DATE: April 2019 Vol. 72 No. 03

In Kaitoke, Photo: Doug Flux

Please submit your May 2019 H&V articles to the editor by 26th April 2019 HVTC Postal Address: PO Box 30-883, : Clubrooms: Birch Street Reserve, Birch Street, Waterloo Internet: http://www.hvtc.org.nz E-mail: [email protected]

President: Phaedra Upton 021 023 26726 Secretary: Murray Presland 562 8194 Trip Coordinator: Nick McBride 021 410 551 Treasurer: Jim Cousins 586 2135 Editor H&V: Bruce Miller 563 5966 [email protected]

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WEDNESDAY NIGHT PROGRAMME

Starts 8.00 pm promptly 3 April : Jeanette Rybinski – Two Sides of the Story An insight into a SAR callout and what happens at home and in the background when a callout happens. What the police want to know from you and how to help yourself when you are the one in trouble. Sales Table run by Graeme Lythgoe. Bring your cash and your saleable items. 10 April : John Rhodes – Reliving the 1928 Inspired by New Zealander 's movie Le Ride, last year John retraced the mountain stages of the 1928 Tour. Tonight he’ll describe his experience as a touring rather than a racing cyclist.

17 April : Nicholas Boyack – The changing face of journalism. Nicholas looks back at 25 years in journalism. 24 April. Open night. Bring along photos of recent trips so that we can see what activities club members have been involved in over Summer. 1 May : Ann Hayman – Pacific Islands Ann recounts some of her adventures and work with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.

FORTHCOMING TRIPS

TRIP CATEGORIES

Tramping Cycling T = Overnight or longer tramping trip D = Day tramp = Very easy = Intermediate = Dog Friendly = Advanced = Moonlight Walk = Easy NOTES Where there is no leader given for a trip, please contact the Trip Coordinator to volunteer to lead a trip, either as shown or an alternative.

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APRIL

tba from Greytown Ann Hayman 589 6265

Th 4 – Fri 5 REMUTAKA FOREST PARK: Orongorongo river T1 Matthews Papatahi Whakanui Graeme Lythgoe 479 6630

5 – 7 RUAHINE FOREST PARK: Pohangina Valley T2 Mid Pohangina hut Andrew Robinson 586 2438 Daylight saving ends 3:00am 7 April, clocks go back 1 hour Sun 7 D1 City to Sea Emma Dobbie 528 5941

13 – 14 TARARUA FOREST PARK : Holdsworth T1 Totara Flats John Smeith 586 2704 Su 14 D1 Cattle Ridge – 5 Mile Track Tony and Jo 934 9229 Birtwhistle

Tues 16 Wallaceville Hill Lookout Emma Dobbie 0272525045

20 – 27 EASTER : KAHURANGI NATIONAL PARK? Suggest Tableland – Cobb See Jan Heine 0274182899 Su 21 D1 Makara beach Graeme Lyon 0211543850

24 – 28 RUAHINE FOREST PARK : Mokai-Patea T2 Mokai-Patea Range Hikurangi Andrew Robinson 586 2438

Range

27 – 28 WHANGANUI TRAMPING CLUB VISIT Sat 27 D1 Gollans Stream Dennis Page 970 6901 Sun 28 D1 Belmont Regional Park Graeme Lythgoe 479 6630

MAY

Sat tba Belmont Moonshine Rd John Smeith 586 2704

4 – 5 TARARUA FOREST PARK : Kapiti T1 Waiopehu hut Andrew Robinson 586 2438 D1 Plimmerton - Pukerua Bay - Jo & Tony Birtwistle 934 9229 Sun 5 return

[U1]

UPCOMING EVENTS

SALES TABLE 3 April. Please note that this month the Sales Table is again being held a week early.

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VISIT BY WANGANUI TRAMPING CLUB 27th and 28th April

