Hey everyone,

This weekend is our midwinter Christmas tramp! The plan is to head to Mangahao flats hut in the tararuas on Saturday (meeting at Hunter carpark at 8am) and come back out again on sunday.

It's going to be an awesome trip with lots of yummy Christmas food, so if you want to come (why wouldn’t you?!) and haven’t signed up already - email me asap!

If you’ve already signed up, but haven’t had an email from me – let me know. My email is pilchenata@student.vuw.ac.nz

Natalie

Am wondering if anyone has got any plans (or would be tempted) to head up to the Tararuas on Friday late afternoon/ evening? I would be keen but have no vehicle. Was thinking about perhaps heading up to Pukematawai and Arete during Saturday and then head back to the hut in time for the festivities on Sat night. Also first trip to the Tararuas since arriving in NZ, so keen to get up to a high summit, indeed even Arete is 200m higher than Blighty's Ben Nevis! Only drawback - looks as though could be pretty wet on Sat but could be fairly entertaining higher up so long as the freezing level doesn't rise drastically!

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Darren ap Dafydd (Welsh Rambler)

Hi Darren,

 I'm keen for a decent tramp and get up high, but also have no transport... I can leave Fri afternoon, (my last class finishes at 1, but may need to do some fast packing...)

 Terra

I won't make Friday unfortunately - but a good trip would be:

Start at Ohau (Poads Rd), head up the Ohau river (south branch) and up to Te Matawai Hut Friday afternooon/evening. Then up to Pukematawai, Arete, Dundas and down Triangle Spur to the Mangahao (old track from the bushline). Then its a short walk down to Mangahao flats hut.

Everyone else is coming in from the Mangahao dams, but am sure some people (me for instance) could be keen to walk out a different way on Sunday and get picked up/do car swap.

Not sure what the snows like but might want an ice axe? There was quite a bit in the ruahines on the weekend apparently...

 

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Kieran,
Co-Treasurer

That sounds like a good option and I'd definitely take an ice axe, unfortunately I can't make it either, or the weekend as I'm outa town from tonight until late Monday...sorry!

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Alyn
027 446 5275
Alyn.Higgins@hospitalitynz.org.nz

Hey,

Sounds like a plan! I'd be keen for some rambling, too, but can't make it earlier than Saturday morning, either. So an alternative trip would be just up to Mt. Dundas on Sunday: start at the hut early, follow the stream, then left branch, up a slip/spur to the summit. Probably lots of snow and maybe icy above bushline, so proper gear might be crucial. Back out same way. Should be easily doable if we'd leave between 9 and 10pm at the latest (come on, that's just 4 mugs of mulled wine instead of 8...). Or, if the weather is really brilliant and you can afford to take Monday off, we could try and do Kierans' suggestion. (I'm driving.)

Cheers,

Nicolai

Sounds like the Sunday option will work best. Will pack some extra food in case of deciding to carry on to do something longer on Sunday and stay out at a hut again. Could take half of Monday off, eg. to walk out from a hut to road end after an early start to get back to Wellington earlier. We could always do the Pukematawai-Arete-Dundas circuit and back to Manahao Flats hut Sunday night to keep it simple for getting back to the same road end as where we started.

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Darren ap Dafydd (Welsh Rambler)

Yes and if this doesn't eventuate for any reason then I'll likely be up for this or something similar the next weekend, when I will be available and have transport. 

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Alyn
027 446 5275
Alyn.Higgins@hospitalitynz.org.nz

Hi,

I'm keen for a Sunday mission, but would have to get back that evening (realy should stop missing so many lectures...). But if you guys want to stay out that night, thats fine, I'll plan a mission for another weekend. (Unless someone else is still up for the fri trip that has a vehicle).

Terra

Hey guys

I need to know who is going on Friday night and your transport arrangement.  This is pretty important to make sure we have enough or not too much transport for Saturday.

Regan appeared to be keen for something on Friday night but that may have been walking the shortest way possible to drink beer all day Saturday.  He has transport.  You would probably need to call him as he probably won’t read this post between now and later Regan 0210376973

So if can you let me know if anyone is going Friday and how you are getting there that would be much appreciated

Oh and in other news – The pressure cooker has been repaired.  The 4 inch jolt head nail proved to ineffective and dangerous with it flying across the room and steam hissing out everywhere.  But the 3 inch jolt head works a treat.  So it looks like 1 group could be doing a roast turkey!!!!

Hey guys,

As we didn't find anyone on our way back I assume that you all made it back happily!

However, I did find some items whose owners might be delighted to get the news that the bush doesn't loose anything... Half way along the track I picked up some black three quarter pants, presumably from either a female or cross-dresser. Furthermore, there was a black spatula (pancake turner) at the hut as well as a narrow bladed toothed knife. In the boot of my car I found a blue plastic dish as well as a pack of those non-ecological plastic one-way plates. I'll bring those items to the meeting next Tuesday. Approach me if you want your stuff back.  

If someone has got the time to put up another folder for midwinter-Xmas photos, I could upload some, too.

Cheers,

Nicolai

After all this strenuous eating, moderate drinking, extreme celebrating, extraordinary feasting and wicked bushwalking until the cows come home (alternatively: ad nauseam) I have been facing severe trouble to motivate myself to get some proper work done... Instead, I found it positively distracting to upload hundreds of pictures from a bunch of off-key people doing weird stuff (i.e. celebrating Christmas in July) in the middle of somewhere, far out in the wops. Click here

http://picasaweb.google.com/Nicogoeskiwi/MidwinterXmas2007

and have fun. Cheers,

Nicolai