In 1969 in New Zealand:

Transcription

1 In 1969 in New Zealand: Twenty-year-olds were allowed to vote in general elections for the first time James K. Baxter established a community at Jerusalem on the Whanganui River Shortly after midnight on 22 June 1969 a lahar on Mt Ruapehu destroyed the kiosk at the Whakapapa ski field. Thousands watched on television as American Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the Moon and uttered the immortal words "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." But more importantly. Pre-ceding all this In 1968 the present Tahurangi Lodge was opened, replacing the previous Tahurangi Hut which stood on another site Join us to celebrate TAHURANGI LODGE s birthday on Monday 3rd June (Queen s Birthday Weekend). Cutting of the cake will take place at 1pm. Meet other club members, share a few stories and enjoy the mountain. Hi TAC May 2013

2 The Trip Files May 2013 The rather social Maungatautari trip in the Waikato has now moved one week earlier to 18/19 May, so if this date works for you then get in touch with Colin Neighbours. There will be a night at a lovely B&B at the bottom of the peak, and a day tramp over the peak. Check out the trip notice for more details. Trip grade medium/social. For those with good snow skills watch out for Syme Hut in July. Either as an overnight or day trip depending what everyone wants to do. Traditionally this trip has proved adventurous as the weather and/or conditions have never played their part - from whiteouts to near gales to blizzards...good character building (and gear testing) stuff. Accordingly grade will be hard. Give me a call or to register your interest. The monthly picture challenge. Each month I will publish one photo in this column, and if you think you can identify what it is/where it was taken then me your answer. Your prize is your name here, showing how clever you are. When I run out of photos, the winner will be the one who got the most right. No prizes, just the glory. The only clue is that all the photos are taken in Egmont National Park. Top marks to Patrick Coombe for nailing last months one. It is indeed the Kaupokonui hunters hut around the south side of the mountain. More hut life, but this time from the inside. Shouldn t be too hard, as there are some clues in the photo. Bryan Krijger Trip Coordinator (06) (027) bryan.krijger@clear.net.nz 2 Hi TAC

3 TRIPS AT A GLANCE Ddate Trip Grade April West Side Challenging May 18 / 19 Maungatautari Social July Syme Hut Grading of trips. I have been asked about grading of trips, and that members maybe aren t sure whether they are up to a particular trip. Grading is a tricky and subjective thing, but what I have done is broken trips into three categories as follows:- Social Shorter, easier walks 3-6hrs. Average fitness, family friendly, as fast as the slowest. Eg you find walks like the Kokowai or Jacobs Ladder Circuit enjoyable and easy. Medium & Challenging Long, full day trips, but not especially hard. Good level of fitness. Eg able to summit and return in under 5hr30 (summer conditions) is a good benchmark; although stamina for a full day is the overriding thing here ie you can finish the day with a spring in your step. Big & Hard Multi day or particular experience required (such as good winter climbing skills). High level of fitness and strength. Eg able to carry a heavy pack (15kg+) for 6hrs or more and feel good the next day to do it all again. These are fairly broad grades, and every trip is a bit different, so if in doubt call me to discuss. Maungatautari Trip Notice 2013 (New Date!!) This trip to Maungatautari will be led by Colin and Wendy Neighbours on 18 th May. We will leave New Plymouth at 6am on the Saturday so we can arrive at Out in the Styx by 9am. The tramp across the mountain is not exactly a doddle; there are some steep bits and it will take about 5hrs going on the original track. The cost for each person will depend on the accommodation option selected. I recommend members take a good look at and see what a great place this is. The cost includes a welcome coffee on arrival, accommodation, relax in one of three spa pools and dinner and breakfast. The menu caters for all tastes. Transport to the start of the track was $10 pp last time we were there and is additional, as is a great selection of beers and wines. I need to know now if you want to come, as there are only ensuite rooms left at Out in the Styx. We will travel to Pukeatua which is on main road from Kihikihi to Putararu by private car, so will also need to know who can bring their own car. Colin Neighbours ph rhubarbpie@xtra.co.nz 3 Hi TAC

