You are cordially invited to the annual summit luncheon between the good folks of VUWTC and AUTC.

Snowcraft experience required. Cricket, sock wrestling, and table-traversing experience strongly preferred.

Staying at the TTC lodge, room for 16 of us to go.

Sign ups will open Tuesday 23rd October.

Figure 1: Summit Plateau Cricket

Figure 2: Sock Wrestling

Figure 3: Table Traversing

Topo Map Legend: 

• Blue: Main route

• Red: Picnic Area and Scenic Routes

• Black: Playground Sidequesting (Optional)

• Green: Train Entrance to Petone (Overlaps with the Blue Partially)

The plan is, meet at Wellington Train Station 11am, launch at 11:30am to train to Petone. For those that live closer to Petone, they can meet us at Petone Station. Go to Pito-One Road End, Walk up the Korokoro Stream Track, Picnic in the red area if people want. 

Then Loop back through Maungaraki visiting playgrounds, cafes/fast food (again if people want too) and the Percy Scenic Reserve. 

Total Trip Should be 12-15km depending on-the-day choices.

Should be all done around 4:30-5:30pm.

The Billy Awards is the premier awards night for VUWTC, to celebrate the adventures and misadventures of the year. Everyone is welcome, whether you've been to one meeting or every single one of them.

TIME: Arrive from 6pm, we'll start cooking at 6:30, awards and Heels after dinner

WHERE: Chris's flat, Flat 2, 56 Kelburn Parade (Right opposite the university)

FOOD: Taco extravaganza! Taco night on steroids. Bring a couple of ingredients to contribute, fancy and/or weird contributions welcome. BYO drinks if you'd like. 

HEELS: With any luck our annual publication, Heels, will be ready to go!! 

AWARDS: The most important part!! We want to hear your best stories, now is the time to dob in your friends. 

To nominate someone for an award, fill out this form!

https://forms.gle/xS1ZY46twZdJwj7n8

Categories may or may not include:

⛰ Tramper of the year
🧗Climber of the year
🦸 Most promising new member
🛖 Hut bagging champion
🚕 Golden chariot
🗺 Most geographically challenged
❤️‍🩹 Worst injury
📝 Most trips organised
🏕 Most trips attended
💩 Piker of the year 
🌮 Best tacos host
❓Something else?

The Karobusters are looking for fresh blood to join them at Matiu/Somes Island for a weekend of sweeping through weeds, maintaining numerous planting sites through clearing debris around small delicate plants, and possibly visiting neighboring islands. You will also spot wildlife like tuatara and penguins. You will be given training, shown examples, and we will be paired up with an experienced person.

We will meet at the Queen’s Wharf ferry terminal on Saturday morning to catch the first East By West ferry. Then we'll return on Sunday on the last ferry. Hutt residents can either join the team at Wellington or catch the ferry from Days Bay, returning there late on Sunday. We will stay overnight in one of the houses, which is fully equipped with cooking utensils, cutlery, fridge, stove and oven, heat pump, showers, mattresses and pillows. DOC pays for the ferry and provides a barbecue Saturday evening meal and the Sunday breakfast. DOC also provides all the equipment, such as tools, protective clothing, and gives a safety briefing before we start work. 

What To Bring:

• Normal clothing as well as a set of thermals to wear under overalls
• A sleeping bag
• Pillowcase
• Torch ((a red light is needed for penguin & tuatara spotting)
• Tramping or trail type boots are essential
• Ensure that all your gear is clean with no mud or plant material (check your pockets and Velcro fasteners) This will speed up the bio-security check when we land on the island.

