Daphne Spur Track (Medium)

Come along to a scenic 7.5km hike through the heart of the Ruahine Ranges, showcasing stunning native bush, rivers/streams, a mountain top and two historic huts. It is a steep and rugged tramping route that is short in distance, but big on elevation effort. 

The two huts we'll visit along the way include Daphne Hut itself, a standard 12-bunk hut with many facilities like heating, mattresses, tolets and water via nearby streams. It sits on a river terrace, 50 m from Tukituki River and was built by the Takapau Lions Club in 1986, with support from the Department of Conservation. Second is Howlett's Hut, a standard eight-bunk hut 1000m above sea level, containing a water supply tank and a woodburner for heating. It's current iteration was built in 1958 by the Heretaunga and Ruahine Tramping Clubs. It belongs to the Heretaunga Tramping Club but is open to public use.

• The track begins near Moorcock stream along Kashmir road, with a 5.24km trail that goes above 1000m to Daphne Hut (the carpark is at an elevation of 600m, so this more of an 400m climb), taking around 2.5 hours to reach Daphne Hut.
• Now for the main bit of the trip, the Daphne Spur Track! It's a short 2km track but has an elevation gain of over 750m, taking around 3-4 hours to uphill the track. It is a medium-hard track that is gravelly and steep. It transitions into leatherleaf scrub, then opens up to tussock near the tops. There is also no water on the spur, so you must fill up at the river before climbing up to Howlett's Hut.

  ---

  

  Trip Route Map

We'll meet at Hunter Carpark at 9:00 AM and leave around 9:15-9:30 AM. Then we'll reach Daphne Hut carpark in 3 hours and 30 minutes, starting the tramp around the early afternoon. We will stay at Daphne Hut on the first track section, then stay at Howlett's Hutt in the second track section for night two. Afterwards, we will wake up early and quickly hike back down and up, then down again to the carpark to end the trip! The maximum amount of people I'll bring is twelve, which is the maximum amount of beds at Daphne's Hut, but we can pitch tents at Howlett's Hut which has a maximum of eight beds.

Rough trip costs is 47.5$, which only covers fuel. You will need two blue hut tickets which are 10$ each and are seperate from the total trip costs.

Also, if anyone is keen for a shared dinner let me know! 

We are planning a two-night tramp in the Mt Aspiring National Park. We would leave from Wānaka on the morning of the 25th November and would love for anyone in the area to join us. At the moment, there are two spaces left in my car leaving from Wānaka, and if you are coming from anywhere else you will need your own transport.

25th: Drive from Wānaka to the Matukituki Valley carpark. Tramp 15km to Liverpool Hut (<1,000m ascent). Unfortunately the hut has turned out to be fully booked on this day - we will still go up to see it if we feel like it, but in the evening we will camp in the valley.

26th: A day to explore the valley and the river. We will ultimately tramp to French Ridge Hut on the other side of the valley. This is a 5km walk, with a ~1,000m descent and ~1,000m ascent. Stay overnight at French Ridge Hut.

27th: Tramp out from French Ridge Hut, back to the Matukituki Valley carpark (~17km, >1,000m descent). Return to Wānaka.

You will need to pack for three days of tramping. We will likely plan to share main meals. 

Both huts require booking in advance, so please let us know ASAP if you intend to join!

***COST
$50-$60 is an estimation based on current numbers. French Ridge Hut is $40 per person. There will be an additional cost for fuel and food.

Come explore the boggy western slopes of Taranaki Maunga! We'll be visiting Kahui and Waiaua Gorge huts, with some bonus cleanups to make them in good shape! Along the way there will be plenty of socialising, a super sketchy 30m high ladder, waterfalls, naturally occurring 7m deep holes, and much more! Kahui is a standard 6 bunker, Waiaua Gorge is a serviced 16 bunker. Reach out if you have any questions!

