Napier Tramping Club

based in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

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The girls at the memorial cairn on Kaweka J, Alison, Rosemary and Robyn

A snowy trip to Kaweka J

August 31, 2011 by Alison Greer Leave a Comment

Map: BJ37 Kuripapango
Wednesday, August 31 2011

The day started with a major hiccup. The van broke down. Fortunately, we were still in town and we managed to get a replacement; along with another vehicle, we were soon on our way, only 30 minutes late.

The girls at the memorial cairn on Kaweka J, Alison, Rosemary and Robyn

It was a beautiful spring day, with just a small patch of low cloud covering the Kaweka range. The main group made their way up Trail Spur, stopping every now and then to keep an eye on the three in the rear. Large drifts of snow were not reached until after Dominie Bivvy. In places, the snow was hard enough to walk on top, but in others we sank through – sometimes up to knee level.
The cloud had lifted by the time we made it to the top and it was easy walking over the hard-packed snow to Kaweka J. Lovely views to the East but the West was very cloudy and a cool breeze sent us looking for a sheltered spot for lunch. The plastic bags came out and a few of us had fun sliding down the small hill behind the basin, before lunch. We waited for the other three to arrive, including our latest octogenarian who sat in the sun looking over the Bay – what a lunch spot!

Two sets of Happy Feet coming down the snow shute

The main group decided to return via Don’s Spur, a more open slope, so more snow to skid over or sink into. One or two took a tumble, and there was even a nose-dive. We picked our way through the contorta and down through the lovely beech trees over the stream and back to the car park.

Not long after, the other three arrived back safely and we left the car park around 3pm after a very successful and enjoyable day.

Trampers: John Marshall, Paul Exeter, Vic Bullock, Ron Morison, Keith Moretta, John Burrell, Dermott McCaughan, Peter Slagter, Les O’Shea, Robyn Smith, Rosemary Jeffery and reporter Alison Greer

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About us

About us

We are a group of like-minded people who love the great outdoors. We tramp mostly in the Hawke’s Bay province, in remote areas such as the Kaweka and Ruahine Ranges; but we also travel longer distances to new places, for longer walks.

The Napier Tramping Club was established in 1974 and has about 70 members. We belong to the Federated Mountain Clubs of NZ Inc (FMC) and run Saturday, full-weekend and Wednesday tramps, every fortnight.

Interested in joining us?

Enjoy the great outdoors, keep fit and get to know others with similar interests.

More information

Latest news

February 2019 News

There is a Wednesday overnight tramp to Waipopehu Hut, Tararua FP, and also a weekend tramp this … Read More

January 2019 News

Happy New Year to all club members and readers. The weekend tramp this month is to Maropea Forks … Read More

Latest trip

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Useful links

  • Dept of Conservation
  • DoC Huts Use, Kaweka Forest Park
  • Federated Mountain Clubs of NZ (FMC)
  • Heretaunga Tramping Club
  • New Zealand Tramper
  • NZ Walking Access Commission
  • Wanganui Tramping Club

Useful links 2

  • Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society
  • Weather forecast
  • Email
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