Club nights are at Turnbull House, on the first unimpeded Monday of every month. New and prospective members are welcome. Meet for dinner at the Backbencher public bar at 6.30 and on to Turnbull House at 7.30 pm for a catch up. Meetings and talks start at 8.00 pm with club business and tea and coffee afterwards.

Camp Near Central Crater

Section trip news

Please send all your fantastic trip reports to newsletter @nzalpine.wellington.net.nz, so everyone can enjoy your stories.

Finding Mount Doom - A New Zealand Alpine Club trip to complete the Tongariro crossing and climb Ngauruhoe in September 2005.

Just as sleep was becoming a really good place to be we were woken by the six o’clock alarm. A quick look outside and blue skies! The feeling of anticipation of quality time with the hills and snow helped to push sleep away. Up and faffing around with stuff sacks and getting a seemingly impossible amount of gear into a very small pack kept us occupied until breakfast. At Eivins café, a solid feast of bacon, egg, toast, tea and general banter as everyone’s metabolisms kick into action and thoughts become focused on the day ahead.

Arriving at the Mangatepopo car park we get our first sight Ngauruhoe – ancient Maori warrior god, and more recently the film set for Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings. It sends a buzz of excitement through the blood – the white sloping cone framed against a pure blue sky, the snow cover complete and pristine, shining in the morning sun. A light mist drifts in adding a sense of mystery, obscuring the objective for the moment and focusing the attention back to the immediate tasks of small adjustments to packs and clothing, applying sun cream and donning sunglasses, putting away the gore-text and woolly hats.

About 1km in and we arrive at the first real work of the day, to rise from the valley floor up to the plateau below the volcano there is a steepish, rocky path through about 300m of vertical height to a saddle. Here the full weight of the packs becomes apparent and the body begins to feel the exertions of gaining height. The surroundings become increasingly barren and slowly more snow appears, along with fantastic fingers of ice, a strange flora adorning the rocks.

The top of the saddle is reached and we are on the plateau. Instantly the lactic burn of the walk is forgotten. The crisp fresh air and the incredible landscape before gulped down by both body and spirit with equal abandon. The sky is clear and the sun is gleaming on the snow that now surrounds us. Looking up to the right, the majestic, geometric shape of the cone towers over us. Small wisps of hot vapours seeping from the upper reaches give a sense that the mountain is truly alive. The panorama continues around left across a broad expanse of snow with a ridge on the skyline, the Tongariro track leading off towards it in front of us. To the left a classic pointy peak with rocks peeking through a coat of snow. Back down the valley behind us the drop in height and transition from bare black rock to the green of the lower slopes descending into the distance.

This is what we came here for, all effort of the journey immediately rewarded and replaced by the sense of joy and play! It is impossible not to grin stupidly.

Setting down our heavier possessions we prepare for the days main objective, the crater-top of Ngauruhoe (2287m) and 600m of vertical height from our current position. There is no route as such, just “up” the continuous white slope. To begin with the relief of carrying half as much gear produces a faster and relaxing pace but as the slope becomes steeper after about 100m the slog begins. Slowly moving ever upwards in zigzags, the breathing becomes harder and the top of the thighs burn for more oxygen supply.

It is relentless but technically easy going, maintaining the focus on each step and pausing once in a while to allow life back to the muscles. Slowly the plateau recedes below us, and the summit approaches. Stopping to catch breath the vista below is allowed to envelope the senses and then its back to the repetitive work of muscle pushing against gravity.

About 60m of scree and then rime ice and lots of it – crunching and cracking in small slabs underfoot. Nearing the top there is a small valley that leads into the crater – a spectacular sight with a column of rock completely encrusted in ice on the opposite side. There is a fine resting point up and to the left where the rocks are exposed and a plume of steam floats into the sky. This affords not only a splendid view back down the route but the unexpected joy of a warm seat where the rocks are geo-thermally heated! Members of another party with whom we are sharing the climb are already ensconced. It is a fine place to relax in the sun, eat chocolate, shelter from the wind and make new friends. We are at the top, the first of the great 100 peaks for some of us, and a good mornings work.

Initially it seemed like the descent would be a similar trudge endlessly downhill until we arrived just below the scree and realised that the rest of the long slope was covered in thick snow with the perfect consistency for bum sliding! Starting tentatively at first we were soon swooshing and whooping downhill recalling the youthful excitement of sledging and generally having utter delight in the snow. We were as children playing on the lap of the great old warrior who (for the moment at least) was patiently allowing our antics. In this manner we made a descent of a fantastic 400m in about 10 minutes – it is definitely travelling first class on the mountain!