Last year the HVTC was invited up to Whanganui to join the Wanganui Tramping Club in two very enjoyable day trips. We also joined the Wanganui Tramping Club for a pot luck meal on the Saturday night. This year, a reciprocal weekend has been arranged and we would like to invite HVTC members to join in some of the trips arranged and/or to come along to the Saturday night pot luck meal. At this stage we are just outlining the arrangements and we will let you know the details closer to the time. Saturday Day Trip – Gollan’s Valley/Butterfly Creek; Dennis Page: I will be leading the classic East Harbour Regional Park walk that comprises a mixture of on and off track travel. It takes in the beautiful Gollan’s Stream and passes through a mixture of forest types; beech, podocarp and nikau glades. The plan is to showcase a bit of bush that may be unfamiliar to many in the Whanganui TC. We will head up the Kereru track from the Day’s Bay Pavilion, head south to Hawtry and then follow a trapline route down into Gollan’s Stream – We will follow this plus a combination of other trapline tracks to Butterfly Creek, thence out to Rona Bay via the Mackenzie Track and onwards to Day’s Bay to complete the circuit. I intend to have folks meet at the duck pond carpark at 8.45 am for a 9 am sharp departure; we should be back at the cars by 3-4 p.m. for a well-deserved ice cream. I am aware that there may be some in both clubs that may not wish to partake in the full walk that I propose and there is opportunity for another HVTC member to perhaps lead an easier trip into Butterfly Creek on the same day – Say in via Muritai Park and out via Kowhai St or the Bus Barn track. If this sounds like you and you would be keen to help me out by leading a slightly easier trip that will appeal to a wider cross-section from both clubs, then please let Nick and me know so that we can also promote with the Whanganui TC. After a moderate or hard day’s walk, you can then look forward to the shared pot-luck meal that Bernice and Irene are helping to coordinate. Dennis 970 6901 / 021 229 9901

Saturday Night Pot Luck Meal Irene Davies and Bernice Deller are organising the pot luck meal and we would be grateful for some extra helpers on the night. The venue will depend on numbers. However we would be hoping to know numbers by 20th April. It was a very enjoyable evening in Whanganui and we certainly hope to repay the hospitality. Please contact Irene or Bernice if you have any questions or if you are happy to bring along a pot luck meal on the Saturday night. Irene 021 056 6442 Bernice 027 688 1320 4 BJFM/H&V/Vol72/No3

Sunday Day Trip – Belmont Regional Park; Graeme Lythgoe: I will be leading a tramp in the Belmont Regional Park. I will leave exact details until nearer the date to take account of the weather. However I hope to make it a decent tramp and will try and split the group to cater for those wanting a shorter walk. Graeme 479 6630

======BITS OF INFO FROM THE GENERAL COMMITTEE

Club Publications The family of Gilbert Mabin recently offered us a collection (not complete) of his Club Annuals - Hutt Valley Tramping 1966 to 1979 but missing years 1967, 1971, 1976. Bert Mabin arrived from in 1930, and with a great deal of enthusiasm began introducing HVTC trampers to the Southern Alps. He edited our Club’s first publication – “In Search of New Zealand” in 1934 and began the regular newsletter “Hills and Valleys” in 1936. He was elected a Life Member in 1940. The Club has a complete collection of its publications, so if you would like to have Bert Mabin’s series of the early annuals – full of stories of many adventures – please contact me. ps. The collection offered to us included a copy of “In Search of New Zealand” published in 1934, but I have purloined that already. It is a real gem! Papatahi Hut In a communication that has surprised us, the Department of Conservation has advised that it will extend the present Memorandum of Understanding it has with us for access to and maintenance of Papatahi Hut for just two years, rather than the 10 years previously offered. They propose then granting to the Club the lease on one of the (at present) private huts in the Orongorongo Valley, as leases of these are relinquished or expire. HVTC would have ownership and exclusive access to the hut – but would be responsible for its maintenance and the fulfilment of all lease conditions. No action will be undertaken without a resolution from a General Meeting and it is not an urgent question – but what do you think our Club should do? Welcoming visitors to Club meetings For several years a few Club members, plus usually the chairperson of the meeting, have stood up as contacts for any person visiting the Club and wanting to find out more about us. However, it is a daunting experience to enter for the first time, or few times, a room full of enthusiasts eagerly talking to one another so the General Committee would like to be more proactive in welcoming newcomers . Marina is setting up a roster amongst members of the General Committee (those not otherwise busy ensuring the meeting will run!) to welcome new visitors/faces close to the hall entrance. Any Clubmembers willing to help us meet new visitors should contact Marina (ph 021 792 260; e-mail [email protected]) to join the roster – it should not be very often! It would also help us if the area just inside the hall doors is kept reasonably clear, leaving space for us to engage with new visitors. Privacy The content of Club Trip Schedules and of Hills and Valleys is searchable on the internet, either from the Club web-site or because the publications are deposited with the National Library. Some members of the General Committee have been surprised by the information about individual’s activities with the Club being so readily available, and are concerned. Are you? Some tramping clubs restrict lists of participants in trip reports to just their first names; some do not include lists of participants in reports at all; we, and others have been happy to include full 5 BJFM/H&V/Vol72/No3