This is also not an one-off event, they do multiple volunteering events at Matiu/Somes Island throughout the year as a group. Here are the dates of the Karobusters:

2025

• Oct 18-19
• Nov 15-16
• Nov 29-30
• Dec 6-7 Spare if a previous weekend lost due to weather

2026

• Jan 31- Feb 1
• Feb 21-22
• Mar 7-8
• Apr 18-19
• May 2-3 Spare if a previous weekend lost due to weather

There's a twist to this trip, they are looking for people to join across one or more of the upcoming trips! Big one-off groups to the island are no longer happening as they are hard to manage for the organisers. Once you signup please reach out to me at baldwinjankiewiczliam@gmail.com or conservation@vuwtc.org.nz and express your interests for specific dates (!Email me only after you signed up!). One-off participation is welcome but I will prioritise those who are willing to do more than one. Once you've done that I'll put you in contact with the organiser and send a detailed overview and a link of their facebook group. You will then be able to join the trip and many others like this in the future!

FYI, emails sent to me first will be put into the confirmation process group first. I will not account for your position on the waiting list. Priority is given to those willing to do more than one trip as well! There is an limited number the Karobusters can bring, around 6 or less.

Please only purchase an Own transport ticket from now on, we have no more room in cars for carpooling

Magst du Party machen? Вам нравится тусоваться? Aimes-tu faire la fête? Do you like a gooooood pArty???? 

Get hyped for our annual bush rave - this year its gone international... bring your best accent and costume from your chosen country.  

You will be transported from Vic Uni to our scenic party spot in the wider Wellington region, location to be revealed to participants closer to the time. Set up camp, enjoy an evening swim, then get hyped for our late-night rave in the bush. Returning the next day late morning/ early arvo

Starting point: Hunter Carpark, Victoria University of Wellington. Here is a map
Date/ time: Saturday 12th October, arrive 2.45pm (departing at 3pm)
Transport: Cars. If you can bring a car and drive, please do! Fuel will be reimbursed to you separately
Cost: $30 or $15 without transport. This will include the event, transport and camping for the evening
Finish time back at Vic Uni on Sunday: 1pm (roughly - some transport may go earlier or later)

What YOU need to bring:

• Costume - country specific rave outfit. see examples below. 
• Party fuelant (alcohol etc - BYO, no glass please - plastic or cans only)
• Water
• Food: dinner and breakfast, snacks
• Tent (or share with others), sleeping bag, roll mat
• Head torch
• Warm clothes, rain gear
• Togs, towel if you want to swim in the nearby river
• Pre/post rave entertainment - frisbee, football, guitar etc

Mark the Changing of the Guard with our Annual General Meeting pizza party extravaganza! Decide who will be on the committee for 2026. Venue is HMLT002. Pizza will be available from 5:45pm ;)

Nominate new committee members here! 

https://forms.gle/XX58HR92jEN6u8ug6

Below are some brief descriptions of what each role does, so have a read and a think.

President: 

- Run the meetings or delegate to someone else every other meeting. This includes making the meeting slides.
- Make sure committee meetings: Ensuring things get done when they need to happen (Freshers, Heels). 
- First point of contact: Typically you will be the first one to reach out to, whether that be new members or other queries.
- Be a friendly face: You are the face of the club so use it wisely ;)
- Co-manage the vuwtramping@gmail.com email with the Secretary.

Secretary:
- Take minutes at committee meetings, special general meetings, and annual general meetings.
- Manage vuwtramping@gmail.com, jointly with the president.
- Manage physical mail - this includes letters, FMC cards, Backcountry magazines, gear donations, and other things. Generally, we don't get too much mail.
- Once a year, send annual financial statements to the Registrar of Incorporated Societies.
- Keep club details updated on the Register, and let the Registrar know of any changes to the constitution.
- Once a year, re-register the club with Federated Mountain Clubs and the university.
- Once a year, apply for grant funding from the university, with help from the rest of the committee.
- Book the weekly meeting room and the clubs week stalls or get someone else to.
- Keep the Register of Members.
- Hold the club's records, documents, and books except those required for the Treasurer’s function.
- Attend in-person and online meetings, such as with FMC, Mountain Safety Council, and Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne.