To obtain the central crater and our campsite for the evening we first had to pass over a ridge approximately 200m in height to the high point of the crossing. After the climb of the volcano and now with a full load this was hard work and as we climbed the wind buffeted at us – a subtle reminder that although currently a fine day, safety in this environment is never to be taken for granted.

About halfway up the ridge we encountered a strangely clad party of around 15 German youths. They had been walking for 4 hours and still had at least that much to go and it was already around 15h00. What made them strangely clad (relative to ourselves) was the apparent lack of any kind of clothing or equipment suited for this terrain. Their gear consisted of trainers, jeans, the odd hooded top and jacket and the occasional school day pack. It seemed as if they had taken a wrong turn off Courtney Place to find themselves halfway up a mountain! Slipping and sliding down past us toward the increasingly steep descent, they seemed in reasonable spirits but there was also a touch of false bravado in their demeanour that suggested that they might be eying our heavy packs, alpine boots, walking axes and crampons with a certain amount of envy.

Once at the top of the ridge we could gaze down across the crater lakes almost frozen and beyond them the plains below on the other side of the crossing. To our left we could now look down into the central crater – an impressive circle of ridgeline and minor peaks with a small rocky outcrop slightly to the left of centre. This was to be our campsite for the night.

Setting up the tent for the first time (for some of us) in the snow was an experience, thankfully gained in perfect evening conditions sheltered from the wind on the tops and with good snow. Digging a trench, fixing snow stakes and ice axes to the corners and finally burying pegs in a kind of mini t-slot for the guys. Pretty soon we were eating hot food and watching the skyline for 360 degrees becoming a variety of subtle pinks yellows and reds as the sun left us to fend for ourselves.

Because of the surrounding ridge, the night was totally dark, no light pollution and masses of stars – so peaceful with no sounds except the wind – no birds or trees or bushes. Pristine.

The next day saw us cleaning camp and setting off down into the bush, stopping at the Ketetahi hut for a delicious breakfast of baked beans in the sun en route. We made the end of the track in good time, arriving with tired feet but happy.

What else might I have done this weekend? Stayed at home? Relaxed? Watched some DVDs? Instead we worked hard to get to an incredible place and have one more “DVD” of our own to add to the collection stored in our hearts and minds.

Thanks to Garth for suggesting this trip and being enthusiastic about the merits of this great route – as he says there cannot be many places of such wildness and beauty in the world that are so easily accessible!

Jim Barritt
On the trip were Garth London (Organiser), Angie London, Hayden Cox, Derek Mihotich and Jim Barritt.
Wellington, October 13, 2005

Pete’s Post from Antarctica

By the time you read this I will be back home. I feel very privileged to have experienced the full four seasons here, but it has passed very quickly. The winter was definitely the best part, and anyone who only comes here during the summer is missing an amazing experience.

Our replacement crew arrived last week, and the population of the base has risen from 18 to 55 people. The “newbies” are all very excited about being here, and are constantly staring at the view out the window, or at the temperature gauges inside the base just like I was a year ago.

My handover to the new science technician has been completed, and I’ll fly back to Christchurch tomorrow. I have a few days of debriefing and then its home to Wellington. I’ll start back in my regular job two days later.

There are a few things that I will miss, and some that I won’t.

I won’t miss the smell the of the wastewater plant. All our sewage is treated in a biological plant very close to my lab, before being discharged into McMurdo Sound at a quality that is no worse than the background bacterial levels of the sea. Unfortunately, the “poo plant” doesn’t always cope well with changing population numbers on the base – particularly in summer. The vents from the poo plant are also very close to the fresh air intakes for the rest of the base. When the wind blows from the wrong direction…. well I guess you can imagine what its like.

I’m looking forward to having two-day weekends again, and not working on every single “day off”. We work whatever hours are required down here, and the daily weather observations still need to be done at 9am every day. I have to provide support for the computer systems, and people seem to have a lot of computer problems on Sundays.

I will miss the camaraderie of a team that works together to support each other. We were just like a big family, and I can honestly say that they have been a high-quality bunch of people to spend time with. We had lots of laughs, but most of all I was impressed with the competence of the base staff. Every one of them was good at their own job, but could also help with just about anything else that needed to be done.

