NZ Weather Forecasts:
It doesn't matter whether you are just going along on someones day trip or you are organiser of a multiday epic trip, checking the weather before you leave is a requirement. At the very least it will let you know how much sunscreen you will need to put on!
How to use a map and compass...
How to read a topographical map.
How to use a compass
* find north!
* align your topographical map using compass (very important)
* take a bearing
* take a bearing off the map
* follow a compass bearing accurately
* triangulation (advanced)
Your favourite club has copies of most of these books (contact the gear officer) as does the Uni library
* A field guide to the native edible plants of New Zealand. By Andrew Crowe Location: EPSOM LIBRARY Call Number: 581.6320993 CRO NZ
* ‘Waitakere Ranges’ put together by the Waitakere Ranges Protection Society. 2006. - Contains information on the Club Hut. Location: ARCHITECTURE LIBRARY New Zealand Collection Call Number: 712.21(95.1) A898w
* 101 Great tramps in New Zealand By Mark Pickering and Rodney Smith. Great tramping guide.(Available from the General Library). Location: GENERAL LIBRARY New Zealand & Pacific Level G Call Number: 796.51 P59 2004
* Hot Springs of New Zealand By Sally Jackson. A great guide to all the hot pools in New Zealand, including some that are only accessible to Trampers. Location: GENERAL LIBRARY New Zealand & Pacific Level G Call Number: 551.23 J12 2006
* Day walks of Greater Auckland Marios Gavalas and Peter Janneson.(Available from the General Library). Location: GENERAL LIBRARY New Zealand & Pacific Level G Call Number: 796.51099511 G27
* Day Walks of Northland Marios Gavalas.(Available from the General Library). Location: GENERAL LIBRARY New Zealand & Pacific Level G Call Number: 796.51099512 G27
* Day Walks of the Coromandel Marios Gavalas. .(Available from the General Library). Location: GENERAL LIBRARY New Zealand & Pacific Level G Call Number: 796.51099514 G27 2003
* Tongariro : a climbing guide to Tongariro National Park: summer and winter alpine routes, ski-mountaineering and rock climbing Richard Thomson. 2006. Location: GENERAL LIBRARY New Zealand & Pacific Level G Call Number: 796.522099518 T48
* Taranaki Mount Egmont: a guide for climbers: summer and winter alpine routes, ski-mountaineering, rock climbing Ross Eden. 2003. 2nd Edition. Location: GENERAL LIBRARY New Zealand & Pacific Level G Call Number: 796.52209952 E21
* Moir’s guide north: the Otago Southern Alps: a tramping and transalpine guide from the Hollyford to Lake Ohau. Edited by Geoff Spearpoint. 2005. 7th Edition. Location: GENERAL LIBRARY New Zealand & Pacific Level G Call number: 919.58 M71 2005
Click on the link below to get the free booklet you can print out on plants in the Waitakere Ranges and the Auckland area, produced by the Auckland Regional Council.
Great to take tramping in the Waitakeres.
Link to booklet:
The 30 highest mountains - NZ’s 30 highest mountains are all contained within the Southern Alps, a chain which forms the backbone of the South Island.
