Windy Tops

  • Daywalk: Kapakapanui

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    Looking at Kapiti Island
    from Kapakapanui

    Yesterday I went on my first ever daytrip with the trampey club, which was a nice little milestone. We went for a walk around the Kapakapanui loop track in the Tararuas. This track begins at the Ngatiawa road-end, east of Waikanae. It climbs (and then descends) about 1000 metres, and is probably about 10 kms in length.

    Date: 28th October, 2007
    Location: Tararua Forest Park, Ngatiawa Road-End.
    People: Bronwyn, Mike, Michelle, Éamonn, Peter, Sarah, Becky, Sally, Claus, Jo, Annemarie.
    Huts visited: Kapakapanui Hut (0 nights).
    Intended route: Start at the road-end, follow the loop track clock-wise up to Kapakapanui Hut, continue to Kapakapanui Trig, then continue back down to the road-end.
    [Photos]

    This post is a trip report. You can find other trip reports about other places linked from the Trip Reports Page, or by browsing the Trip Reports Category.

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  • And this is Wellington on a good day

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    Mt Kaukau on a not-so-clear
    day, just over a year ago.

    New Zealand was the subject of very strong winds for much of today. Roofs were blown off houses, trucks were blown over, trees were blown down, windows and walls were blown out, power lines were wrecked, and roads were closed.

    Windy Wellington City meanwhile (as outsiders sometimes call it) had a very calm and sunny day, although I was stuck at work at the time. This didn’t stop TV3 from announcing during its weather bulletin that Wellington’s Mount Kaukau, which I can see from my desk and is an hour’s walk away, recorded the country’s highest gust of wind in the country. It was reportedly somewhere above 150 km/h. I guess it just shows how much contrast there can be within such a short distance depending on which places are sheltered more.

  • Trip: Doubtful Hut, Lake Man Biv, Top Hope, Hope Halfway Shelter

    This trip was a while ago now (last Easter), but I never wrote a trip report about it at the time. I thought I might try to document some of it now while it’s still in my memory.

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    Lunch at Lake Man Biv

    Dates: 6th – 9th April, 2007
    Location: Lake Sumner Conservation Park.
    People: Dirk, Dave C, Emile, Dave J, Justin, Dave B, Paul, Lisa, Kathryn, and me.
    Huts visited: Doubtful Hut (0 nights), Lake Man Biv (0 nights), Top Hope Hut (1 night camping), Saint Jacobs Hut (0 nights), Hope Halfway Shelter (1 night, camping).
    Intended route: Walk west along Doubtful River towards Doubtful Hut, up a spur and sidle around a bit to Lake Man Biv, over a convenient saddle in the Doubtful Range, then south-ish down a spur on the other side to Pussy Stream. Turn west at the junction with Hope River to Top Hope Hut. Visit nearby hot pools (half an hours walk further west), then head east and south-east along Hope River, past Saint Jacobs’ Hut. Continue along the river to Hope Halfway Shelter, then back to the road. (And walk or hitch several kms back up the road to collect the van.) This route is approximately the same as one that’s currently promoted on the DOC website.
    [Photos]

    This post is a trip report. You can find other trip reports about other places linked from the Trip Reports Page, or by browsing the Trip Reports Category.

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  • Daywalk: Te Kopahou Reserve Radar Dome to Seatoun

    I wasn’t doing anything specific this weekend, so I thought I might go for a wander around Te Kopahou Reserve. This is the area that includes the hills above Red Rocks on Wellington’s south coast, as well south of the radar dome belonging to the Airways Corporation.

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    Date: 21st October, 2007 (8.20am to 3.20pm)
    Location: Te Kopahou Reserve and Wellington South Coast
    People: Just me

    It’s very accessible and I’ve been there a few times before, but I think this is the first time I’ve written anything about it. I got around the reserve in about 3 or 4 hours, and spent the rest of the day walking around the coast to Seatoun.

    This post is a trip report. You can find other trip reports about other places linked from the Trip Reports Page, or by browsing the Trip Reports Category.

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  • Nice panoramas

    I managed to get a couple of nice panoramas on last weekend’s trip, both on Sunday morning. They’ve been stitched using hugin, which I’m just now starting to learn how to use. The first shows a very snow-covered Ruapehu on the far left. (Click through to larger versions.)

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  • Trip: Purity, Pourangaki, Kelly Knight

    I’d seen some weather maps during the Friday afternoon before we left on this trip, suggesting that a massive splodge of rain was heading for the approximate area of the central North Island. This was to be my first attempt at a club trip rated as medium-fit, and I had completely forgotten to bring my umbrella. How embarrassing. I wasn’t the worst off, though. Alistair forgot to bring his shorts.

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    Dates: 5th – 7th October, 2007
    Location: Ruahine Forest Park, Purity Road-End.
    People: Captain (and gourmet chef) Alistair, Dirk, Paul and meeeee.
    Huts visited: Purity Hut (0 nights), Pourangaki Hut (1 night), Kelly Knight Hut (0 nights).
    Intended route: Camp at the Purity road-end on Friday night, then walk up past Purity Hut, Wooden Peg and Iron Peg. Turn South-East and carry on to Ohuinga, then head North down Broken Ridge, ending at Waterfall Hut for Saturday night. On Sunday, head up to Mangaweka via Trig Creek, back past Iron Peg and Wooden Peg, Purity Hut, and then out.
    Actual route: Similar initially, but due to some weather issues we picked up the track down a spur about half way between Iron Peg and Ohuinga, to Pourangaki Hut. On Sunday, we continued along the track up over Pourangaki, and down to Kelly Knight Hut for lunch, then back to the Purity road-end.
    Electric shocks: One.
    [Photos]

    There was no rain at all as it turned out, but the wind was a huge factor.

    This post is a trip report. You can find other trip reports about other places linked from the Trip Reports Page, or by browsing the Trip Reports Category.

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  • Futurama is closer

    Futurama is getting closer! There’s a trailer for the upcoming Futurama DVD movie on YouTube.

  • Fun weather changes

    The weather in town’s been crazy today. It started off cold and windy (unless you count the heavy rain when I woke up at 3am). Then there was a short torrential downpour, just after I arrived at work. Next the Sun came out, and it was sunny for a short while as walked through the freezing southerly gale blowing along the Terrace wind tunnel. It clouded over and went gray again for a bit, and now at 4.15pm, the Sun is out again. Looking out the window, it looks as if the wind has died down a little.

    Wellington’s fantastic!

    Back to the Ruahines this weekend.

  • New section of Te Ara

    The new section of Te Ara, titled The Bush, which was opened yesterday, looks really impressive.