WTC Club History

Our Founder!

'Mother of the Wanganui tramping Club'

Late in August 1952, sixteen-year-old Margaret Murch (now McGuire) was a member of a party from the Aramoho Methodist Bible Class which travelled up to the mountain for an outing. Margaret was so taken with this experience that on Friday 5th September 1952, she placed an advertisement in the personal column of the Wanganui Herald, soliciting interest in the formation of a tramping club. 

Margaret received a good response to her advertisement and Arthur Bates quickly organised an inaugural meeting in the Jockey Club rooms. She was overwhelmed with the number of people who turned up. The meeting formed the Wanganui Tramping Club and Margaret was elected Secretary/Treasurer and Ron Wilson President. The meeting also decided that the minimum age to join the Tramping Club would be nineteen. She kept very quiet about her age!

Foundation members she can recall include Colin Watson, Hugh Clapham, Helen Liddel (later Mrs Clapham) and her sister Ada as well as Fred and Mary Johnston.

Margaret recalls that the club's first tramp was from around Papaiti to the Blueskin Road followed by a tramp in the Tokomaru East area and then one from Parihauhau, overnighting at Firmins' and coming out somewhere near opposite Upokongaro.

When she married at nineteen, the Club presented her with a cup, saucer and plate, which she still has. She then left the Club because of moving to the back of Hunterville to live. Margaret McGuire was chuffed to have been asked, as 'Mother of the Tramping Club' to cut the Club's 25th cake as well as being special guest at the Golden Jubilee Weekend held over Labour Weekend in 2002.

In December 2012, on the occasion of the Club's 60th Anniversary, Margaret was presented with Honorary Life Membership of Wanganui Tramping Club.

Club Hut reaches 60th Birthday

Trampers celebrated this significant milestone with either a day trip or an overnight stop at Mangaturuturu Hut, on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th April 2018. The building of the Mangaturuturu hut was undertaken and opened six years after the WTC’s establishment on 5 April 1952.

With the weather cool and cloudy we visited Tom's Garden on the way to the hut and assembled indoors. During lunch President Margret spoke briefly on the beginnings of the hut and acknowledged those who had the vision for the hut. After a toast and some birthday cake, the overnighters decided to go on a further afternoon walk near Lake Surprise and the day trippers walked back out via the cascades.

Our Southern Man Heads Home

If anyone in our club deserves the title of a "good, keen man" it has to be Brian Sixtus. Sometimes I think he's really a character straight out of a Barry Crump novel. Go tramping with Brian and you will see a display of his bush skills. He's a trail-finder, wood-chopper, fire-lighter, eel-catcher, track-mender, practical-joker, and -- being a caring bloke -- a cheerful pack-carrier for those who are lagging. He's a man who thinks outside the square. On our recent round-Mt Ruapehu trip he produced wine and a range of snacks for happy hour on not one but both the nights he was with us.

Brian has been a stalwart at Possum Lodge. He loves staying there, cutting wood and doing chores and maintenance. He's an explorer and has been involved with Basil Hooper on his Tunnel Gully project for an alternative route to Trains Hut in the Waitotara as well as discovering old timber tram lines around National Park. For a long time he has been on the trips committee, organising our programme. Brian's many contributions to the club were recognised when he received the Doughty Boot Award in 2010. And there were further accolades at the AGM in June.

But though he's very much at home with us, Brian is true to his Southern Man roots. He has been hankering for his home turf of Takaka and his beloved Kahurangi National Park. And he's now decided to make the break and go back. Many of us are grateful for the trips Brian has led in Kahurangi over the years and there may be more as Brian says he will definitely maintain his links with the club. Thanks for everything, Brian, good luck and safe tramping! By Dave Scoullar

Mangaturuturu Hut Construction 1956

Wanganui Tramping Club's Mt Ruapehu Hut

In mid 1954, the fledgling Club had a major setback when the Waitotara County Council asked for their Kauarapoa Hut back, 'as someone wanted to live out there permanently' resulting in all the Club's contents being stored back in town. This reversal eventually led to the Club's President, in October 1955, remarking that the Club was firmly established and should taken on more difficult projects. He suggested that the Club build a hut, and the AGM passed a resolution 'that we work towards building our own hut in the Mangaturuturu Valley on Mount Ruapehu. The Committee eventually got Park Board approval for the site, but the Board did not like the look of the suffused 'rather rustic' style of the construction.

Mrs Heather Oliver (nee Hall) recalls the enthusiasm of Club members being tremendous. "As I remember there were working bees to raise money such as hedge cutting, baby sitting, building a concrete garage, moving lawns etc. The first working party was scheduled for 11 - 12 February 1956. There were endless trips up the mountain to cut a track along the bush ridge and down into the Mangaturuturu Valley, and to carry timber and building materials to the hut site. The route was by way of Horopito through a short stretch of bush, then across the swampy flats up to the ridge bush line, to the first timber dump. One or two planks were carried on our padded shoulders, but they still hurt. The next timber dump was halfway along the bush ridge, where we sometimes camped in a very shady damp area.

The Club was lucky to have the help of Alf Timmo who owned a sawmill in Raetihi. He bulldozed a track through a piece of bush to Thoroson's Flat. Thoroson lived on the Horopito Road and also had a small hut near the bush edge. Les Frederickson, who farmed at Horopito, lent the Club two horses and sledges to load timber onto. Carl Gedye and Kenny Hawkins, who were in charge of the horses, drove them and their load across Thoroson's Flat to the edge of the bush near the main ridge. Timber was off-loaded and a fast trip was made back for the next load.

At the Mangaturuturu hut site we pitched tents while construction was in progress. Several of the Club members were builders who kept a watchful eye over the willing workers! When the roof was on, and building paper was on the sides, we slept in the hut. Floorboards were placed over the floor joists for a sleeping area. There were so many of us we were packed in like sardines. There was plenty of snow around as it was now winter - Queen's Birthday weekend, the last weekend before the Winter Recess!"

Through the earnest endeavours of many club members, the hut was finished with the official opening on the 5th April 1958. Regular maintenance's the Mangaturuturu Hut in excellent condition and expect to see her still serving the public in 2058!

50 Year Celebration for Pine Pulling, November 2015

Wanganui Tramping Club members have been eradicating wilding Pinus contorta trees since 1964

A group usually goes up the mountain in November and in March each year to pull out seedlings, camping overnight under the beech trees. The longest serving volunteer was Ridgeway Lythgoe, who began to pull pines in 1978 when he worked as a ranger for Lands and Survey. David Scoullar has been coming for thirty years. They needed chainsaws to cut the trees in the early days, but today a handsaw is sufficient. The pines are now sparse and the group covers hundreds of hectares each weekend hunting for the seedlings. They removed 282 trees this weekend.