Rockcraft: An all-abilities outdoor climbing trip!

THIS TRIP'S DATE HAS CHANGED FROM SATURDAY 14th TO SUNDAY 15th MARCH. 

We will be heading to our local crag (Pukerua Bay) where we can practice your belay and climbing skills outdoors! We will teach you how to stay safe while climbing outside, how to safely belay someone else, and have plenty of leaders around to give you climbing tips if you’re looking to grow your on-the-wall skills. If you've never climbed before this is the perfect introductory trip! There are also harder routes for those who have climbed before or are looking for more of a challenge. 

We're going to get there by carpooling so bring your cars please! (I'll be sending out emails closer to the time with information about groups and transport.)

We will be running two Hangdog sessions the Wednesday before the trip (4:30 and 6:00pm on 11/03/25) on our weekly climbing night for you all to have an opportunity to belay in a controlled environment. If you have never belayed before or need a refresher - Please sign up and come along. This will make rockcraft more fun as we’ll all get to spend more time on the wall! If you’ve got previous belaying/climbing experience, this is also the perfect night to get to know some other keen climbers!

The Saturday Plan:

• Meet at Hunter Carpark at 9:00 am, leaving by 9:30. Allowing time for everyone to arrive, pick up gear and find their driver. 

• Arrive at the bay and walk to the crag. Enjoy a day filled with climbing and fun!

• Returning to Wellington CBD // Hunter Carpark around 4-5 pm ish (Or earlier if discussed with your driver).

What you'll need to bring:

• Water

• Lunch + Snacks

• Sneakers: Active shoes will do the job nicely, The gear shed has limited climbing shoes so they will disappear fast (Will be distributed on the day).

• Activewear: Clothing you can comfortably move around/climb in.

• Extra layers in case it’s cold out there (we’ll be on the coast so wind = likely.

• OPTIONAL: Your own climbing gear (if you have it): Shoes/harness/chalk/helmet.

The $5 cost goes towards the driver's petrol, so if you have a car and can be a driver on rockcraft you will be reimbursed for petrol. 

 If you have any questions, send them to me at brooke.carpenternz@gmail.com, or chat with me after the Tuesday club meeting x 

Tramps Tramps Tramps is our annual flat party! Although there is no tramping involved, please come in your best and most creative tramping or 'tramp'-related attire to a centrally-located Wellington flat. In years gone by, costumes have included Donald Tramp, a trampoline, lady and the tramp, a 1940s lady of the night, or even just your lovely bush dwelling tramper. 

Expect good chat, good music (we will have a DJ!), (questionable?) dance moves, and varying degrees of intoxication.

The address will be emailed to those who sign up! If you're not already, you must become a member of the club to attend.

BYOD!

Important: This event will be hosted at a club member’s flat. Please be respectful of the property.

This week some of Wellington’s smartest quiz peeps will be battling it out at the Karori Tap House!

The Rotary Club of Wellington North – Karori to Khandallah is proud to support our friends at Karori Kaitiaki - Kākā for the Tracking Birdwood Presentation & Quiz Night

Come along for a great evening of trivia, community and conservation while helping raise funds for their exciting environmental project at Birdwood Reserve.

Sunday 15 March | 6:00–8:30pm

Karori Tap House, 162 Karori Road

$25 per person | Tables of 6 ($150)

Food and drinks available from the bar.

Enter by emailing: karori.kaitiaki@gmail.com

(Use Quiz Night in the subject line)

Flying solo? No worries - we’ll make up teams on the night!

Bring your brainiest mates and support local conservation

We need Shepherds for Freshers 2026 - will you be one??

It will be on the first weekend of March. So, the 6th through to the 7th.

We want people who have a bit of tramping know how, you don't need to have been super involved in the club. We want you if you’re friendly, responsible and able to dance like no one is looking!!

You'll be paired up with another shepherd, and together you'll need to:

• Look out for the 10 or so sheep in your flock throughout the tramp - get them going in the mornings, check on how they're doing during the day, check that they are there at each of the campsites, etc.
• Buy ingredients and prepare two breakfasts and one dinner for the flock. Meals prepared must suite the dietary requirements of flock sheep.
• Attend the 'shepherd briefing' meeting. (Time and date will be determine closer to freshers).
• Generally, facilitate good vibes - have lots of chats, help your flock to get to know each other.

Shepherds on freshers will have discounted ticket prices.

Join VUWTC on our first official tramp of 2026! All members of the club are welcome to attend - new and old, students and non-students. If you are not yet a member - become one here! 

TICKETS GO LIVE AT THE WELCOME MEETING! Come to our Welcome Meeting at 6pm on the 3rd March, in SU228, to get your hands on a ticket!

Freshers is the best thing you can do to start your time at VUW, whether you're a fresh first year with no friends, a second year with plenty of mates, or an international student looking to meet some locals. 

Walking, camping, swimming, bonfires, learning new skills, enjoying the New Zealand scenery, hanging out with old mates and making new friends!

Freshers is Vic Uni Tramping Club's largest and most social tramp of the year. Whether you're new to tramping or experienced as - come join us for a weekend of light tramping and heavy socialising. 

________________________________________________

General Trip Overview

Freshers is for both beginners and experienced trampers alike, but it is still a "tramp", which means you'll be walking up to 6 hours with a pack on your back, at an easy pace, though! There will be segments which can prove challenging to those new to tramping.

Route:
Friday night - Meet at the Hunter Carpark from 4:30pm, arrive no later than 5:30pm We will distribute group food and gear, then take a bus to Waiohine Gorge Shelter where we will camp for the night.

