Backpacking Tramps

The club runs overnight and multiday trips. These are typically undertaken by small groups of 4-10 trampers. They are a great way to build relationships and memories while experiencing a wide variety of NZ wilderness. The trips are graded from Easy to Hard and may involve river crossing.

Backpacking grading

EASY

Up to 4 hours tramping with a full backpack, primarily on marked tracks and mostly staying in huts and generally away for two days and one night. Tramps typically follow straightforward well-marked tracks through forest and poled routes along river flats or over low passes. No river crossings will be involved.

Experience: Suitable for those who have done very little tramping. This is a time to learn tramping skills rather than using all of them.

Fitness: Generally walking on well-formed tracks over easy terrain with no major river crossings.

EASY/Moderate

Up to 5 hours tramping with a full backpack, primarily on marked tracks and mostly staying in huts. Tramp will usually involve staying at each hut that is passed. For tramps more than two days there will be included a rest day or a day of no more than 3-4 hours tramping. Typically follow straightforward well-marked tracks through forest, and poled routes along river flats or over low passes or on tussock tops. River crossings might be involved. No more than 500m altitude gain.

Experience: Suitable for those who have done some tramping. Will have learnt some map-reading and route-finding skills as well as some river crossing skills.

Fitness: Need to be capable of tramping over a wide variety of terrain.

Moderate

Up to 7 hours tramping with a full backpack. May be off track and may require tenting. Typically involve straightforward alpine passes and follow a well-known track or route. These can involve travelling along riverbeds and/or on alpine tops.

Experience: Must have tramping experience, and be competent at map-reading and route-finding. An ice-axe may be required in winter and spring and experience at river crossing is essential.

Fitness: Need to be capable of tramping over a wide variety of terrain for multiple days at this level.

Hard

7+ hours tramping with a full backpack. Often off track and on challenging terrain with occasional use of huts and often tenting. Routes are largely untracked, following stream beds, bush spurs and rocky tops. Typically involve crossing high alpine passes into seldom visited areas.

Experience: Navigation skills are essential, as is experience in bush-bashing, tops travel, route finding, river crossing and rock scrambling. An ice-axe and crampons are often required, even in summer.

Fitness: Trips will often require more than eight hours of strenuous tramping per day.

Please check out Personal Equipment list.