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Upcoming Events at the OTMC

Weekly update of upcoming OTMC activities
Membership renewal
Just a friendly reminder to those of you (like me) who missed it in the bulletin, that OTMC memberships are due to be renewed for the 2021-22 financial year. Check out the website for details.

OTMC Thursday Night Meetings

Covid Plans
The club will start operating Thursday night club meetings from the 21 October but with the following requirements:
  • Club Members only
  • If feeling unwell - stay at home
  • Ensure you scan the NZ Cover Tracer at the club rooms (or fill in the register)
  • Keep 1 metre away from people you do not know
  • Avoid congregating in the kitchen or toilet areas
Please note that the first night will consist of a beach walk and then tea/coffee at the club rooms depending on numbers. 

As the Covid situation changes we will adjust our settings as required.
21 October
Local Walk

We'll go on a short walk, starting from the clubrooms. For contact tracing purposes, this will be limited to club members only, will be weather permitting, and presuming that covid restrictions don't get any tighter. More details to follow.
28 October
Halo Project
Back in February this year a notice was sent out headed ‘Improving Conditions for Native Birds on
Flagstaff’. In that notice it stated that the Halo Project Team were working on a Pest Control management plan for the Flagstaff area. Not only have they been working on a management plan but it seems that the
plan has been put into action, going by the number of wooden box traps that have sprouted up in the
area.
So, how many traps are there? Have they caught any Pests? And what else is happening in the local
area that we tramp? Come and find out what traps are being used and how they work when the Halo Team bring us up to date with the trapping that is taking place in the Flagstaff/Swampy area. They will also provide an update on the whole of the Halo Project.
Club Gear Auction
The annual club gear auction is coming up, please have a rummage through your garage, gear closet or storage boxes for any unused gear that could be sold.
It doesn't just have to be tramping related. It could be a cake you've baked, or some pickles etc. You may be downsizing your house and have wonderful books, jigsaw puzzles and any manner of weird and wonderful objects that we can auction off. The main objective is to have fun.
Proceeds from the auction will go to a charity organisation  chosen by the committee.

Day Trips

Day Trips during alert level 2



Day trips have always been available to both club and non club members so the preferred option is for people wanting to attend a day walk to meet at the location during level 2.

If a Day trip is scheduled to leave from the club rooms, then the following guidance will come into affect: 

Preference is club members only
If feeling unwell - stay at home
Wear a mask if carpooling with people you do not know
Maximum of 4 people to a car and the trip leader will need to record who is travelling in each car
Ensure you scan the NZ Cover Tracer at the club rooms (these will be on the outside of both doors)
Ensure you complete the SAR list as per usual.

The trip leader has the ultimate discretion so they may also ask some screening questions related to Covid on the day. Please continue to respect the job they do
 

Day Trip Summer Programme 2021/22

Hi Everyone,
We need to fill the Trip Card for this coming summer. ASAP.
If you’ve led a trip before, please offer again. You can do the same trip or something different.
If you’ve never led a trip before, NOW IS THE TIME. It’s easy.
Just pick a date that suits you, on a Sunday. Just let me know:

  • Destination
  • Fitness grade (how many hours, get in touch if not sure)
  • Contact details
  • Start Time and Place (Clubrooms, or Woodhaugh, or other)
  • Activity (tramp, cycle, boat trip, Quarantine Island, birdwatching, photography, etc.)

If you wish to lead a trip but still need time to think about destination/ route/ etc, NO PROBLEM BOOK YOUR SLOT IN THE TRIP CARD NOW. We can fill in details later. 

If you enjoy going on day trips with the club, please put your hand up to lead at least one day trip this summer.The club relies on your participation. 

At the moment, the following dates are open,

Oct 24th
November 14th
December 19th 
January 2nd and 9th
(mid Dec to Mid Jan are traditionally ‘holidays’ but if someone wants to organise a trip then go ahead, make my day!)
February 6th and 20th
March 6th and 20th
April 10th onward (trip card ends with 8th May). 