Aoraki/Mount Cook - 3754 m (12,316 ft)
Mount Tasman - 3498 m (11,476 ft)
Mount Dampier - 3440 m (11,286 ft)
Mount Silberhorn - 3279 m (10,758 ft)
Mount Lendenfeld - 3201 m (10,502 ft)
Mount Hicks - 3183 m (10,443 ft)
Mount Malte-Brun - 3176 m (10,420 ft)
Mount Torres - 3163 m (10,377 ft)
Mount Teichelmann - 3160 m (10,367 ft)
Mount Sefton - 3157 m (10,358 ft)
Mount Haast - 3138 m (10,295 ft)
Mount Elie de Beaumont - 3109 m (10,200 ft)
Mount Douglas Peak - 3081 m (10,108 ft)
Mount La Perouse - 3079 m (10,102 ft)
Mount Haidinger - 3066 m (10, 059 ft)
The Minarets - 3065 m (10,056 ft)
Mount Aspiring - 3033 m (9951 ft)
Mount Hamilton - 3022 m (9915 ft)
Glacier Peak - 3007 m (9865 ft)
Mount De La Beche - 2992 m (9816 ft)
Aiguilles Rouges - 2966 m (9731 ft)
Mount Nazomi - 2962 m (9718 ft)
Mount Darwin - 2961 m (9715 ft)
Mount Chudliegh - 2952 m (9685 ft)
Mount Annan, New Zealand - 2947 m (9669 ft)
Mount Low - 2942 m (9652 ft)
Mount Haeckel - 2941 m (9649 ft)
Mount Goldsmith - 2905 m (9531 ft)
Conway Peak - 2901 m (9518 ft)
Bristol Top - 2898 m (9508 ft)
Other prominent mountains and hills
Over 2000 metres
Tapuae-o-Uenuku - 2880 m (9449 ft) (highest peak outside the Southern Alps)
Hochstetter Dome - 2822 m (9259 ft)
Tahurangi, Ruapehu - 2797 m (9177 ft) (highest peak in the North Island)
Mount Tutoko - 2756 m (9042 ft)
Te Heuheu, Ruapehu - 2755 m (9039 ft)
Paretetaitonga, Ruapehu - 2751 m (9026 ft)
Mount Hopkins - 2682 m (8799 ft)
Mount Taranaki or Mount Egmont - 2518 m (8261 ft)
Double Cone - 2340 m (7677 ft)
Ben Nevis - 2330 m (7644 ft)
Mount Ngauruhoe - 2291 m (7516 ft)
Mount Rolleston - 2275 m (7464 ft)
Mount Adams - 2208m (7244 ft)
Mount Hutt - 2190 m (7185 ft)
1000 to 2000 metres
Mount Tongariro - 1978 m (6490 ft)
Mount Cardrona - 1900 m (6234 ft)
Mount Owen - 1875 m (6152 ft)
Mount Hikurangi, Gisborne - 1754 m (5755 ft)
Mount Mangaweka - 1730 m (5676 ft)
Mount Kaweka - 1725 m (5659 ft)
Mitre Peak - 1692 m (5551 ft)
The Mitre (Tararua Ranges) - 1570 m (5151 ft)
Mount Hector (Tararua Ranges) - 1529 m (5016 ft)
Sturge Island (subantarctic island) - 1524 m (5000 ft)
Summit Peak - 1450 m (4756 ft) (highest point of the Rock and Pillar Range)
Young Island (subantarctic island) - 1340 m (4396 ft)
Buckle Island (subantarctic island) - 1239 m (4065 ft)
Mount Pureora - 1175 m (3855 ft)
Mount Tarawera - 1111 m (3645 ft)
Mount Tauhara - 1088 m (3570 ft)
Mount John - 1031 m (3382 ft) ( Home of Mount John University Observatory )
Under 1000 metres
Mount Ross - 983 m (3225 ft) (highest peak of the Aorangi Range)
Mount Anglem - 979 m (3212 ft) (highest peak on Stewart Island)
Mount Pirongia - 962 m (3156 ft)
Mount Te Aroha - 952 m (3123 ft) (highest point of the Kaimai Ranges)
Mount Matthews - 940 m (3084 ft)
Mount Herbert (Te Ahu Patiki) - 920m (3018 ft) (highest point of Banks Peninsula)
Maungatua - 900 m (2953 ft)
Moehau - 892 m (2927 ft) (highest point of the Coromandel Peninsula)
Mount Edgecumbe - 820 m (2690 ft)
Maungatautari - 797 m (2615 ft) (site of the Maungatautari Restoration Project)
Takaka Hill - 760 m (2493 ft)
Mount Karioi - 756 m (2480 ft) (overlooks Raglan)
Hauturu/Little Barrier Island - 722 m (2370 ft)
Mount Pye - 720 m (2361 ft) (highest point in The Catlins)
Mount Cargill - 680 m (2231 ft)