names. Of course to be useful, we need to provide the full names and contact details, as necessary, of Club officers and trip leaders in some publications – but we seem to have three options, for trip reports particularly, from here:  accept that we live in the internet age of world-wide connectivity – and continue as before;  limit searchability by using first names only in trip reports (voluntarily by report writers or perhaps by asking the editor of Hills and Valleys to implement such a policy) ; or  allow those concerned about their names being widely exposed to be identified by first name only in any trip report – the responsibility being on them to make their preference known to the trip leader or report writer. Any comments? FMC Executive Nominations are open, until 11 April, for positions on the Executive of FMC for 2019-20 – as President, Vice-President or member (13 positions). You need to have time, passion and skills for the role and be nominated by a member club. Contact me urgently if you would like more information or a nomination form. The General Committee has wholeheartedly supported David Barnes’ nomination for re- election to the FMC Executive, which he first joined in 2000. Thank you, David, for your enthusiasm and energy on our behalf!

Murray Presland (email: [email protected])

RUAPEHU ROUNDUP

Work party Our programme of maintenance at the lodge continued during the work party on 9-10 February. We have been grinding off flaking paint on the block walls, repairing the mortar as required, and re-sealing the wall with a specialist concrete product. The north and south walls of the two-storey section of the lodge have been completed, and the west wall was started. The interior of the lodge received a full spring clean (we had the teenagers do the bathroom ceilings!) and all the mattress covers were changed. A food stock take was completed. A new games storage cabinet was carried up, assembled and installed. The fridge thermostat was replaced and is working efficiently. Many thanks to everyone who gave time and effort to preparing the lodge for another year. Members of the work party were: Russell Oliver, Graham Craig, Ian McIlraith, Rob Thompson, Lynda Chanwai-Earle, Guy and Toi Royal, Kate, Nick, Abigail, Daniel and Tom Brownsword. Mattress covers – please return While changing the mattress covers at the lodge, we discovered that 8 are missing. Presumably these have been taken home for cleaning after spillages. If you do have a mattress cover lurking at home, please contact Kate Brownsword on 027 562 0177 or [email protected] to arrange return. Likewise if you have any lodge tea towels. No questions asked! New Gondola at Whakapapa Ruapehu Alpine Lifts’ new $25 million gondola is taking shape and we could see the progress while we were at the lodge in Feb. Concrete platforms for the towers had been laid and there was a huge hole at the Top O’ the Bruce for the base station. Since our visit, the concrete base for this building has been poured, and the steel framing has begun. There are some interesting photos and videos of the process on www.mtruapehu.com/gondola. According to RAL, the 1.8 km gondola will be the largest and most technically advanced in NZ. 6 BJFM/H&V/Vol72/No3

For Sale We have received two ski helmets that were generously donated to the Club. Both are in good condition, so if you are thinking of purchasing helmets for next year please arrange to inspect (contact Russell Oliver 021 245 9596) and make us a reasonable offer, with all proceeds going to the Lodge. Description of helmets: 1. Women’s size L/XL (L = 59 - 60cm, XL = 60 - 62cm adjustable by fitting foam linings), weight 655g, colour - white. As new, still in original packaging. Brand - Anex 2. Size - small (53.5 - 55.5cm, not adjustable), colour - grey, Brand - Sonic. Kate Brownsword

TRIP REPORTS

MT MATTHEWS : 17 November 2018 Andrew Robinson

What I learned on a day trip to Mount Matthews.

 I have keys to the clubrooms but not the gear room so it’s a good idea to get a PLB on the Wednesday night rather than spend an hour on the Saturday getting a key to the gear room to get in to pick up a PLB;  Rimutaka Forest Park had become Remutaka Forest Park in the year since I’d last been there;  It can get quite cold in Remutaka Forest Park in November;  The sign about ten minutes up Matthews Stream that says 1¼ hours to South Saddle is about right;  The sign near South Saddle that says 2¼ hours to the top would be closer to the mark if it said 1¼ hours;  You get some good views about 10 minutes up the hill from the turnoff to South Saddle;  The track from Matthews Stream to the summit is in bush most of the way and while it is definitely steep in places on the whole it’s a pretty good track;  Contrary to popular belief you can get some reasonable views from the top;  The Department of Conservation estimate of 10 hours return from the Catchpool carpark is about right.

