Windy Tops

Category: update

  • You can’t beat Wellington on a good day

    All parts of New Zealand have great things going for them, but the target of my unending bias is definitely the Wellington region. This is the case even though I’ve been absent for the past 2.5 years, living in Melbourne for secondary employment reasons. I’m aware that the region gets its share of weather events which are sometimes unpleasant to live with, yet it’s events like last week’s relatively newsworthy storm which also cause me to feel most home-sick. It’s the type of thing I would have written about if there at the time.

    Sunny and consistent weather is okay for a few minutes, but I appreciate being able to walk around a hill-top in the town belt during a strong wind, or sit on the rocks during a southerly gale under the sheltered northern end of the Wellington Airport runway, watching the flights awkwardly drop to the runway from directly underneath. When living locally, it’s the type of thing I often enjoyed writing about between everything else which ends up here, but it’s been lacking during the time I’ve been away.
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  • Re-visiting New Zealand

    We’re getting ready to go back to New Zealand again, in another of our recurring visits. For anyone who reads these things and has not been aware, I’ve been living abroad for the last couple of years. My plan, having caught up with some friends and family around Wellington, is to visit the Ruahines over Easter as part of a small WTMC group. All of the cool kids in the trampey club like to go south on long weekends for some reason, so we’ll be a more dynamic, small group in what is the second best mountain range for tramping in the world. These are my favourite kinds of groups to go out tramping with, so it should be enjoyable.

    Being the Ruahines, as with many other parts of NZ, I anticipate steep climbs between coasting around on the mildly undulating tops, possibly in cloud and strong wind. Trying to prepare for this type of thing, when based in Melbourne, has been a novel task in itself. When living and working in Wellington, I really didn’t have to think about hill-walking fitness issues too hard, as I could easily organise my life to factor in some good routine walking activities which tended to keep me generally walking fit. I’d have a 200 metre vertical climb upwards every evening when I walked home from work, and an 80’ish metre vertical climb upwards when I walked to work in the morning. A large chunk of the route was in Wellington’s town belt, generally away from immediate clusters of population. It was a nice escape at both ends of the work day, and I think having this day after day worked.

    That type of interwoven landscape doesn’t really exist in Melbourne. Here I have a 40 minute walk into and out of the CBD every morning, but it’s all flat, through landscaped grassy parks with footpaths, sports fields and planted trees alongside busy roads and cycle routes. It’s nice in other ways, but it rarely feels physically taxing as far as getting walking-fit. Therefore, as with the previous times I’ve returned NZ to go tramping, I’ve attempted to simulate a hill-side by climbing up and down the stairs of the building in which I work.

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    An interwoven landscape, November 18th last year.
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  • Check Out FMC Bulletin Number 190

    A Track Closed sign in the Eastern Tararau Range.
    A Track Closed sign in the Eastern
    Tararua Range. Photo: Craig McGregor.

    If you have access to the November 2012 copy of the Federated Mountain Clubs Bulletin Number 190, please take a look at pages 40-41 on which I have a small opinion piece.

    In it, I discuss a creeping issue which I think exists with the Department of Conservation’s tendency to declare places as ‘closed’, after which it’s legally ambiguous and often misleading as to whether they’re actually closed or not. I don’t want to under-cut the FMC Bulletin’s distribution by posting it here immediately, but once it’s had a reasonable chance to get around, I’ll re-post it here with much more elaboration on the issue and the laws involved.

    I’m ultimately hoping to provoke a discussion about this. As much as I enjoy people commenting on this blog, I think such a discussion would be more effective and useful via entities such as Federated Mountain Clubs, which I know reaches many more people than my blog does. Therefore, if you have something especially engaging to say and are equipped to respond in that forum, I’d like to suggest considering a response via the FMC Bulletin or a similar forum. (eg. Write the editor a letter if you’re so inclined — Shaun likes letters. 🙂 ) Otherwise please tell your friends, or comment here if you’re not so organised or aren’t affiliated enough.
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  • Historic Relationships

    It’s been quiet on the blog post authoring front lately. This is not because there hasn’t been much to talk about, so much as because I’m presently on holiday in the UK and Ireland. Apologies to those people who’ve left comments which I haven’t yet had time to address. I’ve also spent a while trying to research and author an opinion piece for the FMC bulletin (which has been an experience in itself) regarding the word “closed” as it is sometimes applied to parts if the New Zealand conservation estate. That probably won’t come out until about November and I don’t want to undercut it, but I’ll post it here some time after that and probably decorate it with some lengthier detail and references which didn’t fit very well in the Bulletin edition.
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  • Just for a few days

