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.

We will be staying in the TTC Lodge with members from the AUTC (Auckland University Tramping Club). Many shenanigans will be undertaken, mulled wine will be drunk, cricket will be played on the summit plateu, and we will wrestle over socks. Perhaps we may sing songs too.

Gear required is the same as was used on Snowcraft. So please ensure you have all the right layers and crampon compatible boots. 

Food: We will do a group meal on the Saturday night that will be shared with AUTC. That is the only shared meal. The rest will be self catered. 2x Lunches, 2x Breakfasts, and plenty of snacks!

CHANGED ROUTE:

DAY 1 - WALK TO WAIOPEHU 

DAY 2 - WALK TO SOUTH OHAU 

DAY 3 - EITHER : walk out via river (if it is low enough to be safe) or walk out via Gable End ridge

Kia ora all!

If birds, the bush and bingo are up your alley then this is a tramp for you. Over three days we will walk up the Ōhau river, up and over twin peak, and back down through the bush. Over this time, each of us will have a bingo sheet of native birds to spot – with huge prizes (like bird-sightings) up for grabs!

This trip will run from Saturday the 17^th till the Monday the 19^th of October, leaving Saturday morning and getting back Monday evening.

I will send out a gear list closer to the time but feel free refer to the website for a general idea (just normal tramping things – plus maybe binoculars and a bird ID book if you’re feeling enthusiastic).

Dinner will be provided (and divvied between packs) but you will need to bring your own breakfast, lunch and snacks.

There is a chance the route will change slightly if it rains a lot (or is forecasted to) and we need to avoid the river.

Numbers are limited by hut capacity, and by drivers (2 people with cars would be great!)

Cheers,
Micah (soon to be bird spotting pro)

(The cost is for 2 dinners + fuel for driving to and from)

TRAMPS WEEK! - Kime-Renata Loop

Dates: Saturday 17th to Monday 19th

Max group size: 5

Need a driver! I'll shout you a pie!

• Sat - Drive from Hunter Carpark to Otaki Forks, walk to Renata Hut (5-6 hours) 
• Sun - Renata to Kime Hut, lunch at Elder Hut (6-7 hours) 
• Mon - Walk out to Otaki Forks via Field Hut (4-5 hours) 
   

Will be taking it chill, main risk is if bad weather while we're exposed on the ridgeline, and the cold. Everyone should have sufficient warm layers for temps as low as 0C overnight. Potential of high winds when going past Elder Hut. We will adjust the plan according to the weather 

 

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.

Do not be fooled by the name!... This ‘trail run’ will be more of an intense walk. The aim is just to safely and awesomely complete the Tararua Southern Crossing (Kaitoke → Otaki Forks) in 1 day. 

This will be a big day. Expect ~35km with 2500m elevation gain, and bear in mind the treacherousness of Tararua tracks - a good level of fitness is required for this trip and your participation is up to my discretion. Please chat to me about any concerns or questions.

Sunday 18th October:

We will meet at the Hunter Carpark at 5:00am and leave ASAP. Hopefully arrive at the Kaitoke trailhead ~6am and set off no later than 6:30am (around sunrise).

Our finishing time will very much depend on the day and how everyone is feeling. I’m budgeting a good 12 hours total as there’s no need to rush and blow ourselves up. This also gives us a little buffer before sunset (not that there’s anything wrong with running in the dark!!!)

As shown by the map our route starts in Kaitoke, climbs up marchant ridge to Hells gate and Alpha Hut (15km), then across the tops and up to Mt Hector, before continuing north past Kime (23km) and Field (28km) Huts, eventually getting down to Otaki Forks.

We are ochestrating a key-swap with Tommy's southern crossing tramp group so will pick up their car at Otaki Forks. Ideally latest return to Hunter Carpark 8pm.

Individual gear:

• Charged phone with topo50 downloaded

• Comfortable running shoes 

• ~2L water. Electrolytes

• Food. This MUST include at least two good carby meals, snacks, and backup food in case we are out in the bush for longer than expected.

• Headtorch + 2nd backup or spare-batteries

• Warm layers (thermals + midlayer at the very minimum. Ideally put them in a waterproof bag)

• Raincoat

• Hat + sunnies 

• Sunscreen

• Beanie + gloves optional

• I already have these items but if you are also able please bring: watch, portable charger, first aid + blister pads, paper map, whistle, emergency blanket

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: A flat in Northland; sign up to be emailed the address closer to the date!

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/xEXKXmd2pyaT3Jkc7

The more detail in nominations, the better! Tell us every little detail, like that time a certain someone had a misadventure, or a time someone really stood out in the club this year!

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?

Come along for one last tacos of the year, and to celebrate all that we've done this year!

This year, the New Zealand Mountain Film and Book Festival is back again! Together, VUWTC and our mates at WTMC have joined up to run a screening of both the Pure NZ Night and Award Night screenings of the films featured in this year's programme.

We will be selling tickets to the Pure NZ Night, which will be hosted on Tuesday the 6th of October, and the Award Night, hosted on Thursday the 8th of October! All proceeds raised from ticket sales will be donated to charity!

Tickets are $20 for all, per night. Choose which night you'd like to come along to, or even come along to both! 

Bring your family, friends, neighbours and anyone along. Snacks encouraged!

This calendar listing is for tickets to the Award Night on Thursday the 8th of October!

Timings: Doors open at 6:30pm, Film starts at 7pm. End time approx 9pm

AWARD NIGHT: - total time 122 minutes - Thursday the 8th of October

Mia (6 mins) Marco Noe, Australia. Ten-year-old Mia is determined to land her biggest skating trick yet — again. For Mia, practice isn’t just routine; it’s progress in motion. BEST SHORT FILM

Mountain Of Mystery (34 mins) Jake Hopfinger, Justin Fann & Eric Parker, USA. Deep in British Columbia's most remote landscapes, a group of friends ski, kayak and surf their way through wild country. More than an extreme sports film, this is a story about shared challenge, laughter and the kind of unforgettable moments that only happen far from the beaten path. BEST ADVENTUROUS SPORTS & LIFESTYLES

Hunter's Moon (15 mins) Christina Lusti & Gee Pierrel, USA. Mountaineers Christina Lusti and Gee Pierrel are the first to ski an extremely steep line on the East Face of Aoraki. BEST SNOW SPORTS FILM

K2 – Chasing Shadows (67 mins) David Arnaud & Hugo Clouzeau, USA, subtitles. A record-breaking alpinist attempts a fast, oxygen-free ascent of K2 — one of the world's deadliest peaks— in a quest that pushes far beyond physical limits into deeply personal territory. GRAND PRIZE FILM

Tickets:

$20 per person, per night - Please note these tickets are for Award Night only; see the Pure NZ night tickets linked here: Pure NZ Night

Brought to you by the Vic Uni Tramping Club, Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club, and of course the  New Zealand Mountain Film and Book Festival!

Mark the Changing of the Guard with our Annual General Meeting! Decide who will be on the committee for 2027. The venue is SU228.

Meeting starts at 6pm. With pizza from 5:45pm - In SU228

Nominate new committee members here: 

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 [email protected] email with the Secretary.

Secretary:

• Take minutes at committee meetings, special general meetings, and annual general meetings.
• Manage [email protected], 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected].
• 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 deliver

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