Those with me as I made these discoveries were Phaedra Upton and Mike Priest Andrew

BLACK BIRCH BIV BAGGED : 18-21 January 2019 Andrew Robinson The southeastern part of the Kawekas was the tracked part that I had visited the least so I organised a trip there for Wellington anniversary weekend. I had just one taker in Keith Thomas but that was enough to make the trip happen. Friday night we drove with the grade one trip to the Lakes carpark and camped there. The best place for Keith and me to start from was about 3 kilometres away at Mackintosh carpark so

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Saturday morning we got Jan Arts from the grade one trip to drop us off there. From the Mackintosh carpark to Mackintosh hut took an hour and a half and it was pretty much the only part of our intended route that I’d done before. Since we’d be back there the following night I left some food there with a note to leave until Monday. From the hut we headed south along Mackintosh Spur and it went as expected. We had about an hour on the flat, with wilding pines the predominant vegetation and the odd bit of easily negotiated windfall, then we had a three-quarter hour descent through mostly beech forest to the Donald River. On the descent my trekking pole enabled me to almost keep up with Keith. We saw a reasonable amount of that normally scarce commodity in the Kawekas, mud. There was a lot of evidence for there having been very heavy rain recently which would account for the mud. We had lunch at the Donald River which was up quite a bit. After a careful crossing of the river it was up and over a bump to a nameless creek that descends from near the end of Lotkow Road. We headed up the creek and my experience with creeks is they tend to be slow going. So this one proved. There was a bit of windfall to contend with and it appeared to be a little-used track. We had an easy kilometre and a half along Lotkow Road then it was time to tackle the big climb onto Black Birch Ridge (it’s actually called Black Birch Range but I reckon it’s too short to be called a range). It only took an hour which was good. From the Donald River to there had been mostly beech forest but we were then back into mostly wilding pines. It was a pleasant and easy half-hour stroll along the ridge to Black Birch Biv which was empty, clean, dry and sheltered. The forecast high winds arrived when predicted but because we were in a sheltered spot we were able to sleep with both the window and the door open. For tea Keith cooked his favourite, alpine spaghetti, and it’s one of my favourites now too.

Sunday began with another easy stroll along the ridge to Littles Clearing just over an hour away, leaving behind the pines part way along. We had visited Littles Clearing Queen’s birthday Monday last year. About a kilometre of road walking, back into beech forest for a short while then it was back into wilding pines on a ridge parallel to Black Birch Ridge. Both Keith and I had seen the ridge earlier and thought it was beech so we were mildly disappointed to find it wasn’t. Never mind, the pines gave as much shelter from the sun and wind as the beech would have and probably the pines are only along the ridgetop. We encountered some windfall but were easily able to find our way over, under or around it. There were only a couple of patches about 150m from the end of the ridge where we had to go through it. At the start of the descent was a sign that needed a Tui caption: Mackintosh hut 1 hour – yeah righ!. The Kawekas are steep and the descent must be one of the steepest of them all. On the half an hour down to the Tutaekuri River, which is really only a stream at that point, my trekking pole was put to good use again. After crossing the river I spent 15 minutes getting as much water as I could out of my boots and socks so I wouldn’t be squelching my way up the hill. The climb up the other side wasn’t quite as steep as the descent and after 50 minutes, including about 10 minutes where we temporarily lost the track, we stopped for lunch. After lunch it was half an hour to the hut for a total walking time of just under 2 hours since the sign. Nobody was in the hut but some people had been in the hut the night before and presumably it was one of them who had eaten one of the three heat and eat meals I had left there with instructions to leave until the following day. That was the only disappointment of the day. In front of the hut is a fairly large area of what I’d call heather but probably isn’t which hasn’t yet been populated by wilding pines. During the afternoon and evening I did a couple of excursions into it and removed perhaps 50 pines. Some of them I had to cut down with my pruning saw, including at least one that had previously been cut down but not low enough and had sprouted below the cut. We had the hut to ourselves that evening. 8 BJFM/H&V/Vol72/No3

