Here you'll lots of trip related info, as always feel free to add stuff!
Upcoming trips are listed here in the calendar.
Trip Etiquette
When you go on a trip - it always pays to follow the rules of trip etiquette. Most people are great, the main thing to remember is that trip leaders are volunteers, not paid tour guides.
1. Always let your trip leader know well in advance if you can’t make it to a trip. If there is some reason you can’t make it - let the trip leader know as soon as possible - and in the most direct way possible, ie. telephone rather than e-mail.
2. Pay your driver a few bucks for petrol, preferably in advance.
3. Be honest about your level of fitness, your gear etc. You don’t want to end up putting others or yourself in danger.
4. Always thank the Chef for the meal (even if it looks like poo and wee :p) because they have gone to the effort.
5. Look after others on the trip or those that you are sharing the hut with i.e. don’t become enraged with someone going slow. Make room for late comers to a crowded hut.
6. The trip leader can refuse to take anyone on their trip, especially if they are not experienced enough or have the right gear, and they can delay or cancel the trip if the weather is bad, or the conditions are dangerous for any other reason.
7. Thank your driver/trip organiser.
Failure to follow the etiquette rules could see you kept off trip lists, shunned or even banned from the tramping club for repeat offenders! So be nice to the people that want you to have fun and be nice to you. :-)
Here are some ideas for trips if you would like to lead one.
To start with, leading a day trip is the least stressful place to start if you don’t have that much experience leading. Once your skills and confidence grow you can move on to more complicated trips. One of the benefits of leading a trip is that you gain leadership and organisational skills as well as navigation and other bush craft skills. If you want to run a more advanced level trip, but aren’t sure about your skills, email the trips officer and ask if they can suggest an experienced club member to come along on your trip. Experienced club members are more than willing to assist you if you would like help.
If you are new to running a trip, or the type of trip you are planning on running, we advise having a chat to an experienced trip leader. It's also a good idea to talk to someone who has done the trip before, or something in a similar area, to give you a good idea of what to expect and plan for. The trips (trips [at] autc [dot] org [dot] nz) and alpine (for alpine trips, alpine [at] autc [dot] org [dot] nz) officers can help you or put you in touch with appropriate people. Coming along to the weekly quad lunches (during semester) is also a good way of meeting and chatting to experienced leaders.
To organise a trip;
a) Decide where you want to go. If don't have a map of the area, you can contact the trips officer (trips [at] autc [dot] org [dot] nz) and ask for a map (AUTC has topographic maps for almost all parts of NZ) and a compass to go with it. New Zealand topographic maps can be downloaded from http://www.nztopomaps.com/ or http://gis.doc.govt.nz/website/Internet_NZMG_2005/viewer.htm if you want to get a good to look at an area before you get hold of a proper map.
b) Decide what day and time you want to go. If it is an overnight trip, decide what you want to do for food, everyone brings their own, or will you provide dinner, in this case everyone should chip in for the cost. [Extravagant] recipe ideas can be found at http://www.autc.org.nz/wiki/tramping_recipes
c) Email the club list telling everyone about your trip, and advertise the trip on the website (if you are not sure how to do this, the trips officer can give you a hand). Tell people about how long it is, when and what time to meet (meeting place is usually the Tramping club notice board in the quad or in front of the library) what gear to bring, how much it will cost, and ask them to email you back if they want to come. Ask them to tell you about any medical conditions, their tramping experience and to give you an emergency contact. A template of what you need to include in this email/ on the website can be found at http://www.autc.org.nz/wiki/trips_information/trip_email_template.Email your trip advert to: autc_notice_yyyy [at] lists [dot] autc [dot] org [dot] nz (eg for 2011, autc_notice_2011 [at] lists [dot] autc [dot] org [dot] nz). The moderator will check that your email is OK, then once it is approved it will be sent to the entire club email database.
d) Fill out the intentions form, found here: http://www.autc.org.nz/intentions_form and email to the safety officer (safety [at] autc [dot] org [dot] nz). Give them a ‘panic time’ if you don’t turn up the following day, so they can ring search and rescue (Dial 111 and ask for the Police). Also give them your intended route and a list of the people you are taking. The safety officer can help with this and it is very important, even just for day walks.
e) Meet up at appointed time, and go on trip. For ideas on trips that you can lead check out these websites; Look up `tracks and walks’ on the D.O.C website: http://www.doc.govt.nz/index.html
http://www.tramper.co.nz/ The Auckland University Library also has many books with ideas for trip locations.
