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Trip information, past trips and contacts for Wanderers Tramping Club

tramping program January 2024 to April 2024

Click here to download a one page summary of the next set of trips, to print and post on your noticeboard or fridge 

 

TRIP DETAILS

BOOKING INFORMATION

28 January

Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park

 

Hamilton

Dianne Lee

Phone/Txt : 027 272 6617

Email : leedi444@gmail.com

Bookings not required – just turn up

11 February           

Tapapakanga Regional Park

 

Firth of Thames                             

Colin Standing

Phone : 07 855 1335

Txt : 027 326 6886

Email  : standings@xtra.co.nz

Open : Monday 29 January

25 February

Piako River Walk

 

Morrinsville

 

Sue Grocock

Phone / Txt : 027 440 2448

Email  : rongee@xtra.co.nz

Open : Monday 12 February

10 March

Homunga Bay to Waihi Beach

 

Waihi

Dianne Lee

Phone/Txt : 027 272 6617

Email : leedi444@gmail.com

Open : Monday 26 February

15 – 18 March

Fabulous Socks Long Weekend Away

 

Ruapehu

Dianne Lee

Phone/Txt : 027 272 6617

Email : leedi444@gmail.com

Open : Monday 5 February

Close : Monday 4 March 

24 March

Pirongia

 

Sue Grocock

Phone / Txt : 027 440 2448

Email  : rongee@xtra.co.nz

Open : Monday 11 March

7 April

Waitawheta Stream to Daly's Hut 

and Dean Loop

Colin Standing and Ron Clarke

Phone/txt 027 3266886

Email:standings@xtra.co.nz

Open : Monday 25 March

21 April

Tuakau Day Out

 

Pokeno/Tuakau

Carol Davies

Phone / Txt : 027 319 0852

Email  : grandmacarol@xtra.co.nz

Open : Monday 8 April

Sunday 28 January Hamilton G1/Social
Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park
This is the first tramp/walk for the year so we are doing our usual turn up/local/social walk and coffee at the Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park opposite the Zoo. We will meet at the bottom of the new viewing tower by the car park. This is a short walk (1-2 hours).  We will meet at 9am and finish with a coffee at the Zoo café after the walk.
 
The park is 60ha in total and has easy walking tracks with a loop and connecting tracks. Suitable for walkers looking for an easy walking trail in peaceful surroundings.  The park is on its way to becoming a self-sustaining sanctuary that represents the original ecosystem diversity of the Hamilton Basin. The park has a peat lake (Waiwhakareke or Horseshoe Lake), and wetland ecosystems with native plantings being restored.
 
Start: Meet at the heritage park car park under the tower for 9am start
Cost: $5.00
Leaders: Dianne 
Bookings: No bookings required – just turn up 
Contact: Dianne Phone/txt 027 272 6617

Sunday 11 February Firth of Thames Grade 1+
Tapapakanga Regional Park
This is a lovely 7.5 km coastal walk for a summer day. The Regional Park is on the western shore of the Firth of Thames. We park the vans in the car park adjacent to the Ashby Historic Homestead and the walk begins along the beach. The Tapapakanga Stream has to be crossed (depth depends on the tide and you may like to bring sandals or crocs to protect the feet from the knobbly stones).
 
Once across, the track turns up a short hill and then meanders through bush and Pohutukawa with good views across the Firth of Thames. After about 2km the track veers inland to become a farm walk, climbing to a trig at 128 m. The track continues across the working farm back to the start point.
 
There is a beach for those who would like to swim, so bring your togs.
 
When the swimming is done, the vans will relocate to Waharau Regional Park where those that wish can partake of the Waharau Bush Walk, a pleasant 2 km walk through regenerating forest.
 
Make sure you bring sun hat and sunscreen.
 
Expect to walk about 4+ hours total.
 
