started tramping. She told of how there was no such thing as tramping boots   only inflexable farm boots, no padding at all on packs and the food was not memerable at all. On her first tramp she was saved from a deadly fall by a fellow tramper who just managed to grab her pack in time. He was sworn to secrecy or she may not have been allowed to go again.On the same tramp a girl was struggling and they found in her pack hair rollers,make up ,and a transistor radio.The weather was terrible and they all had to pile into a two man bivy ,no sleep for anyone that night.
Julian then went through the May tramps coming up 
Jane is taking a bike ride around the Dunedin harbour crossing over on the ferry.She will make inquires as to cost and the timetable.
Neville has a working bee at Trotters Gorge  mainly to clear Vickers track and Daves track They are overgrown and pruning back is needed.
Karyl has a midwinter trip to Mt Cook on the 29th Stay at the Alpine Club Lodge ,bring a pot luck desert and explore the walks and scenery of the area.
Our guest speakers arrived.Lisa Heinz from the Geopark Trust spoke about the things they wanted to acheive like linking the land,the buildings the people and educating everyone about the geological landscape.They have 42 sites of interest in the area which stretches from Ohau to Mc Craes. She explained that the trust want Unesco geopark recognition as they think this will enhance the profile of the area.There is a cost for this recognition .Unesco checks geopark status every  4 yrs.Sasha talked to us about how N Z  was formed and evolved from Gondwana.She is a geologist and finds this area provides a huge geological timeline to study Maps wre provided to look at and a video presentation was shown
Following the speakers the meeting was closed and a cup of tea served