Trip intentions

Cheeky 4h walk in from Putara Road end to Roaring Stag Hut, high chance of river swim in case of brilliant weather. If we get to Roaring Stag Hut and still feel great we also have the option to head up the hill to Cattle Ridge Hut, a neat 5 bunker! Next day head back out to Putara Road end and wander home, for sure stopping for some Real Fruit Ice Cream goodness along the way!

Day 1: Meet 7:45am at Hunter Carpark, get any gear out from gear shed, divvy up group food, etc. On road by 8:15. Drive to Putara Road end. Walk into Roaring Stag Hut. If by this point we are feeling great and want to suffer our way up to Cattle Ridge Hut we can! Stay night at either hut, playing cards, enjoying a bevvy or two, blah blah sleep blah.

Day 2: Have an explore around the hut potentially?? If we stay the night at Cattle Ridge I would love to head south down Cattle Ridge to check out a tarn. After that pack up and head back out to the cars, cruise back to Welly!

Experience: This trip will is not suitable for beginners but is great for everyone else

This trip limited at 10 but 5 of us will need to be in tents if we do go up to Cattle Ridge, so let me know in the signups if you're keen to tent/own a tent!

What to bring:

 Standard Overnight Gear (Gear List Link), Sleeping mat if in a tent, Cooker if you have one.

– Don't Forget!! –  1.5-2L Water, TOILET PAPER, Headtorch, First Aid Kit

1 Standard Hut Ticket (Hut Ticket Retailers)

Food

Lunch x2, Breakfast x1, snacks/dessert to share!

I will sort dinner, which will be a very very yummy Nachos

Kia ora rogainers!!!

Ever wanted to become a strategic navigational mastermind!? Yes! No? 

Regardless, there is an event coming up that should be a bit of fun for everyone! The Wrights Hill 3hr rogaine on Wed 18th November. NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE REQUIRED all you need is a love for the bush 

But hang on… ‘WHAT IS A ROGAINE?!’ I hear you ask.

That's a good question. According to the NZ Rogaining Association: “Rogaining is a long-distance cross-country navigation and team sport where small groups use a map and compass to find as many checkpoints as possible within a set time limit.”

Rogaines come in all shapes and sizes from 60 minute to 24 hr events. Course setters lay out a bunch of checkpoints (controls) in a given area depicted by a ‘course map’ that is aligned with magnetic north. Controls range in point-value typically depending on how hard they are to get to. It is up to each team to decide which controls they will try to collect and in what order. Typical rogaine operation is that everyone meets at the ‘hashouse’ (the start/finish base) before the event to collect their maps and plan out a tekky route (or just yolo). The organisers will then hold a quick briefing right before the event starts ON THE DOT at the prescribed time. Everyone gotta be back at hashhouse on time otherwise you lose hella points.

About this event: 

https://www.ohv.org.nz/rogaining 

This rogaine is part of a superrrr chill monthly ‘after-work’ series. This means it’s in the evening so cute sunset vibes with good views yahooooooo. Previous events in this series have been a mix of nature reserves and suburban exploring.

There are four categories: 90min walk, 90min run, 3hr walk, 3hr run. 

The 90min and 3hr events start at wildly different times so for ease of organisation I am making the executive decision to split us between the 3hr walk / run (however always open to negotiation if you flick me an email with any concerns or ideas). If 3hrs sounds like a long time DO NOT FRET... rogaines involve a lot of faffing and whiz by very quickly (you won't get very far in 90mins unless absolutely pacing it). Also you only get the free pizza if you do the 3hr.  

You can read up on the after-work rogaine rules & scoring here https://www.ohv.org.nz/rogaining/awr-series. See example map below from a rogaine I did a couple months ago.

Signing up:

Rogaine teams are typically 2-5 people however there actually isn’t a limit on team size for this series lmao. How we split teams will depend on how many people sign up and if you want to walk or run. Please indicate this as you sign up - select E(easy) if you want to walk and select H(hard-extreme) for running. 

NOTE: this does not necessarily indicate how hard the event will be!!! The whole vibe of a rogaine is for your team to choose their own adventure both navigationally and physically, i.e. you could legit collect one easy control and then spend the rest of the time having a picnic and no one would gaf (although there will be some tryhards around so prepare yourself to see grown men in lycra)

I will ensure that each team has a somewhat experienced navigator / someone with their head screwed on so that everyone has an excellent time but overall this is a safe navigational learning opportunity for all! AGAIN: NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE REQUIRED.

Team registration closes on Sunday 15th Nov at 7pm, so I will close these signups on SATURDAY 14th. One person then registers online for their entire team - stay tuned for comms on this.

Plan:

Hashouse location will be sent out by the organisers in an email closer to the date but it will be somewhere in Karori I reckon.

Let’s meet at the hash house at 5pm SHARP (15 mins before maps are available) to make sure everyone has the right gear and go through a quick rogaining 101. Transport will be a mix of cars / public transport / bikes / feet depending on how far away it is.

Rogaine is 6-9pm. Then you will eat free pizza (not really free as there is a small entry cost).

Perhaps we can also go pub afterwards to celebrate our awesome achievements!!!!!!!!