Depart: 7.30am Return: 5pm approx
Cost: $25.00 (members) $30.00 (non-members)
Leaders: Colin and Margaret Standing
Bookings Open : Monday 29 January @ 6pm
Contact: Colin or Margaret  Phone 07 855 1335  Txt 027 326 6886 Email standings@xtra.co.nz
  

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Sunday 25 February Morrinsville Grade 1 
Piako River Walk
We will turn off main Morrinsville Highway, left into Lorne Street then left into Cureton Street to the Morrinsville Domain to park the vans. We will start a gentle walk along the riverbank and exit at Homewood Park Drive. We can either walk back to the vans the same way or via the town streets and visit a choice of cafés along the way. Approx 2-2 ½ hours walking.
 
Depart: 8am Return: 4pm approx
Cost: $25.00 (members) $30.00 (non-members)
Leaders: Sue and Friends
Bookings Open: Monday 12 February @ 6pm
Contact: Sue Grocock Phone/txt 027 440 2448  Email rongee@xtra.co.nz

Sunday 10 March Waihi Grades 1+ & 2+
Homunga Bay to Waihi Beach
We are off to the beach! Grade 2+ Walkers will be dropped off, starting at Ngatitiangata Road (at the top of Homunga Bay), and ending up in Waihi Beach. You will walk via Orokawa Bay before finishing at the north end of Waihi Beach. This part of the track between Orokawa Bay and Homunga Bay is narrow and steep in places, with steep drop-offs of 80m or more to the ocean below.
 
Great views on a good day.
 
Total walking time for Grade 2+ approx. 5 hours
 
Grade 1+ Walkers will go with the van to Waihi Beach, have morning tea before we start the walk over to Orokawa Bay to meet the Grade 2+ group and returning back the same way to Waihi Beach. This is a well-formed track but can be tide dependent at the beginning/end.
 
Total walking time for Grade 1+ approx. 3-4 hours.
 
There is an additional walk if time permits for those who want to give it a go from Orokawa Bay to William Wright Falls takes about 1.5 hours return and starts at the northern end of Orokawa Bay. The track is NOT maintained and has a lot of cutty grass with multiple stream crossings. It has not been surveyed. 
 
Coffee/Ice cream on way home time permitting.
 
Depart: 7.30am Return: 5pm approx
Cost: $25.00 (members)  $30.00 (non-members)
Leaders: Dianne, Pam and Barbara
Bookings Open: Monday 26 February @ 6pm
Contact: Dianne   Phone/Txt 027 272 6617  Email leedi444@gmail.com

Friday 15 – Monday 18 March  Ruapehu Weekend away
3 nights - All Grades
 
We have booked the Taupo Ski Lodge which is at the top of the Bruce Road. It is a fully equipped lodge sleeping 26 in bunk rooms. These weekends are loads of fun with options offered to keep you entertained even if you don’t want to tramp/walk.
 
Plan
Meet at Turangi Z Station for lunch then travel all together up the mountain with a couple of stops for shortish walks on the way to be at the lodge for around 3-4pm.
 
Saturday and Sunday will have a couple of walk/tramping options. On Saturday night there will be the Fabulous Socks theme so start dressing them up as we have guest judges and prizes plus we will also have a fun quiz.
 
After the lodge clean up on the Monday, we are planning to leave around 10am via Taupo to the Wairakei BP for lunch and nextdoor to the Wairakei Terraces and Hot Pools for a soak (bring your togs and Gold Card). From there we will head home.
 
Meals
You will need to provide your own breakfasts and lunches. We are going to have 3 teams for dinner/dishes/clean up to share the load. You will be asked to contribute to one dinner over this period. This means you only do dinner and dishes once over the whole weekend.
 
Cost: Accommodation $60.00 (total for three nights) to be paid to treasurer Colin by 4 March to confirm your place
                    Transport $80.00 (approx) to drivers (to be confirmed) to cover all transport for the weekend.
Bookings/Expressions of Interest Open: Monday 5 February 
Contact: Dianne Phone/txt 027 272 6617  Email leedi444@gmail.com
       · Leave name, contact details and if happy to be a driver or need ride
       · Transport and other details will then be sent to the people attending
 
There is a lot of organisation that goes into the weekends so confirm your place for a unique, fun time

Sunday 24 March Pirongia Grade 1+  (Changed from bulletin)
Mahaukura Track 
This track starts at Grey Road car park Pirongia (by the lodge). This is a gradual climb up to the lookout. Should take approx 4 hours there and back if we go to the lookout. Option to walk as far as we wish and return. 
 