4 Trip Report Round Ruapehu in 3 Days March 15, th. Present: Grant Upson, Scott Chamberlain and Graham Putt Written by: Scott. While not strictly a club trip, we thought we would share our adventure around Mount Ruapehu with you all. We planned the trip over 3 days, obviously, we were planning on 3 long hard days we weren t wrong! Day 1, Whakapapa to Blythe Hut We left New Plymouth at 3:30am on Friday morning and stopped past Waitara to pick up Graeme. Pretty uneventful drive to Whakapapa village, where we did a quick gear check, realised I was carrying about 5 kilos more than the other guys, so quickly sorted out some gear and then hopped on our shuttle up Bruce Road to the starting point at Whakapapaiti. 8:30 am or thereabouts, cool breeze, but great views of Mt Ruapehu as we wound our way down to the intersection leading off to Whakapapaiti hut, which looked damn tempting after our early start for a quick nap and a second breakfast, but we carried on through countless valleys, streams, scree and rivers. We stopped for lunch on the top of a ridge just before our descent to Lake Surprise and the Mangaturuturu River and Hut. A quick stop at the hut revealed no water tank as they had disconnected the guttering! Another decision point for me.it was about 2pm I think in desperate need of a second wind I considered resting up here for the night and walking out the next day, but a few jet planes later and the promise of some great views at the Silica falls kept me interested. The highlight of day 1 was for sure the silica falls. Crystal clear snow melt river over pure white rocks cascading down over a couple of hundred metres of decent rock scrambling. It was a sight to behold. Apparently, there is something in the water or the rocks that makes them so white, silica. It was very tempting not to plunge into the various pools or to take a drink from the crystal water, but a closer look revealed a pretty sulphuric smell.think again! Topping out at the top of the falls we crossed over the rock garden and then Turoa skifield came into view. We had a decision to make at that point. Our destination was Blythe Hut for the night which meant either going on the track, down to the road, back up the road to the skifield, then down the track again to the hut, or getting epic and using our navigation skills to traverse around the skifield and find the ridge which led to Blythe hut. If you know Grant, you ll know what we ended up doing (although, we need to give some thanks to my GPS and map!). Just as well we had good weather as we crossed over what would have been a bog had it been wet, following the bearing we had for the hut. We missed the ridge, but spotted a pole and a few cairns pointing out the way and ended up at Blythe Hut pretty knackered, but not regretting for one minute the decent meal I had carried in my pack! After a long 9 hour day and about 22 k travelled over some pretty tough terrain, we crashed early and slept like logs. We got woken up by some hunters coming around late that night, but I think the gear we had thrown all over the spare bunks encouraged them to travel on to the next hut (only 5 minutes down the track, but poor hut etiquette, sorry guys!) Day 2. Blythe Hut to Rangipo Hut We didn t get an early start, but were off and running by 8 for day 2 which saw us continue round to Mangaehuehu Hut where we were treated to a fireworks display by the NZ 4 Hi TAC

5 Army who must have been doing some artillery training nearby, I thought that we might be looking at some kind of eruption until I figured it out. Great looking hut by the way and pretty hard to haul on the pack after some morning tea to get ready for the trek across the desert. Day 2 was full of highlights for me, the crossing of the desert was like being on the moon, vast open craters and just so much nothing, makes you feel pretty small. Felt a little bit like we were on some epic dessert crossing. We carried on through the desert, Graeme and Grant were convinced that just over the next ridge was a great spot for lunch. Unfortunately, the next ridge wasn t what they thought it was, neither was the next one, or the one after that! Eventually, we ended up at a wonderful spot for lunch overlooking a huge gorge and the Wahianoa River, we ended up having to descent down here and up the other side of this, which from where we were sitting looked impossible! We caught sight of some walkers up ahead on the bridge over the river so made it an informal battle to catch up to them! At the bottom of the gorge we all stopped to re-fill our bottles and tasted some of the best water EVER from this river, giardia? Pfft alpine. It was so cold I m not sure giardia would have made it. Somehow we made it out of here and made our way to our rest for the night, Rangipo Hut. Arriving at the hut at around 4 o clock if my memory serves, we had had another long HOT day and very much looked forward to a rest at a busy Rangipo Hut (we did pass the other trampers on the way and had our pick of the bunks at the hut!). Once again, while I was cursing my heavy pack throughout the day, Saturday s meal tasted pretty good compared to the dehydrated rubbish that everyone else in the hut was eating!! After tea, we set out on a bit of a scramble up on some pretty good hard rock behind the 5 Hi TAC

