Wellington Tramping & Mountaineering Club (WTMC)

Pāua Hut was shown some love this weekend thanks to a committed team undertaking a working bee to keep things fresh. And it was also recently shown some love by Pippi, who painted our sweet green hut! You can find more details about Pāua Hut on our website 💚 It sleeps 10, has a gas cooker/pots/pans, is less than an hour’s drive from Wellington and is able to be booked by members 🫶

Our 2026 photo competition is live! It’s time to dig out your tramping snaps – or better yet, take some on your next club trip. We have hundreds of dollars worth of prizes to give away thanks to Bivouac, Coffee Outdoors, Dwights Outdoors and the Wilderness Magazine.

This year, the categories are:

• Above the bushline (no human element)
• Above the bushline (human element)
• Below the bushline (no human element)
• Below the bushline (human element)
• Historic
• Nature, flora and fauna
• Film (contemporary, taken with a film camera)
• Peoples’ choice (selection narrowed by judge).

Enter by emailing [email protected] by August 23. Winners will be announced at a club night on Wednesday 2 September 2026.

Find more info here (link in stories): https://wtmc.org.nz/event/wtmc-photo-competition-2026-wtmc-club-night/

Photo by Lynsey Sutton, Arthurs Pass - one of our 2025 winners!

A quick website update: We’re making progress on the website refresh and finalising the design, before we start a month-long build, and then transfer content. We’re also taking a wider look at our tech systems, to understand if they could be easier to use. We’ll continue to keep you updated - if you have expertise in this area that you’d like to share, please email our VP Andrew at [email protected].

🌿Tonight: Te Araroa Club Night - (Wed 15 July). Please note this will be upstairs at Leroy’s Bar, Wellington CBD, not the TTC Clubrooms!

Join club members Sam Burns, Ellarose Callinan and James Hancock as they share their experiences on Te Araroa. Hear about their highlights, gear and food choices and the planning involved in walking the length of Aotearoa.

Doors open at 6:30pm, talk starts at 7pm.

Tickets are live for the 2026 Welly Clubs Winter Quiz!

Back for another year of brain-teasing fun, the Wellington Tramping and Mountaineering Club, New Zealand Alpine Club, and Victoria University of Wellington Tramping Club are coming together on Tuesday 28 July to bring you our annual Winter Quiz.

All funds raised will go to LandSAR Wellington, to support their vital work. We’ll also have a raffle filled with goodies on the night 🎟️

Tickets are live and will to sell out fast. Secure your table here: https://www.vuwtc.org.nz/Event/13465

Beautiful pics by Rachel Brandon of a recent trip to Tongariro NP which saw 40 members heading to our Ruapehu Lodge for the winter Solstice Ball 🗻🪩🫶 Dancing, tramping and tacos ensued — thanks to everyone who made the trip a success!

Our new trip schedule is live on our website, with trips through to December. Tararua overnighters, challenging crossings, alpine activities, packrafting, fun day trips and South Island adventures are all ready for your sign-ups!

More info below or at Wtmc.org.nz/trips. A couple of trips are still looking for leaders, so pop a note in your sign-up or reach out to [email protected] if you’re able to help with this! ✨

July to December trips by region:

•󠁏󠁏 Lewis Pass: Mt Technical/Brass Monkey

•󠁏󠁏 Tongariro NP: Alpine Refresher, Alpine Week and Veterans Week. Whangaehu Hut from Ruapehu Lodge.

•󠁏󠁏 Tararua FP: Parawai Lodge & Field, Tutuwai Hut, Penn Creek Hut, Fields Track & Rae Ridge, Holdsworth Loop, Tōtara Flats Hut, High Ridge, Powell & Jumbo Loop. Haukura Ridge & Hidden Lake Loop, Te Matawai Hut Loop, Poads Rd to Ōtaki Forks, Kime > Elder, Renata, Waiotauru > Ōtaki Forks Loop, Island Forks/Mid- Ōtaki/South Ōhau, Mitre-Baldy & Dorset Ridge Loop.

•󠁏󠁏 Ruahine FP: Waikamaka Hut, Forks Hut, Top Gorge Hut via Pōhangina Saddle, Parks Peak Hut, Upper Makaroro & Aranga Hut Loop, Rangiwahia

•󠁏󠁏 Nelson Lakes: Angelus Hut, Pelorus River/Dun Mountain/Maungatapu Saddle Loop

•󠁏󠁏 Kahurangi NP: Poor Pete’s or McConchie’s Hut, 1000 Acre Plateau

•󠁏󠁏 Taranaki: Day trips from Konini Lodge, Lake Dive

•󠁏󠁏 Leatham Conservation Area: Molesworth, Leatham Saxton Loop

•󠁏󠁏 Remutaka FP: Pāua Hut

•󠁏󠁏 Day walks: Belmont Regional Park: Tin Hut Nav/Day trip, Baring Head Lighthouse day walk, Micks Track & Plane Wreck, Escarpment Track. Mākara Coastal Loop

•󠁏󠁏 Upper Hutt: Beginner Packrafting Taster Trip

•󠁏󠁏 Aorangi FP: Aorangi Crossing (Pinnacles to Mangatoetoe from Palliser Road), Washpool Hut

A reminder that Snowcraft sign-ups close today ❄️ This course is for confident trampers wanting to learn the basic skills needed to start going on alpine trips, including moving on snow with and without crampons, self-arrest, assessing alpine weather and avalanche risk, navigation and route selection. There will be lots of interest and limited space, with preference given to active club members who volunteer and lead trips. It’s hosted up at the club’s awesome Ruapehu Lodge — sign up and find out more here: https://forms.gle/bFYiCmyXS6nnwftX6