Depart: 8am Return: 4pm approx
Cost: $25.00 (members) $30.00 (non-members)
Leaders: Sue and Friends
Bookings Open: Monday 25 March @ 6pm
Contact: Sue Grocock   Phone/txt 027 440 2448   Email rongee@xtra.co.nz
Sunday 7 April    Waitawhata                          Grade  2 & 1   (Changed from bulletin)
Waitawheta Stream to Daly's Hut and Dean Track Loop

Grade 2: We start off up the well-formed Waitawheta Valley track. After about an hour we branch right towards Daly's clearing, rising 100 vertical metres over a distance of about 1km to arrive at Daly's hut in about 2 hours from the road end.

Depending on the weather and energy levels we can have lunch there, or walk another half an hour through good bush to a picnic place with views of large kauris. After lunch we walk northwards on a section of the Mangakino pack track before branching off to Dean track, which takes us back to the van via extensive groves of nikau palms under tall tawa, kohokohe and puketea forest. Then a downhill stroll over farm paddocks.

Expect to walk 4 -5 hours.

Grade 1: Much the same as Grade 2, but returning back along the Waitawheta stream, maybe before reaching Daly's hut.

Depart:           8 am    Return:           5 pm approx.

Cost:   $25.00 (members)  $30.00 (non members)

Leaders:         G2       Colin Standing and Ron Clarke

                        G1       TBA

Bookings  Open:  5.30pm Monday 25th March 2024

 Contact:    Colin or Margaret   Phone 07 8551335  Txt:  027 3266886    Email:  standings@xtra.co.nz

 

Sunday 21 April Tuakau All Grades
Tuakau Day Out
Today is a mixed bag of activities and should be achievable by all grades. We will arrive at Queen’s Redoubt, Pokeno approx. 8.45am where the museum will be opened for us with a short talk given by one of the museum volunteers. There will be a short time to look around. This was the launching place of the invasion of Waikato at the start of the land wars 1863. We may have morning tea here before moving on.
 
From here we will travel to the Tuakau Museum which will open up for us and a short talk given. We will have a longer time to look around as the museum is larger with a variety of displays. Sir Edmund Hillary lived in Tuakau and went to primary school there.
 
We will move on to Alexandra Redoubt to see the remaining fortifications. A local historian will give a little talk. This is the best preserved and most original of the redoubts built by British Forces. There is a 45 minute bush walk at this site and we could have lunch here after the walk. 
 
Then we will go to Vivian Waterfall/Te Wai Heke o Maoa at Harker reserve, with a 45-minute bush walk here. We will have to relocate the vehicle to the other end of the track. If some people don’t want to do this walk, they can stay in the vehicle and come into the waterfall from the other end. It is only a few minutes’ walk in. Hopefully we will have time to go to the Pokeno Waterfall before returning to Hamilton.
 
Option to wear good walking shoes rather than boots as we will be going into the museums first. The bush walks could be muddy so either your good walking shoes or boots. The tracks are undulating so poles are your choice.
 
Glenys and I did this walk with the Monday Bush Walkers and had a most enjoyable day. Thanks must go to Elisabeth, our leader on that day, for sharing her information.
 
Depart: 8am Return: Late afternoon
Cost: $25.00 (members) + $5 cash for museums $30.00 (non-members) + $5 cash for museums
                    ($5 koha for museums to be collected at the beginning of the day)
Leaders: Carol and Glenys
Bookings Open: Monday 8 April @ 6pm
Contact: Carol  Txt/Phone 027 319 0852  Email grandmacarol@xtra.co.nz