Always make sure that you let people know where you are going, that you take appropriate gear for the conditions, and that you and your party members are fit enough and equipped for the conditions. Good things to bring are; a map, a compass in rugged conditions, a cell phone (hopefully you will be in range if you need to use it!) a first aid kit, appropriate clothing, food, head-torch and shelter, even on a day walk in case you are unable to get out by sunset.
For more good safety advice check out; http://www.mountainsafety.org.nz/online_store/support/legal.asp http://www.doc.govt.nz/Explore/Safety.asp
It’s a good idea to check the weather before you head off too, info here: http://www.autc.org.nz/wiki/tramping_knowledge/meteorology_weather
Good luck!AUTC Trips Officer
On the following pages you'll find standard personal gear lists for different conditions:
Day trips are a great way to get into tramping as they require little in the way of gear or time commitment but still let you get out into the beautiful NZ bush.
MINIMUM gear list:
Recommended List:
Must bring list:
Recommended List:
Not allowed/banned List:
Must bring list:
Recommended List:
Not allowed/banned List:
Must bring list:
Recommended List:
May be useful List:
Not allowed/banned List:
Difficulty rests on many different issues. A trip can be short but difficult, i.e. it involves bush bashing and lots of hill climbing, or longer and easier, if it has flat terrain and wide, well maintained tracks. The aspects that can make a trip easier or harder aren’t hard and fast definitions, they are general indicators.
Here are some general indicators of elements that can affect the difficulty of a trip:
Womble: Under two hours.
Easy: Short walk, 2-4 hours. Flat terrain. Wide tracks. Day walks(some).
Medium: Medium length tramps, 4-7 hours, tramping tracks, hill climbing, stream crossing, multi day trips, wind fall on tracks, crossing swamps.
Hard: Long tramps, tramping routes with just markers, multi-day trips, 7+ hours, bush bashing, stream bashing, alpine conditions, routes requiring navigation skills and a compass, tops travel, river crossing, a lot of hill climbing (areas like the Ruahines and Tararuas are good examples of this) sleeping in Bivvys.
Extreme: Technical mountaineering, sleeping in snow caves, 11+ hour days, bush bashing in ‘remote experience zones’.
Note: Trips don’t have to be ‘hard’ to be good though. ‘Easy’ trips can be great as well!!
Standard grading system for alpine routes in normal conditions:
* Tramping Biosecurity *
Heading into the Wilderness?
If you are, its important to remember not to do any damage to the areas that you visit.
Here are some important things to remember when you head into the Wilderness;
The highest points club is where you count up the kms you have climbed/tramped up over the year, and the person that has climbed the highest wins.
This can cover hills in the bush to mountains. What doesn’t count is if you drive part way up the hill or mountain. So if you tramp from sea level and climb Mt. Cook you get all 3754 metres.
The time you can count your tramping/climbing vertical mileage in goes from 12:00am on New Years day from one year to the next.
Here is a template for you to use when writing your trip/event notice to send out on the mailing list.
The address to send the email to is: autc_notice_YYYY [at] lists [dot] autc [dot] org [dot] nz (where YYYY is the current 4 digit year, e.g. 2011).
"Trip name and Date"
First line should be:
I'm organising/running a trip/event to....
Include:
• where the trip/event is
• when the trip/event is (and how long for)
• what sort of trip/event is.. eg, alpine, walk in the park, bush bash, multiday, easy overnight, social event, other…
• an indication of the cost
• what is expected of participants in terms of:
- what they need to bring/supply (food, gear etc)
- experience
- fitness
- skills
The standard sign up list:
1: Name
2: Cellphone number
3: Next of kin contact details (name+number)
4: Recent trips you have been on
5: Any medical conditions we need to know about
6: Dietary requirements
7: Do you have a car, if so, how many people can it take
8: Do you have all the gear on the gear list.