Saturday - We're all in this together. Everyone will be taking the main route to camp at the south end of Totara Flat. It will be about 4 hours of walking. Then, chaos (if you so choose) will ensue. Party hard, have an enjoyable evening but don't leave your rubbish around. And remember you have to walk out on Sunday- from experience it's not that fun if you're hungover.

Sunday - We walk out via Totara Creek to Holdsworth road end. There will be 5 - 6 hours of walking including breaks (and involves a bit of uphill!). The bus will be picking us up at 5pm, and will take us back to Vic Uni.

Gear:
A detailed gear list is below! You will need to bring basic overnight tramping gear. Please bring reasonable outdoor walking footwear (so no jandals or converse!) and an overnight tramping pack. We also recommend bringing a towel and swimwear - we are camping next to a river, with a great swimming hole. Tent/shelters and cooking equipment will be provided by the club. You can borrow some things (like a pack) from the club gear shed if needed, but please let us know in advance so we can have enough gear for everyone. If you’re not sure if you have everything you need, or if an item is recommended, flick us through a quick message on insta and we can help get you sorted. 

Food: 
You will need to sort your own early dinner for Friday (before the bus leaves), and bring 2 lunches and snacks for Saturday and Sunday. The club will provide breakfast Saturday and Sunday, and dinner Saturday night. Also bring any beverages you want for Saturday evening (cans and plastic only please, no glass!)

Cost: 
$45 - we use this to pay for the buses there and back, and the breakfast and dinner food we buy for you. 

Gear list

Clothing

❏     A tramping backpack that fits all your gear in it

❏     Tramping boots or trail runners. No converse/air force 1s/jandals.

❏     2-3 pairs of socks, preferably wool/merino to keep your feet warm and dry

❏     Shorts + teeshirt for walking in (not cotton or denim)

❏     Fleece/wool jumper (not cotton)

❏     Clothes for camp and sleeping, including a thermal top and bottom (polypro or merino)

❏     Togs

❏     Warm hat

❏     Sunhat 

❏     Raincoat

Other

❏     A warm sleeping bag

❏     Comfortable sleeping mat

❏     Toothbrush + toiletries

❏     Bowl and cutlery

❏     Headtorch + spare batteries

❏     Sunscreen

❏     1L+ water bottle

❏     Toilet paper + hand sanitizer

❏     Some basic first aid eg plasters

❏     Any personal medication you might need

❏     Optional: a small towel

Food

❏     Dinner for Friday night (if you haven't eaten before the bus)

❏     2x lunches 

❏     Snacks 

❏     Bevvys for Saturday night - in cans or plastic, no glass!

You will have to carry out all your rubbish - there's no rubbish bins in the great outdoors. Wet wipes and tissues count as rubbish, so if you use one dont just chuck it on the trail

Welcome to Wednesday Climbing Nights!

Want to try indoor climbing for the first time, or meet some like-minded climbers? Come along to our weekly climb nights! We climb at Hangdog (Bouldering & Top roping) in Lower Hutt, and Faultline (Bouldering) on Willis St. 

This week, we'll be climbing at Hangdog, which is a bouldering and top-roping gym. This = ropes/harnesses & belaying. There are grades for every level of experience, so no matter how much climbing experience you have you’ll have plenty to get stuck into! 

We are running two sessions this week to prep for Rockcraft (4:30pm and 6pm). We need equalish numbers at each session, so please sign up to whatever one has space for you! 

This week: Hangdog (bring cars + $2 for your driver)

Schedule:

• Sign up! (Even if you are meeting us there - they need to know numbers ahead of time)

• Meet at the Hunter carpark at 3:50pm, leaving at 4:00pm on the dot.

• Have your belay lesson and CLIMB!

• You can leave whenever you like - but drivers need to have the same number of people in their cars that they brought out (and make sure people you drove out know when you want to leave!)

• PAY YOUR DRIVERS 

Entry costs: $15 + $3 for shoes 

This is not paid for through the club—there is no piking fee if you pull out. Pay at HD when we arrive.

To get the VUWTC entry price, just let the front desk know you are with VUWTC. 

Welcome to Wednesday Climbing Nights!

Want to try indoor climbing for the first time, or meet some like-minded climbers? Come along to our weekly climb nights! We climb at Hangdog (Bouldering & Top roping) in Lower Hutt, and Faultline (Bouldering) on Willis St. 

This week, we'll be climbing at Hangdog, which is a bouldering and top-roping gym. This = ropes/harnesses & belaying. There are grades for every level of experience, so no matter how much climbing experience you have you’ll have plenty to get stuck into! 

We are running two sessions this week to prep for Rockcraft (4:30pm and 6pm). We need equalish numbers at each session, so please sign up to whatever one has space for you! 

This week: Hangdog (bring cars + $2 for your driver)

Schedule:

• Sign up! (Even if you are meeting us there - they need to know numbers ahead of time)

• Meet at the Hunter carpark at 5:20 pm, leaving at 5:30pm on the dot.

• Have your belay lesson and CLIMB!

• You can leave whenever you like - but drivers need to have the same number of people in their cars that they brought out (and make sure people you drove out know when you want to leave!)

• PAY YOUR DRIVERS 

Entry costs: $15 + $3 for shoes 

This is not paid for through the club—there is no piking fee if you pull out. Pay at HD when we arrive.

To get the VUWTC entry price, just let the front desk know you are with VUWTC. 

UPDATE: The waitlist is now closed.

This is the waitlist for freshers. 

It is first-come, first-served.

There is no guarantee that this will gain you a place - we will contact you if/as and when anybody with a ticket for Freshers is unable to attend.