It has been a long time since the last newsletter, mainly because I haven’t had much to say and things have been ticking along nicely. The Turks are all in good shape, some minor repairs have been made and there are no noticeable issues on the horizon.A couple of weeks ago Bill Day flew around the Turks dropping off gas and toilet paper to ensure everything is well stocked for winter.
Annual Meeting
Members have already been notified of this, but this year we have decided to do something a little different. for our annual meeting. As mentioned in previous newsletters the club is building 5 high quality, glamorous toilets on the Mahu Whenua Covenant as a way of contributing back to the conservation area. For the AGM we will install one at Bracken Saddle!
This will be a good social affair because only so many people can dig the hole at the same time! Expect some good story telling while you watch somebody else work.
The timing for the day is as follows, on 10 June 2023:
- 8 am depart from the car park of Tobin’s track in Arrowtown (or 8.30 am from Glencoe Station road)
- 9.30 am we should be up at Bracken Saddle and the digging starts
- 11:45 am hopefully the shoulder deep hole will be dug, the toilet in position and anchored in place. We then head back down to the Fork and Tap.
- 1pm Beer and pizza at the Fork and Tap. We will keep the “necessary” part of the AGM as short as possible (less than 15 minutes)
This will be a fun day and a great contribution to the community. I’m sure a toilet at Bracken Saddle will be appreciated by many. If you want to join the club by work/labour our policy is if you have made a start and been involved in a project then we are happy to extend membership on the expectation you will make up the hours as opportunities become available. It is also a good opportunity to get kids involved. If you are out and about please give us some encouraging words as you stroll by.
Also a big thank you to Henry Van Asch for paying the costs of flying in the toilets.
Important documents for the annual meeting
Year-end 2023 financial:
https://mountainturk.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/MTC-Final-AA-2023.pdf
Operating Manual:
https://mountainturk.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/MTC-Operating-manual-2023-v1.pdf
Proxy vote form:
https://mountainturk.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/MTC-AGM-2023-Proxy-Vote.docx
A film about the Turks
Those involved in building the Turks might remember a young Canadian named Mark running around with a movie camera. The film is now finished and is very good, with many of the characters involved featuring in the film. He even interviewed my mum who succeeds in embarrassing me with stories from my youth.
The film is described as “The story of Erik Bradshaw and his crazy idea of building huts out of water tanks….”
I will be at both the screenings so come along and catch-up.
Wanaka 25th June: SESSION 6 – PURE NZ Rua • NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival
Queenstown 30th June: SESSION Q2 – Pure NZ • NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival
Notes on doing the Mahu Whenua Traverse
The club’s ever helpful secretary, Katrina Gardner set off for an autumn (April) traverse starting at Treble Cone accompanied by three friends Sue, Ali and Gabrielle – a total combined age of 274. After completing the initial climb from the car park, they encountered a shelter at the top of the ski area with a sign reading “for emergency use only”. The group decided a nice cup of tea was such an emergency. If this is your kind of trip, then here is Katrina’s advice:
We are a group of ladies who have a variety of outdoor skills and experience. Before setting out on the Traverse we did a reconnaisance to Vanguard via Māori Saddle. Consulted with experienced backcountry people for whom this area is easy. Read and reread the info on the MTC website.
The whole experience was exhilarating, and I would highly recommend it to other groups with a solid background in backcountry hiking. The most challenging part was the route finding but very satisfying. Here are some key takeaways:
- Select a weather window with excellent visibility
- Have a device that will show your position
- Load the Turk location onto the device, turned out to be essential when we became benighted on the way to Polnoon.
- Make sure you know how to follow the direction indicator on the device.
- Carry at least 1 PLB, a bivvy bag, bothy bag, first aid kit and jet boil for the group.
- Take a hard copy of the route, topo map and compass.
- Ridges are the best way to travel.
Cancellation policy
To simplify the booking process the cancellation process will be as follows: Either:
- A “no questions” asked 75% refund
- A cancellation token that will allow you to re-book at any future date
The King’s coronation
The club doesn’t have a policy on royalty, but we installed a throne on May 6th to recognise this historic event. On Saturday morning a small group of us headed into the old Soho homestead (on the Coronet Loop track, near the junction of the Arrow River and Coronet/Eight Mile Creek) to install one of the 5 toilets for the Mahu Whenua Covenant.
A further toilet was also installed on 8th April at the saddle of the Sawpit Gully track.
Cheers
Erik Bradshaw
5 May 2023 |