6 hut, we found a bivy site someone had prepared and were tempted but the warmth of the hut and the fire we had lit was just too much temptation. As the sun set we enjoyed some awesome views over the desert road. Just as well we didn t bivy as the weather turned in the middle of the night and it felt like the hut was about to get lifted up and thrown down the mountain. Some muppet had left the toilet door open and it kept most of us awake with the banging, the toilet being probably a hundred metres away from the hut, apparently, everyone would rather suffer than go and close it. We also had a rodent visitor during the night which was interested in some of Graeme s muesli bars. Day 3. Rangipo Hut to Whakapapa Village We were up early to try and get out before the weather really crapped out. Strong winds and rain meant we had the coats out early. Some respite from the heat was great though and we made great time from the hut to the Whangaehu River and the site of a few lahars over the years! Scary stuff going through there as you witness the devastating power of nature. DOC has placed signs everywhere encouraging you to hurry up through this area, which we dutifully did, but we did stop to take a good look at the river and swing bridge and marvel once more at the awesomeness of this big volcano. We bowled on through to Tukino in deteriorating weather and came to our second shortcut. Instead of going all the way around to Waihohonu Hut, we cut straight across the desert on a bearing taken the night before at Rangipo. We figured this saved us about 10k of walking and over mostly sandy flats. We intercepted the main trail just as the rain arrived and we were thankful not to be trying to find the way in a downpour. The rest of the way back was pretty uneventful, we just followed the well beaten Whakapapa/Waihohonu Track to the Tama Lakes turn off where we chowed down the last of our food. Feeling surprisingly good in the legs, we ramped up the pace for the last hour and a bit back to Whakapapa Village where we took a shower at the campsite and went for a good feed in National Park Village before the drive home. A great trip, pretty epic, with long hot tough days which challenged us all emotionally and physically. However, we found a couple of great shortcuts which make the trip around the mountain a weekend mission rather than a whole week. Sorry about the lack of photos, we didn t really have much time to take them!! Scott Chamberlain Trip Reports.. Contd. 25 1/2 years Tuesday Girls 25½ years of Fitness, Fun and Fellowship; how does one do justice to 25½ years of tramping together in one short article? On 7th May 1987 Dawn Hodges and I did our first tramp on Mt Egmont together. We were not to know then that it would become a regular event every Tuesday come rain hail or shine for the next 25½ years, (except for a 6week break during the busiest time of my spring for the 1st 11yrs.) Kay Lucas joined us on 8th Nov 1988 until full time work took her from us on a regular basis several years later. Next to join us was Jenny Willans from 7th November 1989 until 6 Hi TAC

7 she shifted to the South Island in june1994. We still tramp together whenever she is up or we are down Te Anau way. In 1995 Anne Taylor joined us then in May 1988 Linda Flay joined the Tuesday Girls. Our honorary Ladies Tom Dean and Colin Wright joined us for several years from 2002.We really enjoyed their company and they took us to many off track places, which until then were unknown to us. We also did many cross overs in the early days of our tramping life with The Smalls, Ginty Wells and Bert Garlick, until they retired from mountain tramping in They were 80yrs old then and we all hoped that we would still be tramping the mountain at their age. Celebrations Included birthdays; complete with cake, presents, a bottle of wine, pavlova etc. in different huts all over our mountain as well as at Marakopa, the Boys Brigade hut and other exotic places; The Smalls 100th and 200th tramps; Tom Deans 100th Birthday (Tom insisted he was 20yrs older than he was whenever we questioned him on his age) was a real red letter day celebrated in style at the Camp House with special guests, Colin Wright, Joy Apps, Gayle and her sister Robyn. The Queen s telegram was received and read, and a good time was had by all. We held Anniversary Trips usually with our spouses to Marlborough Sounds, Tongariro National Park, Lake Waikaremona, and other places away from our beloved Mt. Egmont. In 2005 Dawn, Kay Jenny, Anne and I had an 18yr reunion weekend over at Mt Ruapehu. Sadly Linda was unable to be with us due to work commitments. From time to time Alison Russell and other friends have joined us in our 25yr history. We had overnight Mid-Winter trips to various huts on the mountain; Kapuni being our number one favourite. Over the 25½yrs we have summited many times, done several Round the Mountain trips, gone to the top of Bells Falls, done every track in the park. some many times, as well as doing quite a number of off track trips. We have all become Grandmothers, with the exception of our honorary ladies, (some of us many times over), celebrating single, twin, and triplet births. We have done all of The Great Walks, (with the exception of Abel Tasman), a number of them before they reached that status, as well as tramping at Mt Tarawera,Catlins, Matukituki, Cobb Valley, White Island, Pureora Forest Park and a number of other places away from our mountain. Until recently we regularly tramped together apart from absences for a few weeks or months by one or other of us through having a broken hip, ankle, or wrist ( all done while tramping on Egmont), illness, cancer, aneurysm, plantafascia, or retina problems. Sadly the passage of time has bought about the demise of the Tuesday Tramping Girls. The two Lynda s (Linda & Lynda) continue to tramp together but we miss our mates. No longer can the Tuesday Tramping Girls tramp together, but we have wonderful memories of 25½ years of Fitness, Fun and Fellowship. Farewell Tuesday Girls. Lynda Wilson 7 Hi TAC

