August 2020 News

CLUB PHOTO COMPETITION

Below is an outline of the evening and the categories for our photo competition planned for Thursday September 17th, usual time of 7:30pm. In the past, this has been a fun evening. Special thanks to Robyn for her enthusiasm & organisation in the planning of this event.
Get out there and sort those pics out.
ENTRIES
• No more than 2 photos per member (photo taken by that member) for each category.
• Bring your photos on the night
• You can enter all, some or few categories
• Photos must be taken in NZ, either taken in last 2 yrs or older, preferably on NTC tramps (but not necessarily)
• Print your photos 6×4 only, no frames, no borders, no names etc
• Place them secretly on the appropriate category table
• Move away from the tables to allow other members to place their photos
• Once all photos are laid out, voting will begin.
• Judges decision is final
• Excellent prizes kindly sponsored by NTC.
• Supper will be provided by the committee & those members not bringing in their photos. (Robyn’s Rule!)
CATEGORIES
• Club Photo ( in last 2 years ) – tramp, cycle, social
• Club Photo (older than 2 years) -tramp, cycle, social
• Huts & Structures (in last 2 years )
• Scenery (in last 2 years )- Bush, mountains, sea
• Native Flora & Creatures of the bush
• ‘Oh Bugger’ Moment (in last 2 yrs) – Anything goes!

FMC SERIOUS PHOTO COMPETITION 2020

If you have any photo that you believe fits into the below categories, please consider it for the FMC photo competition. Your photos must be in to me via email petesuem@googlemail.com with Friday 29th August being the last day as I have to send them to FMC by Monday 31st.

Covid-19 update

Although we are now in alert level 2, we can still hold club meetings on Thursdays and day tramps can continue Saturdays and Wednesdays.  However, these will go ahead with specific conditions because the risk of community transmission remains.  The conditions outlined below are determined by the Government and Director-general of Health.

Club meetings

• Chairs will be placed one metre apart
• Members who do not know anyone, and because you will be in close contact with others, are encouraged to wear face coverings and sit two metres apart
• Keep our ‘moist breath’ (droplets) distance when socialising before and after the formal meeting period
• There will be a ‘sign in’ sheet for everybody to sign on entry, to keep a record of attendance
• People who are 70-plus and/or whose health is compromised, or who have existing medical conditions, are encouraged to stay at home
• If unwell, please stay home

Tramping (Saturday and Wednesday)

• The rental van has been cancelled
• Only private cars can be used. The driver can decide who s/he wants as passengers. Be prepared to take your own car ($20 petrol passenger contribution to the driver remains)
• Overnight tramps are discouraged because of DoC’s requirement for trampers to be responsible for taking their own materials to clean hut surfaces and hut occupation is capped at ten
• Tramps to be in our local ranges

If we are unable to tramp, all is not lost because we’ve brought back our trips down Memory Lane, starting with Memory Lane, Episode 14.  Also, see the comments that have come in from early club members about the Memory Lane tramps, Episodes 1-3.

You can find these trips from olden days under History at the Home page.

 

Wilding pine control in the Kaweka Ranges (6 August 2020)

Breaking news – a bonus tramp!

An additional tramp is planned for October, to the Waioeka Conservation Area which adjoins the Urewera National Park west of SH 2 between Gisborne and Opotiki. The tramp runs from Monday 12 October to Wednesday the 14th.

This easy, two-night tramp starts with Koranga Forks Hut. It’s a two- to three-hour walk, so very do-able after the more than four-hour drive to the track start from Napier. The second day is a three- or four-hour river walk to Tawa Hut. Side walks can also be done. Both huts are six-bunkers. The last day will be a four- or five-hour tramp to the vehicle(s) then drive home.

Our second day route will depend on having a low river level. If the Kahunui Stream is high,  plan B is to abandon Tawa Hut and return home early.

Tramp organiser is Bruce Hodgson.  Registration through the online system. Click here to access the booking form.

And to find out more about the area and the tramp, click here.

An update about your online tramp booking system

The club’s online tramp registration system is popular! It worked from day 1, and we had a surprising amount of positive feedback and good ideas for developing it. We’re improving it as we go along – including some changes that will provide you with background to your tramp, and up-to-date information about transport arrangements and weather.

This booking system allows you to reserve your place on any trip without needing to make a phone call, send a txt message or do paperwork at club meetings.

To access it, you must have a Google account, and the Google Sheets app on your device.

Getting a Google account is easy and free – and you don’t need to have a Gmail email address. Just click here to set up yours.

Then go to the Tramp List (Meetings and Events), pick your tramp, key in your name, and we take care of the rest!

• We’ve added a new feature to the booking system. You can get DoC information about a destination hut, such as its history and facilities (and, sometimes, charges) by positioning your cursor on the hut name if it’s highlighted on the booking sheet – that link will usually show in light blue and is underlined.