Three quarters of what we did on Monday was new to me. There wasn’t much in the way of wilding pines yet but they have got a foothold in the open patches so they’ll soon be taking over if nothing is done about them. The track was a bit up and down but overall it was an enjoyable track and easier than I expected so that was a good way to finish. At three and a quarter hours you could say we had a regressive tramp – roughly 9 hours the first day, 6 hours the second and 3 the third. At the Lakes carpark we were a little mystified to find the van not there. The grade one trip had talked of possibly coming out via Mackintosh hut (and hence the Mackintosh carpark) but if they had we would have seen them the night before. After discussing various possibilities, we concluded that most likely, despite us seemingly making it clear that we would come out at the Lakes carpark, they had got to the Lakes carpark before us then driven to the Mackintosh carpark. Keith volunteered to do the half hour or so walk there and returned with the others in the van about 35 minutes later. Sure enough, they’d got to the Lakes carpark a little before us then gone to the Mackintosh carpark. Their trip had been somewhat shortened by high winds on the tops and had had a shorter walk than us for their last day. With both trips having a short last day it was good to get home at a reasonable hour given the drive takes about six hours.

Andrew

CLOTHES OPTIONAL DAY TRIP : 10th February 2019 Lord Fotherings

The names in this trip report have been altered to protect the guilty, the innocent and anybody else who may or may not have been involved.

Lord Fotherings counted the group of people in the Upper Hutt Railway Station car park, this was not hard for him as he had some fingers left over at the end. Sending a list of trip members to the SAR contact was a different matter. While his phone was considerably smarter than he was, it generally had no idea on what he was trying to do. Rumour has it that he sent a list of Tararua biscuit ingredients instead.

After a time, everyone found a car to get into and left for Pakuratahi Forks. Once everyone had arrived, Lord Fotherings explained the intended route. The absence of tracks was of concern to some but person A had a GPS device that could work on all parts of the planet. The first part of the trip was on the Swingbridge Loop Track and what was once a very tall tree at the side of the track now offered a horizontal short cut. At the right location (by chance), Lord Fotherings turned at right angles to the track and headed into the wilderness, it was not that wild, there was a reasonable ground trial where many had gone before. After a time, persons B and C confirmed that everyone was out of sight of the track and clothes became optional.

The climb was steep at first then eased off to a comfortable grade. There were markers of various types including tape, spray paint and permolat that often had their own ideas on where the track went, but the only way was up as everyone climbed the unnamed ridge. At a scrog stop, person D commented that on an extended clothes optional trip the clothes you take would end up smelling a lot better at the end of the trip. Everyone agreed that this alone was sufficient justification for clothes optional tramping.

Lunch was on point 642 where a log offered comfortable seating. There was a sliver of a view toward Upper Hutt and some views of the surrounding ridges. The spot was quiet due to the cicadas preferring the lower altitudes. The modest ground trail indicated few people ventured along this ridge.

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Person E did a great job of finding the right way through the maze of dividing and joining ground trails going back down the ridge. The occasional fields of fern covered everything on the ground to make the task especially difficult.

Donning clothes felt vaguely uncomfortable, after several hours without, but everyone coped. They were then able to step back onto the Swing Bridge Track without raising an eyebrow. Lord Fotherings lead the group over the remainder of the Swing Bridge track and back to the carpark. Lord Fotherings thanked the people that went on the trip while at the same time discreetly counting with his fingers to make sure none were left behind.

Those on the trip were persons A, B, C, D and E plus the (at times) capable leader Lord Fotherings. Lord Fotherings. GRACES STREAM : Sunday 24 March 2019 Maarten Vink As we were assembling at the Catchpool carpark some noisy birds caught our attention. A falcon landed at the top of a tree and appeared to be getting harassed by a couple of tuis.

Bob lead us along the Five Mile Loop Track, passing under the tree with the falcon. Graces Stream flowed in the valley below us on our left. We turned off the track and walked through the camping area under the beech trees before dropping into the stream. Lush vegetation including plenty of nikau palms lined the stream. Beautiful! Water flowed gently between stretches of gravel and rocks, meandering from side to side. There were a few deeper pools where some climbed up onto the bank to get around while others waded through. It was a warm, sunny day so getting a bit wet was no problem. A couple of pools even had good sized eels in them. Photo: Anya van Kesteren The valley narrowed for a while with some rock slides visible on the steep sides. After lunch the valley widened again and we soon reached the toe of a spur which looked easy to climb onto. The open beech forest on the spur stood in stark contrast to the streamside vegetation. The spur lead steadily upwards and passed through a dense band of saplings before the open forest resumed. After about an hour we reached the Clay Ridge Track which we followed down to Clay Forks. Then it was back to the carpark along the loop track.

It was a most enjoyable tramp (ably lead by Bob) through an area that will be well worth further exploration in the future. Those on the tramp were; Bob & Bernice Deller, Anja van Kesteren, Maarten Vink, Murray Presland, Marilyn Sickels, Christian Giannotti, Jackie & Chris West Maarten AUTUMN READING

SIRIUSLY : HOW BLIND?