8 OBITUARY : AL MAGINLEY Al died, 7th April 2013, in Rotorua, aged 78. Al was a former Club member and prominent in the 1980 s, 1990 s and up to a couple of years ago. Became well-known for many summit ascents almost all up Razorback & across to the bottom of the Lizard ridge & up. Spent time, with DOC at North Egmont where he did a lot of maintenance work such as mowing lawns before the relandscaping took place. Was very fit & fast on the Mountain. Climbed a lot with Baz Preston, and lesser with others such as Erik Larsen, John McLean, George Mason, Dawn Hodges, Lynda Wilson and Ian McAlpine plus many others. Al helped on Open Climbs. Suffered earlier from a medical condition but mountaineering helped him a lot. He once owned a house at Kaimiro so he could see the Mountain & decide plans. Recent years based at Rotorua but would come over each summer. Al was always a straight-forward guy & very honest. Colin Wright Lost Watch Lost on the scree below the Lizard, Mount Taranaki Northern Route. Saturday 23 March 2013 This was a 21 st present and has huge sentimental value Reward! Please Contact: Darren McDonald Phone: New Plymouth Mob vic.darren@gmail.com 8 Hi TAC

9 PLEASE NOTE Club nights start at 7-30 First Thursday of each month, Foundation for the Blind rooms, 131 Vivian St, NP May 2nd John Jordan John will be presenting a club night on a trip to the wilds of Southern Africa. The talk will be a great Insight into Southern African wildlife, flora, scenery and culture. A must see Club Nights... New Members The Clubs extends a warm welcome to our new members, and we look forward to seeing you on the slopes. New members approved as follows: Andrew Jordan, Eltham Leonie Mercer, New Plymouth Steve Wright & Angela Willy, New Plymouth 9 Hi TAC