We'll be doing hut cleanups as part of FMC's Love Our Huts campaign, which is a nationwide effort to look after the backcountry network. We'll even get to put up unique stickers with the hut names! https://fmc.org.nz/what-we-do/campaigns/love-our-huts-and-tracks/

The rough costs are:

- $60-65 for fuel

- $10 to stay at Kahui hut, and $25 for Waiaua Gorge hut (unless you have a hut pass or want to camp)

- Maybe ingredient costs if we do a shared dinner

Day 1: Drive from Wellington to Upper Kahui rd end (4hr 15min), then walk the Kahui Track to Kahui Hut (2hr 30min), stay the night at Kahui Hut

Day 2: Walk back to Upper Kahui rd end from Kahui Hut (2hr 30min), then drive to Ihaia rd end (15min), then walk to Waiaua Gorge Hut (2hr 30min - 3hr 30min), stay the night at Waiaua Gorge Hut - there's ab optional 2hr side trip to the Brames Falls lookout

Day 3: - Walk back to Ihaia rd end from Waiaua Gorge Hut (2hr 30min - 3hr 30min), drive home to Wellington (4hr 15min) - maybe a bonus 1hr side trip to Dawson Falls

https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/taranaki/places/te-papa-kura-o-taranaki/things-to-do/huts/kahui-hut/

https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/taranaki/places/te-papa-kura-o-taranaki/things-to-do/huts/waiaua-gorge-hut/

VUWTC heads out every few months to Opau Bay (near Mākara) for an awesome day walk and beach cleanup event! 

We partner with Sustainable Coastlines to clear rubbish from the beach. We then count it up to help scientists and policymakers deal with pollution. Along the way there'll be plenty of yarns and laughs. You'll get gloves and pink fluoro vests (to stay safe and stylish)! This is also the fourth and final beach cleanup of the year, however, we struggled to get cars to signup in October, so it has been postponed to November. If there is a lack of cars I will postpone it to January for a summer edition!

Cost: $3-5 for petrol.

Plan:

1. Meet at Kelburn campus at 9:30am

At the Hunter carpark, we'll sort out car groups and split up survey gear.

2. Drive 30min to Mākara Beach carpark (arrive about 10:15am)

DRIVERS! We need people to get us there, with no Mākara bus. Drivers will be reimbursed for fuel costs.

3. Walking time! (10:30am to 12:30pm)

Trek up Mākara hill and down to Opau Bay (2hr with breaks). This is a medium walk, with a STEEP bit at the beginning, a flat bit in the middle, and then a meander downhill to the beach. We'll pass old military bunkers, windmills, sheep, cows, and great views. If we get a clear day, the South Island will be visible!

4. We pick up rubbish!! (about 1pm)

After lunch, we'll set up a 100m x 20m area and collect all the rubbish inside. Equipment provided: gloves, funky pink fluoro, bags, mallet! There'll be a health and safety briefing, then we'll search for one hour.

5. We walk back to the cars via the coast! (about 2-3pm)

We'll return to Mākara by walking across the rocky beach. This is an easy walk, just long!

6. Return to uni! (about 3-4pm)

We might stop at Mākara's nice coastal cafe (open on public holidays)!

7. Sort and weigh rubbish at uni (4-6pm)

We'll count up the amount and weight of rubbish we found. This info goes into an online database to help map Aotearoa's plastic pollution. This might sound boring, but it's actually super fun. We should be done by 6pm. If you need to leave once we get back to uni, no problem! :)

What to bring:

• Lunch and snacks

• A full 1-2L drink bottle

• Warm and windproof layers, PLEASE have long sleeves and pants to reduce the chance of injury

• IMPORTANT: Sturdy closed toe footwear, as we'll walk over pebbles and driftwood (PLEASE NO crocs/sandals/jandals etc.)

• Sun smart gear (sunscreen/hat/sunglasses)

• Hand sanitiser

More info on Sustainable Coastlines

Mākara walk info: https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/wellington-kapiti/places/makara-beach-area/things-to-do/makara-walkway/

Data from our last survey in Jul: https://litterintelligence.org/data/survey?id=3604

Going climbing at Pukerua Bay on Sunday! All climbing skill levels are welcome, but it's not an instructional trip so you will need to know what you're doing, but we can do some easy climbs. 
 

Cost will just be splitting fuel, byo lunch & water. 
Gear required is harness, helmet & climbing shoes. I have hardware I can lend if needed.