One of the highlights was flying by helicopter to the Darwin Glacier to install a weather station. This remote and rarely visited area is 300km south of Scott Base, and will be the site of intensive science study in the next few years. We had about an hour of ground time to do our job, and had just completed it when the helicopter returned to pick us up.

The other highlight was being part of the Joint Antarctic Search And Rescue Team (JASART), and training with them every fortnight. We had a lot of fun, and I’ve made some very good friendships with the two other kiwis and the ten Americans on the team.

I’m looking forward to catching up with all my Alpine Club friends when I get back. Don’t ask me if I saw any polar bears – they’re only found in the Arctic.

My standard answer to the polar bear question is “Yes, there’s one behind every tree”.

Pete DeJoux

Section general news

Rock Instructors Wanted

The club is always on the look out for instructors to help out on club courses. We have rock courses coming up over summer, so if you are keen to help out get in touch. As an instructor you will get training and support from the club, and get to go climbing a lot with a great bunch of people. The Club offers a lot to its instructors, including weeks away improving your climbing and instruction ability, but you’ve got to be in to win…
Get in touch with Mike or Scotty, 3800913 or mike_goesaclimbn@hotmail.com.

National Instruction Courses

As part of its National instruction program, the NZAC runs 2 heavily subsidized National Instructor Courses for section instructors, one for Alpine Instructors in February and one for Rock Instructors in March each year. Both of these courses are 6 days long, hosted by a professional guide, and located somewhere in the Southern Alps (exact location dependent on the weather). The last alpine course was based out of Porter Lodge in Fox Glacier and the rock course in the Darran's.

The courses are designed to upskill section instructors on current best practice and usually involve some great climbing. Last years Wellington participants (Caroline Duggan, Craig Robinson, Merewyn Ellis, Scott Taylor, Mike O'Brien and Michele Domaneschi) all had a great time as evidenced at the March and October Short Talks Nights.

For more information about being involved in Wellington Section Instruction please contact Caroline Duggan (cd@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz - alpine) or Mike O'Brien (mob@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz - rock).

Caroline Duggan
NZAC Instruction Convenor

Rock Courses coming up....

Advanced Leading Course

An instruction course covering leading on natural pro and multi pitch climbing will be running in November. The course will suit people currently comfortable onsighting grade 16 on sport routes. The aim will be to give you the skills to comfortably lead one or two people on a multi pitch natural pro route, however the course will be adapted to suit your needs. The course dates are:

Wed 23 November, 6-9pm
Wed 30 November, 6-9pm
Weekend 3 - 4 December, leaving Friday night returning Sunday night.
(Weekend 10 - 11 December, postponement weekend)
There will only be six places on the course. Priority will go to people instructing for the club, but there will be places left for other members, so get in touch. The price of the course will cover costs including travel, food, accommodation, and use of gear (approx $200 – the club will cover half the price for instructors). The course is being run by Mike and Scotty, NZOIA Rock II instructors with experience climbing multi pitch trad routes around the world. For more information call Mike or Scotty on 380 0913 or email mike_goesaclimbn@hotmail.com.

Summer Rock – Introductory Rock Course

The annual rock course is running in the summer (Feb & March) next year. Ever popular, this course teaches you all the basics, taking you from complete novice to a competent leader on outdoor sports routes. Along the way your climbing will improve several grades, you will meet a great bunch of people to go climbing with, and you will learn the skills to climb safely with anyone. The course will be run by Scotty and Blair, with the help of various other experienced instructors. The course runs over 4 or 5 week nights, two Saturdays, and two weekends away. At $350 it is the best value course in the country. There is no better way to start your climbing career. Get in touch with Scotty on 3800913, or email Blair at blairh@boffamiskell.co.nz.

Glencoe Track Closed

I would like to inform you that we have closed the Glencoe Track temporarily. This is due to a Boulder that came down recently and smashed the seat. With the possibility of heavy rain creating additional falls a concern we have taken this action to remove risk to the public. We aim to have the area scaled of loose rock by the end of November which will enable us to re-open the track. We will also then assess the stability of the face and look at installing netting protection should it be required.

Richard Wesley

Access to Happy Valley

Information received by the National Office from a Club member...

"In regards to access for your climbing friends through the property; as discussed, the most convenient time for climbers to come through will be late June to early September. They will need to contact me at least one week in advance of their intended visit to ensure there is no conflict with our operation and enable me to give clear direction for the route to take through the property to the person responsible for the group. I hope this will help clarify the confusion that has existed for some time over access through Happy Valley to the preferred climbing route on Te Ao Whekere."