10 NEW MEMBERS & SOCIAL GATHERINGS We welcome you to the TAC. Grant Upson is keen to help you integrate easily into club activities so give him a call if you have any questions. Joelle Xavier is our social co-ordinator and is open to any suggestions for a good get together. TAHURANGI LODGE This is the TAC s premier Lodge on Mt Egmont / Taranaki. It sleeps 24, has electric heating and cooking, all cutlery, pots and pans, etc. Just like home. To get an ekey you need to complete the application form by downloading from our website. Overnight fees are $5 for TAC members (under 18 years $2.50) and $20 for non-members (under 18 years $10). Members can buy an annual lodge pass for $40 (under 18 years $20) which allows them unlimited sleeps until the next AGM. Anyone who stays at Tahurangi Lodge must write in the overnight book upstairs by the fridge; 1. Their surname and initials. 2. Say TAC or non-member. 3. If under 18 please state. Bookings by non-members or members taking a group of 5+ people should be made with the Lodge Booking Officer The lodge subcommittee looks after all maintenance. Contact Danny Roguski if you want to help, have ideas for improvements, or have found something wrong. SUBSCRIPTIONS Annual subscriptions are set at the Annual General Meeting. Subscriptions for 2012: FAMILY $60, ORDINARY (single) $40, STUDENT (under 18), $30. The subscription halves for those joining after 01 September. For more info contact the Treasurer, Colin Neighbours (ph ). Members with unpaid subs at end of April are sent an account overdue notice. If still unpaid by 1 st June incur a penalty of 20%. Any members with unpaid subs at 1 st July are removed from membership. GEAR HIRE - TAC Equipment Officer: Jonathan Crane ( ) The following equipment is available for hire by TAC Club Members: Ice axes, ice hammers, helmets, harness (incl. karabiners, etc). Each item costs $5/day or a maximum of $10/day for 2 or more items per person. Return the gear promptly after use and you only pay for the days you actually used it. Return it late and risk paying for the complete period; Your choice. A PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) is also available for hire and great for back country tramping or alpine climbing. Contact the Equipment Officer AT LEAST 2 days in advance to ensure availability EVENTS PROGRAMME Club Information Club nights, trips, instruction and social events are all important functions of the Club s activities they need both support from participants as well as volunteers to lead them. If you have suggestions for club nights contact the Club Captain, or would like to volunteer to lead a trip contact the Trips co-ordinator. HiTAC Newsletter of the Taranaki Alpine Club A monthly newsletter ed out to club members with an address. Also available via the Clubs website Any trip reports, events, gear for sale can be sent to the Editor at Taranakialpineclub.hitac@gmail.com Each quarter the FMC ( Federated Mountain Clubs) Magazine is posted with a paper copy of the HiTAC. 10 Hi TAC

11 Club Contacts - President Jonathan Crane ( ) taranakialpineclub.president@gmail.com Vice President Matthew Penn (Ph ) webmaster@taranakialpineclub.co.nz Club Captain & Club Nights Phil Davies ( ) davies.phillip@hotmail.com Secretary Elaine Sinton ( ) taranakialpineclub.secretary@gmail.com Treasurer Colin Neighbours ( ) taranakialpineclub.treasurer@gmail.com Instruction & New Members Grant Upson ( ) gcupson@slingshot.co.nz Trips Bryan Krijger (06) (027) bryan.krijger@clear.net.nz Social Scott Chamberlain (Ph ) scottchamberlain8@hotmail.com OFFICERS & COMMITTE Committee Ivan Bruce (Ph ) itmustbesointeresting@xtra.co.nz Joelle Xavier (Ph ) Tahurangi Lodge Lodge Bookings Stephen Miller ( ) taranakialpineclub.lodge@gmail.com Lodge Committee Convenor Danny Roguski (Ph ) the.gusgus@hotmail.com LIBRARY Jeremy Beckers ( ) PUBLICATIONS HiTAC Phillip Andrews ( ) Andrews.phillip@gmail.com Website - Editor Matthew Penn (Ph ) webmaster@taranakialpineclub.co.nz EQUIPMENT FOR HIRE Equipment Officer Jonathan Crane ( ) joncrane@slingshot.co.nz CHANGE OF ADDRESS Must be advised in writing Send to the Secretary by mail to Taranaki Alpine Club, PO Box 356, New Plymouth or taranakialpineclub.secretary@gmail.com STAYING OVERNIGHT IN THE LODGE? If you do you must fill in the Overnight Register which is situated upstairs next to the fridge. Please read the instructions on what information is required, particularly if you decide to pay before departure. Record this beside your name and put the money in the envelope provided. If you prefer not to pay on departure, then that is OK, because an invoice will be sent to you in due course usually after the end of each quarter. If you decide to take your immediate family (who normally reside with you) to the Lodge overnight, remember...you can only claim member costs ($5 or $2.50) if you are registered with the Club as a FAMILY membership. If you are an ORDINARY then your family pay the full costs ($20 or $10). The alternative is to change membership status by contacting the Treasurer prior to staying at the Lodge. Colin Neighbours (Treasurer) 11 Hi TAC

12 May 3 rd Friday 7:30pm City West Church 62c Poplar Grove, Whaler s Gate Tickets Available from Kiwi outdoors Doors open at 6.30pm with movies with first screening starting at 7.30pm. Price: adult $20 $15 children under 15 with ID and NZAC members. Go to the NZ Alpine Club website for a full programme: 12 Hi TAC