The writer was once asked a question which gave him much cause to ponder. The question was “How blind are you without your glasses (corrective lenses)?” 10 BJFM/H&V/Vol72/No3

I’ve had to wear corrective lenses of one kind or another for over 60 years and consequently suffered the disadvantages that spectacles in particular pose in outdoor activities. Skiing was abandoned after spending considerable time removing snow from the inner surface of the spectacles following frequent bodily immersion in snow-banks. When tramping the Ruapehu circuit from Rangipo Hut one long weekend I remember becoming virtually blind in a blizzard, from the snow melting on both surfaces of the lenses.

There is a legend of a tramper who, while out on his own, lost his glasses and was unable to find them again. Being well aware of the extent of his visual impairment, the tramper knew that he had no chance of finding his way out of his predicament, so he had no other choice but to set up camp and wait to be rescued. He was well enough prepared to keep himself safe for a few days, having left his route details with a SAR contact. Setting up camp was feasible, visually impaired people are quite good at feeling their way around. He was rescued safely.

After being asked the above question and hearing this story, the writer always carries a spare pair of glasses in his wash kit. However, the conditions on the way back from Rangiwahia hut in the winter made any kind of glasses useless. Drizzle and melting snow totally obscured the outside surfaces of his glasses, while liquid sweat and condensed perspiration fogged up the inside surfaces. The danger this presented came forcibly through to him when he found he was leading part of the team along the track to a huge slip, instead of around it. He had been following the two people ahead of him and missed the signs that they had turned off the old track onto a new diversion. Only the bleary absence of footprints in the snow warned him that he was going the wrong way.

So I took off my glasses and found that my vision was much improved. Which answered the original question, I was perfectly capable of finding my way without the glasses. In fact I forgot I wasn’t wearing them, until back in the van. Now I’m reasonably confident about being able to get around without the glasses in emergencies.

Coincidently on the Rangiwahia tramp the subject of contact lenses was discussed at some length in the hut. The trip leader related that she became fed up with putting-on and taking-off her glasses some years previously and took to wearing contact lenses. Others in the group admitted to also wearing contact lenses; even the writer had worn them for many years until the effects of age had made them unsafe and uncomfortable. Contact lenses are so useful for tramping because they don’t fog up or become obscured by snow, drizzle and sweat. But in some cases they have to be augmented by reading glasses for map-reading, and some lens wearers even have to carry a magnifying glass to do so.

All of which reminded this writer of a club night some years ago. In the general announcements at the end of the meeting a very experienced club member related how he and two other equally experienced club members had been forced to abandon their tramp the previous weekend. All three of them had forgotten their glasses and/or contact lenses and so none of them was physically capable of reading the map. They decided that discretion was the better part of valour and went home for the weekend. Presumably they could see well enough to drive safely.

When you look around the clubrooms on club night you can see that many of us wear glasses, although it is hard to tell who is wearing contact lenses. However, it would be wise for all the visually impaired trampers to ask themselves the same question:

“How blind am I without my glasses or contact lenses?”

Canis Major

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PHOTOGRAPHIC FILLERS

To know what these are all about, go to https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz-herald-local- focus/news/video.cfm?c_id=1504150&gal_cid=1504150&gallery_id=204984

A NAVIGATIONAL WARNING Here is a paragraph from a recent article about people’s sense of direction.

Perhaps we are better off not relying on technology. “I’m fairly confident that regular use of map software impairs a person’s ability to wayfind on their own,” says Don Montello of University of California, Santa Barbara. “It certainly impairs cognitive map formation.” He believes that satnav and phone map apps are undermining our natural navigation abilities, going as far as to describe this as “technological infantilism”.

We know there is a virtuous cycle when it comes to navigation: people with a better sense of direction are more likely to explore an environment rather than rely on known routes, which helps to build their cognitive maps and so improves their sense of direction. “If you want your children to be able to find their own ways without nav technology, you have to let them practise,” he says.

The views expressed in the articles in this newsletter are not necessarily the views of the Hutt Valley Tramping Club. Any queries or comments should be directed to the writer of the article. Contributions to the Hills & Valleys are welcomed and encouraged but all are accepted on the understanding that the Editor has the authority to make minor changes if deemed necessary, refer back to the contributor for amendment, or return the contribution for amendment by the Writer.

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