Thanks so much, Nga mihi nui, in advance,

 

Mark Stephenson

Day Trip Convener.
markstephenson@xtra.co.nz

17 October
Unexplored Silverpeaks

Leader: Richard Pettinger (03 487 9488, 027 950 4517)
Meet at 9 AM at the Clubrooms. This is a trip you should do once in your life.
 
We meet and decide on a spot around the Silver Peaks nobody on the trip has been to before. This could be because there’s no tracks; - well, there were no tracks established last time we were there…
 
This complete madness used to be called “For Masochists” for good reason. But this year it is for masochists who are OTMC members only; for contact tracing purposes, this will be limited to members, will be weather permitting, and presuming that covid restrictions don't get any tighter. I have the PLB from the Clubrooms, and a good first aid kit, so don’t be too afraid to join me.
 
See you if you dare.
Tramping in the Silver Peaks by Tom Wager

Weekend Trips

Weekend Trips during alert level 2
This guidance is for trips leaving from the clubrooms. If members are planning to meet at the starting location, then the trip leader will make decisions as required.
  • Club members only
  • If feeling unwell - stay at home
  • Maximum of 4 people to a car and the trip leader will need to record who is travelling in each car
  • Ensure you scan the NZ Cover Tracer at the club rooms (these will be on the outside of both doors)
  • Ensure you complete the SAR list as per usual.
 
The trip leader has the ultimate discretion so they may also ask some screening questions related to Covid. Please continue to respect the job they do.
Please touch base with the trip leader directly for Weekend trips prior to 1st November. Trip lists for future trips will go up in the club rooms as normal from the 21 October.
23 - 25 October (Labour Weekend)
Caples/Greenstone Area

Leader: Rodger Clarkson (021 0268 2778 or (03) 4736053)

Our club has decided to start running club trips at level 2 (with a few changes to meet the Covid level 2 guidelines) Ian Billinghurst was due to lead a trip to the Caples/Greenstone/Steele Creek area but is now unable to lead the trip. Rodger Clarkson has stepped in to coordinate this trip so please contact him at rodger.clarkson@xtra.co.nz or 021 0268 2778 or (03) 4736053 if you would like to attend this trip.

Options that Ian was working on included: 

My plan was to start from the Greenstone car park as it’s only 30 minutes from there to the Caple/Greenstone junction vs 2 hours if coming from the Divide. 

Options for trips:

From the junction it’s about 3 hours to either Caples or Greenstone huts so you could walk to one of them on Saturday, then turn around and walk to the other one on Sunday, then out on Monday. Or there’s the 2-3 bunk Slip Flat hut instead of Greenstone Hut. Or Taupo Hut is about 4 hours down the Mavora Walkway from Greenstone Hut.

Steele Creek would be best done from the Greenstone. It would take about 8 hours to reach the 4 bunk Steele Creek Hut. There’s camping near the hut. From there it would be maybe 6 hours to get over the pass and down the steep mountainside to the Caples track... there’s real nice camping at the swing bridge over the Caples on the track to Kay Creek and Fraser Creek, otherwise it’s another 3 hours down the Caples to Caples Hut. Might need an ice axe for the pass but I know a website that hast up to date satellite photos so I can let you know what the snow's doing.

The Caples/Greenstone circuit is actually awkward to do in 3 days staying at the huts. Like I said, it’s only 3-4 hours to either Caples or Greenstone huts, but then it’s 6ish hours to McKellar Hut. So that means you need to do a 9-10 hour day on either the 1st or last day, skipping one of those first huts. Would be easier to take a tent and camp at that swing bridge spot on the Fraser/Kay track and then in the Greenstone between McKellar and Greenstone huts.

Part of the changes to meet Covid restrictions is that the trip is available to members only and each carload would form their own tramping party. If you let me know your preferred option I will try and coordinate you with other club members.

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