Kohukokonui (highest point in the Hunua Ranges) - 650 m (2133 ft)
Mount Hikurangi, Northland - 625 m (2051 ft)
Hokonui Hills - 600 m (1969 ft)
Mount Honey (Campbell Island) - 558 m (1831 ft)
Moumoukai - 516 m (1693 ft) (highest point in the Kermadec Islands, on Raoul Island)
Te Toiokawharu (highest point in the Waitakere Ranges) -
474 m (1555 ft)
Mount Kaukau - 445 m (1460 ft)
Mount Charles - 408 m (1337 ft) (highest point of the Otago Peninsula)
Whakaari/White Island - 321 m (1053 ft)
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu - 305 m (1001 ft)
Mangere - 286 m (938 ft) (highest point in the Chatham Islands, on Mangere Island)
Rangitoto Island - 260 m (853 ft)
Mauao (Mount Maunganui) - 230 m (755 ft)
Mount Victoria, Wellington - 196 m (643 ft)
Mount Eden - 196 m (643 ft)
One Tree Hill, New Zealand - 182 m (597 ft)
Mount Wellington - 137 m (449 ft)
Mount Albert - 135 m (443 ft)
Mount Roskill - 110 m (361 ft)
Mangere Mountain - 107 m (351 ft)
Mogambo - official tramping club greeting.
True left and right of the stream - is when you’re standing in the stream looking down stream, true left is to your left, and true right is to your right.
Bivvy Bag - water proof outer shell that you put your sleeping bag in. Useful when you are sleeping in snow caves.
Billy - pot used for cooking in the bush.
Epic - a really long (and usually hard trip.)
Spooner - prolific flirt at social events. Often known for his/her persistance with a favoured interest, when his/her advances are rejected the spooner then moves on quickly to the next target. The tramping club holds a giant wooden spoon crafted for the purpose of awarding the yearly ‘spooner’.
See Outdoor First Aid for more information
DOC manages over 250 vehicle-accessible camping areas on conservation land.
Link to DoC Campsites by region:
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-stay/conservation-...
PDF of all the North Island DoC Campsites:
http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/parks-and-recreation/places-to-s...
PDF of all the South Island DoC Campsites:
http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/parks-and-recreation/places-to-s...
First, make sure you have knocked off these 9 highest peaks of the North Island.
| Ruapehu, Mt | 2672 | Central Plateau/Taupo | Hard | ||
| Taranaki, Mt | 2518 | Taranaki/Wanganui/Manawatu | Very Hard | ||
| Ngauruhoe, Mt | 2287 | Central Plateau/Taupo | Hard | ||
| Tongariro, Mt | 1967 | Central Plateau/Taupo | Medium/Hard | ||
| Fantham's Peak | 1962 | Taranaki/Wanganui/Manawatu | Hard | ||
| Hikurangi, Mt | 1752 | Bay of Plenty/East Coast | Hard | ||
| Mangaweka | 1731 | Taranaki/Wanganui/Manawatu | Hard | ||
| Makorako |
1726 | Kaimanawa | Very Hard | ||
| Kaweka J |
1724 |
Hawkes Bay | Medium |
The Ruahines are quite difficult to find transport providers for, and there are many trip routes that you may want a shuttle for. Or you may want to have somebody on standby incase you don't exit at your intended point. Cell phone coverage is very limited in this area and we found the Mountain Radio invaluable for arranging a pickup.
On our trip in 2009 we found Hugh at Makoura Lodge was able to provide a range of transport options:
Makoura Lodge
Makoura Road
R D 1
Apiti
Feilding 4471
Phone: 06 328 4746
Mobile: 027 406 6733