Napier Tramping Club

based in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

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Hypothermia caused by cool winds and water

January 20, 2021 by Sue Trotter Leave a Comment

Cameron Hut, Kaweka FP, Wednesday 20 January 2021. Map: BJ37
Banner Photo: Don’t they look chilled

Eleven keen trampers headed off from Park Island in the van driven by John Dobbs. Our destination: Cameron Hut car park on the Gentle Annie Road. We experienced an unexpected bit of “sightseeing” on the way as we passed through Omahu and the charred remains of a large fire a few days earlier.

Once at the car park and with all the usual pack and gear adjustments and ablutions completed, we were given a brief by trip organiser Doug. Our goal was to tramp to Cameron Hut via the Ngaruroro River. This was not for everyone, and Tony headed off towards Kuripapango for a three-hour round trip.

One of the many river crossings

One of the many river crossings[/caption]For the rest, it was not long before we experienced the first of many river crossings. Thankfully, the river was at a relatively low flow rate. Ably led by Hilary, we managed to find tracks created by hunters rather than having to walk in the river all the way.

About an hour upriver, we set off to cross yet again. This time several of us found that at times we were missing solid ground beneath our feet and were swimming/floating rather than walking. Four of the group turned back and filled their time climbing towards Kuripapango.

The remaining six continued on towards the hut. However, the repeated river crossings, combined with the wind chill factor and a lack of continuous warmth from the sun, resulted in two of our group showing early signs of hypothermia. We decided to turn back.

Once we were all back at the car park and had dry clothes on and some warmth from the sun (which decided to make a prolonged appearance) any signs of hypothermia had disappeared.

Even though we did not make it to the hut, it was a great day out, filled with adventure, socialising and learning curves. We were all safely back at Park Island by 3.15pm.

Trampers: Margaret Palmer, John Dobbs, Bruce Hodgson, Johanne Karlsson, Tony Pluymers, John Bennett, Kate Fuller, Keith James, Hilary Heath-Caldwell, Doug Matheson and reporter Sue Trotter

Filed Under: General, Recent trips

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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

March 2023 News

Tramp List Amendments and Road Closures Due to the inability to access most of the Ruahine Forest … Read More

February 2023 News

Mokai Access to Iron Bark and Colenso Huts Copied from the Ruahine User Group (Private) Facebook … Read More

Latest trip

Racing (and beating) Cyclone Gabrielle

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

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