Quiz Number 21

Our chairperson asked who was the second New Zealander to climb Mt Everest and when was that?

Only two people submitted wholly correct answers (i.e., Nick Banks in1979, 2 October 1979 to be precise).

A coin was spun, and Tina Troup was the lucky winner of a bottle of St Helena wine (which, contrary to rumours, was not named after a certain Alpine Club member who is also Prime Minister).

Quiz Number 22

Inspired by an August weekend in California, Nigel Roberts' new quiz question is:

Josiah Whitney, a former director of the California State Geological Survey and the man after whom Mt Whitney was named, once famously called someone "an ignoramus" and "mere sheepherder."

Who was that someone, and why did Whitney disagree with him?

Email your answers by no later than 12 noon on Sunday, 6 November 2005, to <NR@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz>. Be sure to include the words QUIZ NUMBER 22 in the subject line or else your email will probably destroyed as spam. The first correct entry drawn at the 7 November meeting will win a bottle of Californian wine.

Climbing Companion Sought

My name is Alex Winter-Billington, and I am a Masters student in Geology at Victoria University, doing a thesis on the drainage system of Brewster Glacier in the Alps. We are going down there for a trip in the
first week of November and then I plan to stay on for another two weeks after that. I do not have much alpine experience at all, and besides which wouldn't want to be there on my own. I am looking for experienced people to join me for some of the time, just out of interest, or fun, or
the goodness of their hearts!
Maybe there are some people in Alpine Club who might be interested in experiencing scientific field work and/or who are planning to be in the mountains down there around that time anyway ...

If you know of anyone, please contact me.
04 463-9463 (work)
04 385-4171 (home)
<winteralex@student.vuw.ac.nz>
Thankyou very much.

New Interactive Guide to Climbing in South America

Your Visual Guide to Mountaineering in South America CD ROM (MSAcd) is produced by Eleva Interactive. This is an exciting visual guide to climbing 32 of the classic peaks of South America. It provides an excellent resource to those contemplating climbing or trekking in the Andes and the Antarctic Peninsula. It is also suitable for people who would like to visualize climbing routes and peaks they have heard about but not plan to climb themselves, such as the fabled Cerro Torre.
Photos and other media like video and sound are able to inspire the true feeling of being out there on a climb. Most of the important information required to ascertain a climb is visual - the terrain type, the line of the climbing route, the crux pitch, the objective dangers, the identification of surrounding peaks and your attraction to the climb in the first place. A CD ROM is capable of presenting more quality photos and other rich media in a better organized manner than a book.
So don't just read about the climb before heading off, actually visualize it to make sure it is really what you want to climb. Visit the product's website today - http://www.msacd.com/ - and download the free demo or order MSAcd now before the end of the year at a discount rate!

Paul Hudson
Eleva Interactive
PO Box 928,
MARRICKVILLE,
NSW 1475,
AUSTRALIA
pphudson@MSAcd.com, http://www.MSAcd.com

Whanganui Bay Lodge

A new lodge is available at Whanganui Bay. It's Ngati te Maunga Lodge. It costs $10 p.p. a night (climbing not included).
Carmen Ashcroft 025 656 4505 between 7 & 8 pm only.

Titahi Bay Bolting

The Baby's Bottom is one of the better climbs at Titahi Bay. It's a smooth, black grade 18 slab, climbed on lovely solid small edges. It's a Wellington classic, probably first climbed in the late 1960s during a
burst of new routing activity by Graeme Dingle and others. But because the rock is so solid, there is a distinct lack of many good runners. People either tie on to a top rope, or climb it solo – and a surprising
number of people have opted for the latter choice. Sometime in late September or early October, a climber decided to place five stainless steel glued-in bolts on the slab. The response from climbers has so far been one of disappointment and disbelief. See www.mojozone.co.nz/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1016 for reaction – and feel free to add your own comments. This action raises several questions. Who placed the bolts? What were your reasons for doing this? How do other Wellington climbers feel about retrospectively bolting long-established climbs that were regularly climbed without any fixed gear? Personally, I think that it is never okay to retrobolt, unless there is a consensus among climbers (and especially the first ascentionist, if known) that there are sound reasons for it. But what do others think? I suggest that as climbers we need to confront this issue, not least because good rock is a limited resource
in Wellington, but also because it shouldn't be left up to anonymous individuals to decide to limit the kinds of climbing experiences we can choose to enjoy.

