Jenny chaired our meeting.
Trip Reports
Nth Peak Cave 10 people did this walk from Trotters Gorge .Made it to the cave then on to the top of Nth Peak for lunch.Good views from the top on a fine day.
Twilight Walk
A walk around Cape Wanbrow was held on Feb 17th and the public were invited to join us.3 people took up the offer and enjoyed the evening walk.
Dusky Trail 4 people left the Pukaki Canal carpark and had a hot but picturesque walk along this biking/walking trail.
Lake Herron to Lake Emily Hakatere
A nice easy walk from Lake Heron to Double hut then on to Manuka hut.Tents were required at Double hut but the weather was good. Beautiful views in this backcountry area.
Mt David
7 people climbed this peak from Danseys Pass Rd.A gentle start then steeper and nearer the top quite tricky.Lovely 360 views and Mt Cook could be seen in the distance.A rewarding climb but a big day.
Wednesday walkers gave their report.
Up and coming trips Skyline walk at twilight
East Matukituki at Anniversary Weekend
Nth Temple with options include Rabbiters Pass
Mt Kyeburn
Members Summer Adventures
Neville spoke about exploring the East Matukituki with Colin and doing the Wanaka Skyline walk.This is from Mt Roy carpark to the top then on over to the top of Mt Alpha.Amazing views,some interesting rock formations,but a very hot day out.
Mary showed us photos of a coastal walk in the Palmerston area This was on a beautiful day and her photography reflected this.
Jenny reported on her `Round the Mountain` bike ride.This started with a trip across Lake Wakatipu on the Ernslaw to Mt Nicolas Station then biking around the Eyre Mountains and through Garston and finishing at Kingston.Good accomadation at old hotels on the way.An easy ride with only one hill.Fabulous views.
She also had lovely photos of her Glacier Burn near Kinloch.
Meeting closed at 9.00pm.
NOTMC Meeting Report Nov.2024
Jenny chaired our meeting. A handbook has been produced by the club to be given to new members as a guide .
Trip Reports
Waianakarua river mouth to Kakanui river mouth. 5 people enjoyed .this coastal walk .They timed their walk according to the tide.Very successful.
Bike Trip
Weather not good for this ,only 2 people were keen. They enjoyed it Route kept under wraps for a fine day another time
Discovery of Cave at North Peak
This cave has been lost to the club for quite a few years,but found again after a lot of searching.Trees in the area had been felled so it was a good time to search.The cave was rediscovered on the south ridge of Nth Peak. A good result .
Mt Milne
4 people walked 4 hrs to the top of Mt Milne. There was still snow on the west side and it was foggy on top. A good day out.
Up and Coming Trips.
Paradise Gully in the Hopkins area.
Mt Sommers staying overnight in huts in Hakataere area.
Scout Hill in the Kakanui Ranges.
Love Our Huts
An expedition is planned to tidy up and check on some of the huts in the Ohau area.Hope to visit Cullers Hut ,Dazzler Biv,and Elcho huts.
Trip Planning then went ahead for the next 3 month period.
An idea to have night walks was put forward and supported by members.Looking to hold them in February.A discussion on locator beacons and emergency contacts was had also.
Meeting closed Followed by a cup of tea.
Four members and 2 extras set out from town at 7 am. We rendezvoused at the Wrinkly Rams for a quick coffee and headed up to the Temple carpark which was quite busy with campers. It was a blue sky day and we had a pleasant walk up the valley, reaching the head of the valley in time for lunch. One of the group decided to stay and camp there for the night while the rest carried on up the steep hill in the general direction of Rabbiters Peak. Good route finding skills by the 2 extras resulted in minimal scrub bashing. Our aim was to find a camping spot at the tarn just below the 1600 contour and explored the ridge beyond that for possibilities to get to the peak by following along the ridge. After about 2 1/2 hours we reached the tarn and set up our tents and after the usual snacks and drinks were had we went to the ridge just there 150m further up to check the likelihood of going that way in the morning. It turned out that this way was not the easiest with some steep rock climbs required with a lot of exposure to bad outcomes should anyone take a tumble.
Back to camp for dinner and the usual early long night. No moon meant brilliant views of the stars until there was a change in the weather with a significant increase in wind speed. It became overcast as well and the wind carried on buffeting our tents for the remainder of the night and was still very strong by the time morning rolled along. This led us to decide that going back up the ridge looking for a route to the peak was more than anyone desired and would likely be quite unpleasant if not dangerous.
So we packed up and went down retrieving some of the bits of gear that had blown away during the night as we went. We met up with the lonely camper at the head of the North Temple, even getting him out of bed and after his pack up walked back down the valley to reach the cars just before lunchtime. The day was much more overcast than the previous day and a broody NW promised rain at some point.
This was a short but otherwise very nice trip into out backyard hills. We didn’t reach our objective, but there is always another day. Thanks to Julian, Lorena, Neil, Jonah and Scout for coming .
Robbie