Gear list:
Appropriate gear lists can be found as follows, either include the link or the list itself at the end of the email. You can add/subtract from it if you think it’s necessary but in most cases you'll find they are quite complete lists.
Day Trip: http://www.autc.org.nz/wiki/trips/gear_lists/day_trip
Tramping: http://www.autc.org.nz/wiki/trips/gear_lists/tramping
Semi-alpine: http://www.autc.org.nz/wiki/trips/gear_lists/semi_alpine
Alpine: http://www.autc.org.nz/wiki/trips/gear_lists/alpine
Here is a place to put info and advice on track transport, sorted by area.
Include things like transport operators who can shuttle people, cars etc.
*** Ruahines ***
Makoura Lodge - Hugh McIntyre
(06) 328 4746
Apiti RD1, Fielding
http://www.makouralodge.co.nz/
enquiry [at] makouralodge [dot] com
- Hugh runs a 4WD testing ground and lodge type business from Apiti, will shuttle people between track ends based on a per person charge, has ability to transport large numbers of people using 4WDs. $25 per person last time. Note: there is little/no cellphone coverage in the Ruahines or at track ends although may be possible on some ridge tops. Mountain Radio is very useful.
Try
New Zealand Tramper website or
Department Of Conservation (National Parks) website or
Auckland Regional Council (Regional Parks around Auckland) website for general trip ideas.
Tramping books (such as 101 Great tramps in New Zealand) are also great for ideas, see http://www.autc.org.nz/wiki/tramping_knowledge/some_recommended_tramping... for more info on these.
Remember to take a Topographical Map and a Compass with you for all trips covering the area you will be in (1:50,000 scale is recommended). The club has these available - see the Hire Gear page for details.
Feel free to add more ideas for trips to a wiki page or in the forums - the more we have the better!
Also see pages listed below for more specific ideas for trips.
Kaimai Mamaku Forest Park
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-visit/bay-of-plent...
The Kaimais are about 1.5-2 hours drive away (~130km)
Kauaranga Valley - Coromandal
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/waikato/hau...
http://www.arc.govt.nz/albany/main/parks/our-parks/parks-in-the-region/h...
Hunua Falls
- good for a stopover at after an excursion into the ranges, good swimming at the base of the falls.
Wairoa-Cossey Track
- one way track - about 3-4 hours walking between Wairoa Reservoir and Cossey Reservoir/Hunua Falls.
Wairoa Loop Track
- good views of Wairoa Reservoir and Mangatangi Reservoir
Mangatangi Reservoir Loop
- this is a decent day walk (5-6 hours) starting from the carpark at the Mangatangi Reservoir with some amazing views of the Hunua Ranges (lots of time is spent on ridges).
- take Workman Track, then Mangatangi Ridge Track, then Rata Ridge Track, then Pukapuka track to get back to the carpark.
WAITAKERES
http://www.arc.govt.nz/albany/main/parks/our-parks/parks-in-the-region/waitakere-ranges/
A.U.T.C Hut via public transport
Length: 6 hours to Hut from Swanson and 6 hours back to Swanson (approx.)
Transport: Train and bus.
For this trip you can catch the train out to Swanson from Britomart,
which only costs a few dollars per passenger, then walk out to the
A.U.T.C Hut to stay the night. There are serval different routes that
you can take from Swanson to the Hut, so its best to consult an
up-to-date Waitakeres map to decide which is best for you. Then on
Sunday you can go back via an alternative route, for example, the
cascades, where you will get to see giant Kauri, and pass through the
`Ark in the Park’ open bird sanctuary. The trains don’t turn up on
Sunday, but you can catch a bus back to Britomart, see http://www.maxx.co.nz/ for details.
A.U.T.C Hut via private transport
Length: 40 mins to Hut from car park on Anawhata Road, via Ridge Road Track.