Chief Guide & Assistant Chief Guide:

- Run trips!! The chief guides are responsible for all-things tramping. Run tons of trips and encourage & help others in the club to run trips too!
- Organize and lead the main annual trips which are: Snowcraft 1 & 2, Bushcraft and Freshers (shared with the social officers).
- Plus organizing Midwinter, which involves encouraging people to run larger trips over the uni holidays (and hopefully run a big one yourself!).
- Act as the main source of information for people in the club about tramping, like giving advice and helping others plan & run trips.
- Manage the vuwtcguides@gmail.com email.
- Quit your day job and spend every weekend tramping!

Treasurer & Co-Treasurer:

- Deal with payments for trips, including the big ones (Freshers, Bush rave etc)
- Keep track of the club’s annual budget
- Help with any payment issues for club members
- Chase up people who owe money
- Manage the accounts@vuwtc.org.nz email
- No treasurer = No more tramps! 

Climbing Officer:

- Run weekly climb nights

- Organises Rockcraft 

- Organise/help others organise outdoor trips 

- Be fun and welcoming and get people climbing!! 

Social Convenor x 2:

- Organises all of the party trips: Tramps X3, Freshers (With chief guides), Bush ball, Midwinter Xmas, Bush rave

        - Finding location, organising setup crew, setting theme etc

- Be a friendly face at these events and others 

- Option to organise more social trips outside of these

Conservation Officer:

- Run a bunch of conservation trips!
- Promote conservation/environment/sustainability causes, like Conservation Week, Bird of the Year, NZ Garden Bird Survey, Earth Day, Plastic Free July etc.
- Maintain connections with long-standing partners of VUWTC: DOC, Sustainable Coastlines, Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne, uni clubs like VUW SCB and VUW Science Collective.
- Build new relationships with conservation and community groups.
- Possibly do 2-3 beach cleanups out at Opau Bay each year (VUWTC looks after that site).
- Help VUWTC contribute to conservation/environment related legislation if appropriate.
- Arrange conservation guest speakers if possible!
- Purchase/look after club conservation gear.
- Manage the conservation@vuwtc.org.nz email.

Gear Custodian x 2:

🥾 Put gear in members’ hands
💰 Influence how club gear budget is spent
🌱 Repair gear and give it new life
🏛️ Preserve club’s historic artifacts
💪 Run working bees to do the heavy lifting
🧰 Use of the gearshed workshop

Publicity Officer x 2:

- Manages the social media accounts; the Instagram account (@vuwtc), the Facebook page, and don't forget the TikTok! ;)

- Manages the vuwtc publicity email vuwtcpublicity@gmail.com.

- Ensures the club is engaged on social media, by posting past trips, advertising upcoming trips, sending out reminders for weekly meetings, climbing nights & walkies etc

- Organises the creation and sale of merch

- Finds/makes good merch designs (hoodies, shirts, beanies, badges, stickers...), reach out to design companies, gets quotes to ensure we stick to budget, and ensures they get delivered

Hut Maintenance Officer:

- Gets the club involved in maintenance of huts and tracks
- Is our representative to the Greater Wellington Backcountry Network (GWBN)
- Would be great to have a keen person in this role

HEELs Officer:

- Leads the production of the annual magazine 'HEELS'; 

- Leads a group in charge of the design & writing of HEELS, 'hassles' people to write trip reports, reach out to book printing publishes, ensures we stick to both the printing guidelines and the budget

Midweek overnighter mission through the bush to snowy hut. Includes river travel and off-track.

Cost will be about $25 for petrol and a shared dinner. 

Welcome to Wednesday Climbing Nights!

We bounce between Hangdog Adventures in Lower Hutt and Faultline Climbing on Willis St!

There are grades for everyone: people who prefer to test out the basic climbs to those who love a good challenge, so come along! No matter how much climbing experience you've had, you are welcome.

This week: Faultline 

Schedule:

• Sign up! (Even if you are meeting us down there)

• Please meet at the Hunter Carpark at 5:45 p.m. We will head down on the dot (6 p.m.).
• Travel to the Climbing Gym by foot. 
• CLIMB!
• You can leave whenever you like (We usually finish up around 8:30 p.m), return to your flats and halls by bus or walk from the gym.

