Club Night – July 2012
The club night was attended by 25 people. The president made several announcements including that the trip programme for August onwards was available in hard copy for those who did not have on line availability. Similarly those wanting hard copy trip reports could contact Robbie Verhoef. The end of year function will be held on 8th December and the Herbert Forest Guided Walks day would be on 28th April. The committee have also considered the future of the locator beacon when the recommended battery life expires next year. The current thinking is not to replace it because several club members have their own and they can be hired for a small fee which could be recovered in the travel costs of the trip. There were a few points made and the final decision will rest with the new committee. There was an appreciation shown for Noel Pullan who took and excellent photograph of the erection of the steel ladder on Hoods Creek track and which has now been framed and presented to Blakely Pacific.
There were several notices including various newsletters and notice of a planting day on 2nd of September by Dave Mellish. More details at the next club night or contact Dave. An animal control programme has been suggested by the Club in Herbert Forest. Blakely Pacific has responded positively and will pick up costs. A local school has expressed interest in guided tramps by the club in Herbert Forest for year 8 and there was a request for more volunteers to support this.
Trip reports included Ben Ohau on 17th June with 6 people climbing up from the car park across the west face in generally good conditions. They reached the top by 12.30 and then continued on a ridge eastwards eventually dropping down to Greta stream and returning by an old farm track. On the 24th June 10 people went up Kurow hill by various routes on a frosty morning continuing along a ridge and dropping down to the Awakino gorge returning downstream to the cars near the main highway observing a falcon and hawk along the way. Wednesday Walker trips included Blue Mountain cave (otherwise known as chinamans cave) via Dunback with a so called shortcut on the return by the edge of the forest. There was a shorter walk in Kuriheka with a strong southerly bringing rain and hail to start with but with the benefit of well positioned haybarns and lastly a familiar farm walk at Ngapara but with more escarpments and old machinery on a stunning day.
Jane Green gave a presentation on her trip last year to Norway, a country with 4000 fiords, 0.5 million lakes and 2500kms of coastline. She took a ferry / cruise starting at Kirkeness one of the most northern settlements in the world down the coastline to Bergen and then on by bus and train to Olso. She experienced the midnight sun and the photos of fiords and picturesque settlements along the coast showed the stark beauty of the country. We learnt about the traditional fishing industry and the effect that the flourishing oil and gas industries have had on the development of Norway. The final overland trip showed how varied the landscape is from the world’s longest fiord up over a high pass with glaciers and down to the pastoral lands surrounding Olso.