Gunsight Pass – a nice daywalk from the North to the South Temple, Ruataniwha Conservation Park A day loop hike over Gunsight Pass from the North Temple to the South Temple starting and ending at the DOC Temple Campsite. Matt and I had been thinking about Gunsight Pass for over a year after our trip … Read more
Brass Monkeys, a Devil’s Den and Lucretia – all from Lewis Pass A 7 day hiking loop trip through scenery in the Lewis Pass mountains Old mouldy monkeys were out and new monkeys were in! I was on a week’s solo tramp in Lewis Pass and I had been dropped off by the East by … Read more
Ōtaki Forks temporary walking access, and Ōtaki Forks Road reinstatement A guide to DOC’s Emergency Access Track that provides a walking track to Ōtaki Forks bypassing the slip at Blue Bluff that has closed the road, and a photo story of the Otaki Forks Road reinstatement at Blue Bluff. Update 3 March 2025 DOC Emergency … Read more
😃 Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club (WTMC) Lodge – Mt Ruapehu accommodation for winter skiing and summer hiking The Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club (WTMC) lodge on Mt Ruapehu is located in Iwikau Village adjacent to the Whakapapa Skifield. It offers comfortable, reasonably priced, backpacker type accommodation for up to 32 guests and 2 custodians, … Read more
WTMC Ruapehu Lodge Blog A blog dsfihdovjsdjsdjfjdhjfcnmcnsdfhjsdn sdhjds sdj sd c sdjs dsdcd usds sduasd The WTMC Ruapehu Lodge at Iwikau Village is the comfortable, reasonably priced, backpacker-style accommodation for outdoor enthusiasts year-round, and it’s only 5 minute’s walk from the Whakapapa skifield. Whether you’re here for skiing, hiking, or simply soaking in the wonderful … Read more
WTMC Ruapehu Summer Lodge – and the remarkable Unnamed Glacier The smallest glacier on Mt Ruapehu is the most unusual – it is possibly the only glacier in New Zealand not melting away. And it is relatively easy to get to from the WTMC Ruapehu Lodge. There are nine named glaciers on Mt Ruapehu, including … Read more
WTMC Ruapehu Lodge – its survival may depend on your help Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL) who has run the skifield at Whakapapa for 60 years is in Liquidation and Receivership. If no buyer can be found before the 2025 ski season it is very likely that all skifield infrastructure will be removed from the mountain and … Read more
Mt Ruapehu accommodation – the WTMC Summer Lodge at Whakapapa skifield The Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering club owns and runs a lodge at the Whakapapa skifield that will be open for public accommodation during 29 December 2024 to 12 January 2025, and is ideal ‘backpacker type’ accommodation near Mt Ruapehu. More people visit Tongariro in summer … Read more
The fight for the underbird – helping out on the Tin Range, Rakiura A week on the Tin Range Stewart Island helping the Department of Conservation rangers with predator control to protect one of NZ’s most endangered birds the southern dotterel. If you want to save a species or habitat it’s a fight for evermore. You can … Read more
Mt Ngāuruhoe – a different way to climb to the summit A hiking loop trip to the summit of Mt Ngāuruhoe via an ascent route that is different from that usually taken. Mt Ngāuruhoe is the second highest mountain in the Tongariro National Park at 2,291 m, and is either a rather cute and perfectly formed … Read more