Entry costs $15 + $3 for shoes 

This is not paid for through the club—there is no piking fee if you pull out. Let me know if you cannot make it on the night !!!

To get the VUWTC entry price, just let the front desk know you are with VUWTC. Our discounted price is only from 6 pm onwards on Wednesdays

VUWTC is offering several expedition scholarships of up to $500 to be spent on adventures led by VUWTC members, with the purpose of inspiring people to get into tramping (or other related outdoorsy activity)!

The criteria for the scholarships include: 

• The applicant(s) must be active VUWTC members

• The applicant(s) must be 35 or under (no restrictions on the age of other trip members)

• At least one person on the trip is not a committee member

• The trip plan must be approved by our Chief Guide (or other suitable person, if the Chief Guide applies for the scholarship)

  • No need to get this approval before you apply. The Chief Guide will review the trip later and may suggest changes for safety reasons

• The applicant(s) must create a piece of media (typically a short film) which can be shared with the club to inspire other people to get into the outdoors. Your film (or other media) should show how you planned and prepared for your trip, your experience, and anything else you consider relevant. If you choose not to create a film, your alternative choice of media must be pre-approved by the scholarship committee. 

• The expedition must be led by the applicant(s)

• Evidence of permissions/permits required for the expedition must be provided to VUWTC on request. Eg Drone permits, Helicopter landing permits, private land access etc…

• Scholarship cannot be spent on gear

• Successful applicants will have up to one year after receipt in which to spend their scholarship

• If the scholarship is not used within the stipulated period or if conditions are not met, it must be repaid to VUWTC

• You are allowed to get both the VUWTC Scholarship and the FMC Scholarship (as long as FMC allows this too)

The VUWTC committee has set up a subcommittee to look at the applications and pick the winner. No-one who applies for the scholarship can be on the subcommittee. 

To apply: submit this form by the end of 14 October 2025

https://forms.gle/xPXJTjRk2RgAEaTf8

If you experience any issues with the form, please email vuwtramping@gmail.com :)

The criteria and application form are very similar to those of the FMC Expedition Scholarships, so if you've already applied for that, why not apply for this too!

Need a morning dip to jolt you into study mode!! now is the perfect chance. 

The great thing about this trip is that your not going to have any other plans at 7am, the sunrise will hopefully be gorgeous, and the water will wake you up. 

The trip will start at 7 and will be finished by 8.30-ish, with time to grab a coffee afterwards to warm us up. 

- Stop 1: Kelburn village at 7am

- Stop 2: Kelburn Flats/ 7.10

- Stop 3: Kelburn Campus - Hunter carpark 7.20

- Stop 4: The Terrace 7.30

- Stop 5: Oriental Bay 8am

Don't be late for your stop - or the walking bus will depart without you! 

See attached image for details of walk and stops. 

If you have another stop that you would like the bus to come to, hit Vita or Hazel up ASAP.

Please bring: 

- warm clothes

- togs

- towel

- Snack, water etc if ya need 

Join the VUW Society for Conservation Biology for a fun and impactful forest cleanup in Kumutoto Forest! We'll be tackling invasive weeds and sprucing up the trails on Saturday, October 11th from 10 am to 2 pm.

This is our first Kumutoto working bee of the month, so come on out and lend a hand! Kumutoto Forest is a beautiful urban green space right near the Kelburn Campus, and it needs some help in preserving its ecosystem. Meet in the parking lot at Salamanca Road, which has the tennis court!

Highly recommened to bring these:

• Warm/wet weather clothes incase of bad weather
• Sturdy footwear that is comfortable for you
• Water
• Snacks
• Gloves and tools will be provided, but do bring some along if you have them!

Come along to our final plod of the year! Meet at 4:30pm outside te puni on the driveway (we want AGM pizza at 5:45, hence the earlier start) and sweat out those exam-season blues in the beautiful bush of Waimapihi. Bring shoes with tread pls - no rolled ankles on our watch!