Transport: Private cars.
A.U.T.C Hut is available for use by club members for free. It is
usually a good idea to check with a committee member first before going
out there, that said, members are encouraged to use this facility.
Several trips can be lead from the Hut, the most popular are; north to
the Cascades, West towards Anawhata beach and Piha beach. A good
swimming hole for summer can be found about 20 mins down R.G.B track
from the Hut, called pig wallow stream.
Ahu-Ahu Loop track
Length: 3 hours return (approx.)
Transport: Private cars.
Drive down AhuAhu Road, which turns off Piha Road, between Karekare
and Piha. It then turns into Log Race Road.This track begins at the end
of Log Race road, starting at Mercer Bay loop walk track which passes
the over the cliffs beside Karekare, and then down Comans track to
Karekare beach, there are beautiful sea views, and the cliff tops are
fringed with Kowhai and Clematis. The best time to go is in Spring when
the Kowhai and Clematis are flowering, you will usually get to see Tui
feeding on the Kowhai flowers as well, the track then goes over to
Karekare beach. You can take the inland track back, AhuAhu track for
variety.
Te Henga/Goldie Bush Walkway
Length-7 hours (approx.)
Transport: Private cars.
From Bethells Road the Te Henga Walkway crosses the Waitakere River
by footbridge, rising along a section nicknamed Old Burma Rd, to
amazing views of lagoons, sand dunes and the west coast surf. It
follows along the cliff-top where you can sometimes see gannets diving
for fish. The track exits, through a farm valley, to Constable Rd. You
can get back to Bethells beach by following the Mokoroa stream, for a
loop walk, the track isn’t well marked though, so if you aren’t sure
about it, just go back along Goldie track.
Whatipu beach walk
Length: 5 hours return. (approx).
Transport: Private cars.
Park at the car park. Then walk past the Whatipu campground and then
follow Gibbons track, there are beautiful views of Whatipu beach, then
turn off onto Muir track, then down into the Pararaha valley, then over
the sand hills, through the swamp and out onto Whatipu beach. Don’t
swim at the beach, because it is very dangerous! This can be turned
into an overnight trip by camping at the Whatipu campsite or the little
known cave campsite, about 15 mins walk from the carpark.
Fairy Falls walk
Length: 2 hours (approx.)
Transport: Private cars.
Park at the Fairy Falls car park on Scenic Drive. Walk down past the
falls, these make a good place for a lunch stop. The track goes past
kauri, and through the bush, a very good track for beginner trampers,
since if anything goes wrong it is very close to civilization!
NORTH SHORE
Okura bush walkway
Length: 3 hours (approx.)
Transport: Private cars.
The track starts from Haighs Access Rd, off East coast Road, 18 kms
North of Auckland. The track follows the Okura River Estuary, then
drops down into Karepiro Bay, past the historic Dacre Cottage, the
return trip then heads back inland.
HAURAKI GULF
For information on Fullers Ferries to the Hauraki Gulf Islands, check out: http://www.fullers.co.nz/
Rangitoto/Motutapu Islands
Length: Track times vary widely, depending on where you go on the Islands.
Transport: Ferry to the Island.
These Islands are joined by a little footbridge. Motutapu Island has
a campsite right by the beach on the South West side of the Island
called Home Bay. It is possible to camp there, and its pretty big,
there are about 200 campsites. It’s a very good place to stay on a
weekend in summer, and you can spend your days exploring Motutapu and
Rangitoto and swimming. Just make sure you bring lots of water, like a
3 Litre bottle, it is very easy to get dehydrated, especially on
Rangitoto during the summer, it has no fresh water, and volcanic lava
fields that absorb the heat from the sun!
Tiritirimatangi Island
Length: The longest walk around the Island takes about 5 hours.
Transport: Ferry to the Island.
This is a very popular day trip out to the famous bird sanctuary.
Tiritirimatangi is a predator free environment that provides a safe
haven for many different types of native birds. The ferry to the Island
leaves from the downtown Ferry terminal.