Hey guys,

this weekend's club trip is the Gourmet tramp to the Kawekas - although Hawke's Bay may seem a long way to go, the combination of hot pools (at both ends of the track), an easy 2-3 hour walk in beside the river and the aforesaid river to tube down the next day make this very worthwhile!

Gourmet is all about throwing out your usual tramping stodge and getting lots of nice food and booze! Because it is quite a drive, we'll aim to leave Friday night and camp along the way 2-3 hours up the road - then we can go shopping in Napier Saturday morning, drive up to the road end and walk in with plenty of time to enjoy the evening. If the weather is nice we'll camp right at the hot pools, otherwise there's a big hut about 40 minutes from them.

The trip cost will be $40.

For those keen on tubing back out the next day, you'll need a wetsuit, helmet, tube and probably some river experience (rafting, tubing, kayaking...) - we have a few tubes in the gear shed still, but you can usually pick em up from Beaurepairs Kaiwharawhara (for free).

Otherwise you can stagger back out along the track again :) Or possibly go on an extended weekend tramp (since its uni holidays afterwards), Jess mentioned she might be keen for this...

Main thing is to sign up at the meeting tomorrow or let me know ASAP by email (patonomatic@gmail.com) otherwise, as we have to sort out transport. We may end up leaving a bit later on Friday night, so some of us can attend Mr Ryburn's farewell drinks... and if theres anyone who really can't make it Friday night, we can have a group going up on Saturday (you just might have to sort out your shopping beforehand).

Cheers!

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Kieran,
Co-Treasurer

Just to emphasise, the tubing aspect of the trip (down the Mohaka River) is purely voluntary, possibly slightly crazy and definitely weather dependent - it should be fun though, so if you can get hold of the gear...

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Kieran,
Co-Treasurer

Right, people have been known to get lost on the way to the Kawekas (before they even started walking) so here are some directions to assist...

Friday Night camping

We're planning on camping at a place called ANZAC park a bit north of Dannevirke - so from Wellington either go over the Rimutaka Hill and follow SH2 through the Wairarapa, or go up Kapiti and turn off before Levin to go through Shannon, etc and through the Manawatu Gorge. Once here head through Woodville, Dannevirke and then a small town called Norsewood, and ANZAC park is the next road on the left (signposted), see link to google map below.

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Kaweka Hot pools road end

Take Highway 50 to get to Napier. Once in Napier head along Prebensen Drive just past Park Island (sports facility) and turn right onto Puketitiri Road (if not going into Napier you can turn off SH50 at Omahu, just over bridge from Fernhill and head through Puketapu to Puketitiri Road). See map link below...

View Larger Map

Once on Puketitiri Rd follow it for about 45 mins to a town called... you guessed it, Puketitiri! Go through this and a few kms later take a rightish turn onto Pakaututu Rd. Head down this past Balls Clearing reserve and a bit later turn left onto Makahu Rd. Follow this to the end and you're there! (past one ford, two bridges and a couple of hills)

The track from here (tramping now) follows upstream beside and above the Mohaka River for about 2 hours or so to Te Puia lodge. The hot pools are about another 45 minutes up the track from here (following the river, not up the hill!).

 All clear? Excellent, most of us should be meeting up in any case so this is just in case you don't :)

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Kieran,
Co-Treasurer