1000 ACRE PLATEAU
Date: 23-27/07/2012
Mission: Matiri Valley - 1000 Acre Plateau - Return
Crew: Ari, Jake, Hugoss, Dillon and I.
Tutor: Keith Riley
Weather: Overcast to fine and slight southeasterlies about the tops. Frosty nights.
Plot: Alpine Tramp week at tech saw a depleted team of 5 plus the enigma that is Keith Riley set off toward 100 and 1000 acre plateau from the Matiri Valley. The 4-day trip included a terrific variety of terrain from river valley to boulder hopping, bush whacking to tussock-covered tops, mudstone outcrops to marshy plateau and classic beech forest to finish. We had a fantastic time due to fast, efficient and evenly paced team, a massive food rec that meant gourmet meals and good weather.
12 APOSTLES STORM ATTEMPT
Date: 23/06/2012
Mission: Walk along the 12 Apostles to Rapahoe - in a ripping West Coast storm.
Crew: Ari, Eckies and I
Weather: Raging storm - see the chart!
Plot: Restless and needing something to do Ari and I decided to try walk along the Apostles - the distinctive range just north of Greymouth. Apparently it's a bit of a right of passage for TPP students to do before they graduate. We wanted to make it epic of course, so started out with a big northwest storm due to hit at midday. It went well, and the conditions made it all the more exciting, clambering under and over massive dead trees through some mentally damaging supplejack thickets and sliding down some steep bluffs!! We didn't get the whole way due to the conditions, which gave us nil visibility, and as we didn't prepare a compass or watch (sorry tutors) decided to get off the ridge about 2.00pm. It took a good hour and a half to get back to the road though and was some of the most intense bush bashing I've done - all in pelting rain and wind - AWESOME!!
Date: 23-27/07/2012
Mission: Matiri Valley - 1000 Acre Plateau - Return
Crew: Ari, Jake, Hugoss, Dillon and I.
Tutor: Keith Riley
Weather: Overcast to fine and slight southeasterlies about the tops. Frosty nights.
Plot: Alpine Tramp week at tech saw a depleted team of 5 plus the enigma that is Keith Riley set off toward 100 and 1000 acre plateau from the Matiri Valley. The 4-day trip included a terrific variety of terrain from river valley to boulder hopping, bush whacking to tussock-covered tops, mudstone outcrops to marshy plateau and classic beech forest to finish. We had a fantastic time due to fast, efficient and evenly paced team, a massive food rec that meant gourmet meals and good weather.
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| Looking back after gaining the ridge via a 2 hour bush bash. |
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| Haystack |
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| The Boys |
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| Awesome layered of mudstone along the ridge |
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| The brand new sport of Tarn Sliding! Ari breaking it down on a grade 3 tarn. |
12 APOSTLES STORM ATTEMPT
Date: 23/06/2012
Mission: Walk along the 12 Apostles to Rapahoe - in a ripping West Coast storm.
Crew: Ari, Eckies and I
Weather: Raging storm - see the chart!
Plot: Restless and needing something to do Ari and I decided to try walk along the Apostles - the distinctive range just north of Greymouth. Apparently it's a bit of a right of passage for TPP students to do before they graduate. We wanted to make it epic of course, so started out with a big northwest storm due to hit at midday. It went well, and the conditions made it all the more exciting, clambering under and over massive dead trees through some mentally damaging supplejack thickets and sliding down some steep bluffs!! We didn't get the whole way due to the conditions, which gave us nil visibility, and as we didn't prepare a compass or watch (sorry tutors) decided to get off the ridge about 2.00pm. It took a good hour and a half to get back to the road though and was some of the most intense bush bashing I've done - all in pelting rain and wind - AWESOME!!
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| The front we went out in, the eye was right on the Apostles at 12pm! |
LEWIS PASS TRAMP (with ZAK SHAW)
Date: 02-05/03/12
Mission:
Weather:
Crew: Watson, Ari, Julia, Rhys, Hugo, Kristin, Jono, Logan and I.
Tutor: Zak Shaw
Plot: Short 2 hour walk up Doubtful Valley. Camped by the river after deciding against the bush bash to the tops. 03/03 - Big day with diabolical weather. A two-hour beech bush bash saw us gain the tops. Low cloud made navigation tricky and we became increasingly reliant on glimpses of features through the cloud, and on contours. We topped Mt. Quail, then sidled Mt. Carrington, due to the strong nor'easterly. Made camp on the lee side of the ridge next to a tarn. Watson's snoring premeated camp throughout the night, much to the indignation of his group. 04/03 - We woke to clearer conditions and Ari led us down Devil's Rampart to Devil's Den Biv for lunch. To regain the tops we completed a stiff climb through subslpine scrub back to the tops. This coincided with a break in the weather at last, and we enjoyed our first views of the surrounds. Beautiful. Our planned campsite was too exposed, so we pushed on an extra half hour down to the bushline to a sweet spot amongst the beech, and enjoyed coconut and bellbird song before bed. 05/03- A short walk to our bushline entry point, followed by an entertaining whack back down to the Nina River. Tramp over.
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| Sunset campsite |
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| Low cloud on the tops hampered navigation. |
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| Finally a bit of a view! |
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| Heading for Sylvia Tops |
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| Logan ponders things, potentially an early camp? |
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| Zak capturing the scene at out final camp. |
ARAHURA-STYX VALLEY TRAMP
Date:
Mission: 1st Tramp of the Year
Crew: Alice, Rebecca, Ru, Dan, Simos, Greg and I.
Weather: Fine/overcast
Instructor: Dave Williams
Plot: First tramp of the year. Went up the Arahura and down the styx. Good intro tramp to the Coast. Learned about group management and travel times.
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