For a more in-depth explanation / strategy session I can always bring some example maps along to the Welsh the day before (Tuesday 17th if Welsh meetups are still happening?)

Gear:

• Head torch & batteries

• Charged phone

• Compass (I will bring the gear-shed reserves so allg if you do not have)

• Rain jacket 

• Fleece / pullover (and other warm gear such as beanie & gloves just in case)

• 1L water & SNACKS

• Pens & highlighters 

• Watch (if you have)

• First aid kit (per team)

• Space blanket & whistle (per team)

If you have an ABSOLUTE BLAST on Wrights Hill then next month’s rogaine is a bit of a bigger deal - the yearly ‘big trig’ which has 3 & 6 hr categories. 

POSTPONED - dates now confirmed!

This will be a great mission to explore some tops on the eastern tararuas and bag 2 of the tararua's 6 (official) bivvies. We will also go check out the broken axe pinnacles which should be quite cool.

This is a decent few days walking with a bit of weather-dependent off-track tops travel, so strong fitness and experience is required.

Day 1: Holdsworth carpark to mid king biv via atiwhakatu hut

Day 2: mid king biv to mcgregor biv via broken axe pinnacles

Day 3: mcgregor biv to holdworth carpark via jumbo

As per usual with the Tararuas, the weather is super unpredictable, so if we don't deem it wise to head up onto the tops, we will head to mid king biv via the barton track to stay below the bushline and then head out the same way as a 2-day trip.

Gear needed:

Standard tramping stuff

Tents - we will be borrowing 1 or 2 from the club just in case the biv/s are full!

Don't forget your headtorch! We may be walking in the dark a bit.

Gaiters wouldn't go amiss for this trip - lots of leatherwood and spaniards around mid king!

Food: I will sus 2x dinners, please bring 2x breakfasts and 3x lunches, and snacks!

Cost: fees for this trip go towards dinner and petrol.

A trip perfect for anyone and everyone! We will be catching the train up to Pukerua Bay, from there you can take your pick of running, or walking the track! Once we reach Paekakariki we will all regroup, hang out at the cafe and maybe even hit the beach for a swim. Then all bundle back on the train from Paekakariki into Wellington

Public Transport Special!

Meeting at 8:30 at Wellington Station we will catch the Kapiti Line train, departing at 8:44am, and ride up to Pukerua Bay. Everyone heads off in two groups, one running, one walking, whatever you feel like is great! At the end of the trail we will all meet back up and hopefully enjoy some sun in Pae before travelling back to Wellington on the train.

What to bring!

Nice active-wear, a backpack, warm layer + windbreaker, sunhat, lunch/snacks, water (1L+), money + snapper for trains and cafe food etc.

About the track

Distance: 9.31km   Walking time (overestimate probably): 3-4h 

link to track info

Cost: Bring a topped up snapper and a bit of money for something from the cafe at the end

TL; DR: We are having a bonfire night, and we are aiming to hike, walk, or run 1000km to raise 5000NZD for Movember, a mental health charity. We are also participating in growing a Mo! 

As a group of Trampers, we want to raise awareness for those going through mental health difficulties. We want our group to feel like a safe space for all those involved, and for our men to feel supported and that we have their back. Especially in the context of Aotearoa, we know that loneliness and health statistics are particularly low, which is why its so important that we come together and raise funds for this cause.

Nature and the great outdoors are fundamental to our members and us; we know that it helps us stay connected, present, and battle the blues when things become heavier than our packs! Because of this, we want to get our members and community outdoors. We want to get 60km worth of hiking done, for the 60 men lost to suicide every hour, alongside a group bonfire and cold swim to get everyone together

Here is our official Movember page: "VUWTC Movember Website". Make sure to make an account, post a photo, and set your own goals for Movember!

Collectively, we are trying to raise 5000 NZD and hike, walk, or run 5000km in support of the cause.

For those who can grow facial hair, we would like to make a collage of a before and after of the growth to put on our Instagram to promote the charity. It's a great chance to bring out your inner bushman! Send in those photos on Instagram :)

The Event:

We are going to do a bonfire at Princess Beach at around 6pm. Feel free to bring your friends and family. Before arriving, we may do a run, but that is TBD.

I recently got a slackline & have been teaching myself how to walk on it! I’m still a complete beginner- and would love for anyone at any level to come practice with me, absolutely no experience needed (:

Super chill vibes— bring your picnic blankets, hammocks, snacks, friends, or any sort of park games/activities! 

Assuming the weathers good I'll set up the slackline at noon at the Botanical Gardens (will update with exact location later) and we can keep it up as long as people feel like staying & hanging out. 

We will be hosting a shave-down to kickstart our Movember fundraising this Sunday. We will get together, have some food, shave off the hair on our faces, and share our stories and goals for the next month!

To make it a competition, by the end of the month, we will have some categories that can be won: Best Mo, Worst/Most Tragic Mo, Best Fake Mo, Longest Mo, and Weirdest Mo.

Even if you can't make it, make sure to send a photo of your clean shave to our Instagram!

Check out our Movember page and make sure to make an account: VUWTC Movember page

Most of all, it's a great way to get together and socialise, even if you don't have anything to shave or grow; community is what brings us all together!

The location will be released on the day via email and will be in Te Aro :)