Unfortunately the pathogen responsible for kauri disease has been discovered in the Kaimais, leading to track closures. Check out this link for more information.

There is an interesting and very relevant article here on the Department of Conservation and their struggle to maintain and keep open huts, tracks and other structures.

The FMC has a list of tracks affected by the recent bad weather, please check it out if you are heading out on a track.

https://fmc.org.nz/2023/03/08/cyclone-gabrielle-aftermath-reporting-track-damage-to-doc/

Also please follow our Facebook page where you will see updates and latest news.

Club member Roger has the following two tramping items up for sale:

• Sunbeam Food Lab Dehydrator
• Black Diamond 12 point flexible Crampons

If anyone is interested please email books@persons.co.nz

On the 26th February, the club headed out to Shakespear Regional Park and found perfect weather! The park offers rolling green hills, stunning beaches and sweeping views towards the Hauraki Gulf. Thank you to Ivan who took these great photos of the day!

"The scream came from the front of the group. About 25m ahead of me..."

If you’re heading out hiking or tramping during the New Zealand summer and early autumn months, especially in beech forests (and especially at the top of the South Island) you’re almost certainly going to encounter wasps. Their sting can be at best painful, at worst trigger an anaphylactic reaction. Here's a few tips on how to avoid wasps nests and how to treat the stings should the worst happen.

Beware the sting: A Tramper's Guide to Avoiding and Managing Wasp Attacks

If you're new to tramping or about to do your first overnight trip, here is a good blog about what to consider when staying in a hut with other trampers.  Advice comes from DOC rangers and tramping staff themselves!

             

Anthony, Chris, Pete, Kevin, Milo, Eileen, Angela

Our party of intrepid track clearers left Auckland Saturday morning with the ominous threat of storms. The weather gods were smiling on Wairere falls and we arrived to light drizzle providing some cooling for the scenic climb to the top of the falls, armed with our track clearing weaponry. On arrival at the top, fine sunny weather greeted us just in time for lunch. Onwards up the track to our 5 Star campsite where tents were pitched just in time for a short siesta while the rain came down to clear for a fine sunny day.

On the job and excellent progress was achieved with a 1 km section being cleared from our campsite up the North South track ~250m past the Upper Wairere Falls turnoff, meeting up with where we finished off earlier in the year. 

The rain gods were busy overnight with thunder and lightning but as ordered it cleared to a fine sunny day in time for breakfast. After a side trip to the Upper Wairere Falls we finished our Sunday track clearing session.

This trip marks a 6-year milestone with the entire track now cleared from the Aongatete Road end (located off SH2 near Katikati), up the North South Track, then over the top of the saddle near the Southern end to the top of Wairere Falls. This epic result represents 983 hrs worked since the first Club Track Clearing Party in October 2016.

A leisurely lunch back at our campsite saw us heading back to the carpark, again timing it just right to miss the rain before making our way back to Auckland via the requisite refreshments stop in Te Aroha.   

Special thanks to great work from my team: Chris (also chauffeur), Angela, Milo, Pete, Eileen and Ants   

From Kaimai Track and Hut Users:

Biking Hiking Shuttles - the brainchild of Sue and Pete Middleton.

I’m sure many of you have have seen some commentary recently about Sue and Pete, and some have used their services - with fantastic reviews.

We (KRT) would not normally endorse businesses via this Facebook page, however Biking Hiking Shuttles is a great fit for our mission to get people in and out of the Kaimais with great experiences - safely, and therefore makes them something of an exception.

Sue and Pete, also intrepid adventurers, are based on their farm near Te Aroha and offer a comprehensive service that will get you where you are going - can provide safe parking, and will even pick you up after, with flexibility around timing!

Coming out a day early - no problem. Need to change exit pickup - go on challenge them!

Pretty sure I’ll be seeing them soon - hit them up - got to be better than coming out to a damaged or missing car - or if you get rained out and need to exit early for safety reasons - have the security of knowing you can do this.

Judging by that feedback - they’re off to a great start.

bikinghikingshuttles.co.nz

Android phone users - the wait is over!

The Android version of The Trail App has been updated for this season and is available free of charge in the Google Play Store. The latest version is 8.3, featuring up to date maps and track data for the 2022/2023 Te Araroa walking season.

The app allows you to access helpful information, official trail notes and safety alerts from your mobile phone. It also shows campsites, huts, topographical maps and information on trail elevation, even in areas with no internet access.

Stay tuned for the updated version of the app for iPhone. We will let you all know when the iPhone version has gone through all necessary Apple App Store approvals and is available for download.