Richard Thomson

For Sale/Wanted to buy

Personal Locator Beacon
I have an emergency locater beacon. When I am not using it, which is quite e few weekends, it is essentially a useless lump of plastic. If people want to borrow it for their weekend trips, then thay can borrow it off me. It is hardly going to depreciate with use. Club members might as well get as much use out of it as possible. I just hope that while people carry it, they don't have to "use" it. Know what I mean? Anyway, the offer is there. People can contact me on this e-mail address if they want to borrow it.
Sam - Samuel.Newton@nzpost.co.nz

For Sale:
Macpac Microlight Tent excellent condition $300 Used on only one major trip
Contact Craig Robinson baldrick001@paradise.net.nz 021894002

For Sale:Plastic Climbing Boots
* Koflach Clima Varios, size 10.5, approx EU 44, $30, well worn
* Asolo AFS Supersofts, size 9, approx EU 42?, $130, good condition
* Koflach (Vario Soft maybe?, navy blue colour), size approx 6.5-7, EU 40?, $120, outers good condition, inners a bit worn
Contact Caroline Duggan, cd@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz, 475 5542, 021 804 398

For Sale:
Plastic climbing boots - Koflach Viva Soft size 8 (42)
Camp Crampons
Camp Annapurna Ice Axe
Camp Chouinard Zero Ice Hammer
Climbing helmet
Snow pig and Snow stake
All gear is in good condition - sell together for $300
Tel Paul on (04) 973 8676 evenings

Wanted to buy: Helmet, general mountaineering iceaxe, adjustable strap-on crampons.
Contact Scott Julian on 021 308 377

National Climbing Camp 2006

This is a reminder: register for the camp prior to the 1st December; you will save a few $.

We have a fantastic camp site this year about 1.5km up the Rees Valley from the road end. The camp runs from 31Dec 2005 until 7 Jan 2006. The camp is a great opportunity for climbers young and old and their families to gather in the mountains to climb, tramp and have fun. You get to celebrate New Years Eve in the hills with fellow mountain lovers which is a great way to start the year.

The fee for NZAC members attending the camp is $40 for an individual and $60 for a family. A family consists of a couple and all their children under 18 years old. Non members can attend the camp if they are friends of a member attending the camp, but will be required to pay an additional $20. Members of overseas Climbing Clubs can attend at member rates. Late registrations after the 1st of Dec will cost an additional $10.

Further information and a registration form can be obtained from the NZAC web site www.alpineclub.org.nz or you can get it posted to you by contacting the NZAC Office at ph (03) 3777598 during normal business hours.

Journal Exchange & NZAC Reading Library

Thank you to Daphne Hinton for her donation of 1989 & 1994 Journals for the NZAC Reading Library. Also for a 1993 copy to send to the Japanese Alpine Club re our Journal
Exchange with them. Daphne is also kindly donating a 1992 copy for the Reading Library and if we an just get 1944 & 1979 Journals, our reading set will be complete. Can anyone assist? We are also still after 1989 & 1994 Journals for the Japanese Alpine Club if anyone can assist there as well it will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your help.
Margaret McMahon,
NZAC,
PO Box 786,
Christchurch
margaret@alpineclub.org.nz

Wellington Section Trips

Trips are a key part of the section, so if anyone has an idea about a trip, no matter how vague, come and chat to Merewyn Ellis (trips @nzalpine.wellington.net.nz). Trips can be of any length, any level of difficulty, and any size. Simply email us, or approach us at the monthly meeting, and we can help you get going.

Trips for the Calendar for the rest of 2005…

Check out the remaining list for 2005. We need trip organisers to put their hands up for what are bound to be outstanding adventures.

Mt Arapiles (Australia)
Type: Rock climbing
All levels
In association with the new Australian section, who will be helping to co-ordinate transport from Melbourne, central cooking tent etc. A great chance to visit an amazing climbing area and meet our Aussie club members.
Places still available, book cheap flights now!
Organiser: Judy Reid - while Judy is overseas, contact trips@nzalpine.wellington.net.nz
12-20 November 05

Bored at work?

Check out:
For NZ's latest mountaineering news:
www.mountainz.co.nz

NZ's top rock site:
www.mojozone.co.nz

Satelite photos of all the best places including mountains and approaches:
earth.google.com

A site with links to all the best stuff on google earth:
bbs.keyhole.com

Fergs New site
www.fergskayaks.co.nz