Author: Andrew Croskery
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Turoa, Jul 2026
The country was finally blasted with a cold southerly that brought snow to both islands after what seemed like weeks of winter weather that was either too warm or too wet. Finally ‘our’ mountain, Ruapehu, was the winter playground we’d been waiting for. So, late Saturday the 11th, after a successful morning hunt, Will and…
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Tukino Rock, May 2026
May is an unusual month to be heading to Tukino for rock climbing, cold, probably to cold to enjoy rock, but not cold enough for ice. Then again we would most likely have the place to ourselves. The team this time included Alex, Aiden, Chris, Caleb, Aaron, Emma and Nicola. The weather played ball. Triangulating…
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LandSAR NH90 Training, Jan 2026
On a Thursday evening in January, along with 15 other Wairarapa LandSAR volunteers, I was lucky enough to work with the NZDF as they put a pilot through his final training assessment. Four teams of us each ran a scenario in the Tararua Forest Park, from medical emergencies to navigational problems, with an NH90 crew…
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Pehi’s Bluff, Jan 2026
Pehi’s Bluff sits south of the Bruce Road, an easy 45-minute walk from the carpark at the start of the Round the Mountain Track (E-1819412, N-5654488). I’d climbed there once before, but this was a first for my climbing partner for the day, Will Young. Pehi is a great stack of cracks and corners, terrific…
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Pinchgut Hut, Mount Thomas Forest Conservation Area, Dec 2025
Back in Christchurch after a Christmas tramp in Otago and a shorter one in the McKenzie Country, we had a day and a half to spare and went looking for a short overnighter close to the city. We’d also reconnected with the third member of our team, Charlie, who’d been staying with Nicola’s parents in…
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Whangaehu Valley, Aug 2025
Following a couple of beaut Search and Rescue training weekends based at Tukino Alpine Sports Lodge, and with a positive forecast and good snow and ice, it was time to get out and play. Don French knows the area better than most, with years of climbing and route-setting here he has a crag named in…
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Minarets, Aoraki/Mount Cook NP, Jan 2025
Following a very long lay-off from mountaineering, and likely the result of some sort of mid-life crisis, I decided that 2025 was the year to give it another crack. To achieve my goals I contacted Doug from Aspiring Guides in Wanaka in mid-2024. Over the next few months we sorted out where my level was…
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Hopkins & Huxley Valleys, Ruataniwha Conservation Park, Dec 2024
Driving back from Otago, having just finished a Christmas trip through the Caples-Greenstone, Nicola and I found ourselves with a few days up our sleeve. It was finally a chance to explore the country beyond Lake Ohau: specifically the Hopkins and Huxley river valleys, a place I’d read about in enough hunting, tramping and alpine…
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Caples-Greenstone (Conservation Areas), Dec 2024
Instead of a family Christmas this year, Nicola and I decided to head into the hills for our short summer break. I was recovering from a recent leg injury, so was looking for something that wouldn’t be too difficult or too long. The Caples-Greenstone loop in Otago fitted the bill nicely. We chose to walk…
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East Holdsworth, Aug 2024
I started tramping in the Tararuas in my teens, the mid-1980s, 35-plus years ago now. Back then, good winter days on the tops with deep snow or hard ice were common. I recall many trips floundering through heavy snow, falling into leatherwood shrubs, or delicately learning to crampon across sastrugi ice, always with a deep…
North of the Saddle 