Winter Solstice draws near
This year’s event is on Saturday and Sunday 20-21 June at Robson’s Lodge, Kuripaponga. We’ll have a BYO pot luck dinner (no dehys) and BYO drinks and nibbles.
The theme is fairyland so, if you like, come as a character out of a fairy tale. Please also bring a recycled gift, as well as:
– a sleeping bag and pillow
– pots, pans, cooking utensils, plates and cutlery
– some firewood to replenish the lodge’s stocks
And please, don’t bring candles.
Tramps will cater for different abilities and will finish near the lodge.They will include: 1 – Blowhard Bush walks (all walks total approx 3-4 hrs walking); 2 – Cameron car park to Mt Kuripaponga, a steep 2hr climb and return same way; 3 – Up from Cameron car park and continue on towards Kiwi Saddle Hut or lunch at the hut.
There are only 14 beds, so it will be a case of first in!
The cottage has:
– A simple kitchen with wood range
– Wood-fired heating in the main lounge
– Bathroom with two showers
– Flush toilet
– Laundry tub
We will travel in private vehicles and the travel cost is $25.
Sorry, but subs are going (slightly) up
Rising costs are affecting everything, including our club subscriptions. At the AGM in May, members approved modest increases in subscriptions as well as the termination of associate membership. Here are the details:
$60 for a single member and FMC card
$85 for two members at the same address, with one FMC card
$103 for two members at the same address, with two FMC cards
Subscriptions are now due. Here’s how to pay online:
Account number: 03-1517-0018902-000
Account name: Napier Tramping Club
Please state ‘Subs 2026’ in the particulars, and your name in the reference box.
Ruahine Whio Protectors Collective – Newsletter
Ruahine Whio Newsletter June 2026 We are now on the mailing list for this interesting read.
Ruahine User Group Meeting 8 June, 2026
Ruahine User Group Agenda June 2026. Julia attended on behalf of NTC. The meeting minutes will be posted on receipt.
Tramp booking system changes in July…
Approved users will see a few changes to the booking sheet format for trips in the second half of this year. We’ve improved the form and introduced protected fields (they prevent interference with the coloured areas you were previously asked not to touch).
From July, clicking on the green and yellow sections will have no effect – apart from showing a helpful alert message. This should prevent the most common unforced errors.
You’ll still have to make sure your name is entered correctly, without any space after the surname.
And that dreaded + sign at the bottom of the form must still be avoided at all costs.
… and a wee website tweak
Our Recent Trips sidebar used to show just three of them but, because we have almost unlimited available space, that number has been increased to six – so we now highlight more than a month’s worth of outings there.
If you have an idea for making the website even better, please get in touch, using the Contact form or by emailing or talking to a committee member. All suggestions are welcome!
Wilding pine update
The next diary date for the wilding pine assassins is 1 July. We will be heading to The Comet. Please contact HB Wilding Pine Control at alexia.morgans@pb08.wixemails.com or call Alan on 027 539 6278 if you’d like to join in. If you know others who are interested, they can sign up on the HB Wilding Pine Control website.at https://www.hbwildingpinecontrol.org.nz
Predator control in the northern Ruahines
The latest phase of DoC’s predator control operation in the northern Ruahines began in early February. You can get the details here. The department says that warning signs will be placed at all normal points of entry to the operation prior to the application of 1080 bait and that the carcasses of poisoned animals pose a significant risk to dogs for several months after the operation. Warning signs will remain in place until this risk has passed.
Track closures
Some tracks and car parks in the Kaweka Forest Park have been closed since mid-February. The closures may be in effect for up to five months. Details, including a map, are here
Owners of PLBs: Please read this!
This guidance applies to anyone taking their own PLB on a club tramp.
The club’s PLBs link the national Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RCC) to our group’s contact, Brian Mackie. RCC personnel immediately call him if a club PLB is triggered, to ascertain group numbers, names and so on. When Brian is alerted by RCC, he tries to contact friends and relatives about the incident and keeps them updated.
But if a tramp member sets off their own beacon, the RCC will only contact the emergency person named for that PLB.
It’s essential that, before you go on a club tramp with a personal PLB, you tell your emergency PLB contact that if your unit is activated on a club tramp and they receive a call from the RCC, they should:
- Answer all questions, and then
- Tell the RCC caller that this is a Napier Tramping Club event and that they should also contact Brian Mackie on 021 613 914 for further information about the party.
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