    I’ve been back in New Zealand for the last few days. We came back mostly for a wedding (in the Coromandel) which has been and gone. After that we drove down the North Island via Taranaki, turning many corners and driving over many hills, which is something else I’ve really missed. Thankfully the frequent Taranaki sunshine relented for a day, providing an unusual day of low cloud and heavy rain for me to hop up towards the mountain and read a few pages my book. I’ll write something more properly about that later once I have a chance.

    Now I’m in Wellington for a few days, just hanging around and enjoying the place.
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  • Tutuwai Hut damaged

    I know a few people who follow this blog visit the Tararuas. If this is you, make a note that Tutuwai Hut is presently damaged thanks to a fallen tree in the recent stormy weather, and officially closed until further notice. If you go that way, you’ll be camping outside in your alternative mobile shelter option.

    The current alert from DoC is published as part of the Wairarapa Alerts.

    I’ve no idea to what extent the damage is. If anyone happens to know (or has any photos they don’t mind sharing), please feel welcome to comment here.

    Edit 24-July-2011: Ross Browne has posted a couple of photos [1, 2] (from a third party) on the Tararua Range Facebook page.

    Edit 25-August-2011: As Liam noted in a comment below, the hut now appears to be repaired (although the main track in is still as washed out as it’s been for a while).

  • I’m outta here

    …at least for a while.
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  • Staying in Taihape

    I went through an anticlimatic experience on the weekend. Richard, Amanda and I were meaning to get to Wakelings Hut in the Ruahines, starting from the end of Makino Road on the western side, which is about the next road north of Kawhatau Base. I found myself not feeling too well. After being up for much of the night between Friday and Saturday as we stayed (by arrangement) on one of the nearby farms, I decided I wasn’t exactly fit to go.

    In some ways this worked out for the better. With oncoming weather it was uncertain if Amanda and Richard could get all the way around to Wakelings Hut and back over the Mokai Patea as planned, so with the new arrangements I was able to drive the car around to Kawhatau Base and collect them the following day. As I waited, I spent two exciting days in Taihape, which is a nice little town and I saw three steam trains drive through it, two of which were the Overlander and one of which was a special excursion by Mainline Steam. Unfortunately it was one of the few weekends in Taihape without a gumboot throwing competition, and for most of the time I did still wish I’d brought a book to read.
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  • New documentaries on New Zealand Rivers

    I’m not normally one for watching television, but there are a couple of worthwhile television documentaries out right now that document various New Zealand Rivers, and may be worthwhile watching.

    • A Tale of Two Rivers is a 30 minute documentary that looks at power schemes and the west coast, focusing on Meridian’s plan to dam the Mokihinui River, and HDL Stockton’s plan to dam and generate power from polluted mine water.

      The documentary is currently screening on the digital only TVNZ 6. At this time of writing, the two remaining screenings on TVNZ6 are Thursday 16th September (7pm to 7.30pm), and Saturday 18th September (7.30pm to 8pm). The documentary is also available on DVD for $15.

    • Rivers is a new series presented by well-known New Zealand scenic photographer, back-country explorer and calendar salesman, Craig Potton. For each one-hour episode, Craig travels the length of a major river in New Zealand, talking to people and examining its past, present and future. The five episodes screen on Prime TV, Sunday nights between 7.30pm and 8.30pm. (The first episode, looking at the Clutha River, screened last Sunday.)

    Enjoy.

  • Meridian, DoC and the Mokihinui River

    Just to add to some of happenings around the Mokihinui River (historic references: a trip report about walking it, a decision to allow damming it, and the Department of Conservation’s appeal to that decision), it looks as if there’s been a lot going on behind the scenes earlier this year.

    Claire Browning (over at Pundit) has made use of the Official Information Act to obtain communications between DoC and Meridian which make some weird reading. It’s an insight into how these large project applications can work. It gives an idea of the strong differences of opinion between DoC experts and Meridian over use of the land, and also shows Meridian as trying to evade the Official Information Act, essentially by trying to stop DoC from writing certain things down.

    More politics. I’m going back to the Ruahines this weekend. It should be fun.