Who we are
We are a small, friendly Club which has been tramping around New Zealand since 1978. We run trips every second weekend, varying between day long, extended day and weekend trips.
Our day trips can vary widely, from nice leisurely bush walks to strenuous tramps into the more rugged regions of our local ranges and are graded accordingly. Day trips are a good way to start tramping.
The desire to visit areas of interest further afield brought about the’ extended day’ trip. On such trips we leave on Saturday afternoon or evening, and stay at, or near, our destination which enables us to get an early start for our tramp on the Sunday.
Weekend trips are evenly balanced between easy and strenuous ones. We usually depart at 6.00pm on Friday night, or sometimes early on a Saturday morning, and travel to our destination. The rest of the weekend is spent away from civilisation, enjoying the many recreational activities in which our club is involved.
Our website has up to date information on our up-coming trip programme as well as the estimated costs for each one.
The Club also arranges social activities several times a year. These could involve a guest speaker, a presentation by one of our club members who has travelled somewhere special, or a pot-luck or restaurant meal.
If you would like to come out tramping with us please contact the trip leader of the tramp you are interested in. They will be able to give you more details about the tramp and advise if any special gear is recommended.
We are always pleased to welcome new faces and will do our best to ensure you enjoy them as much as we do.
Tramp Grades
Grade A tramps are suitable for beginners with no previous experience so long as they have a reasonable level of fitness and can walk for 5-6 hours. Grade B tramps require a good level of fitness with previous experience recommended. Grade C tramps (often multi-day walks) are usually only open to people who have tramped with the club before or who are known personally by the trip leader or another senior club member.
Transport
To provide transportation for trips it is the club’s policy to hire mini-vans for which the club charges a set price per day (currently $30 per day for members and $35 for non-members) regardless of the distance travelled. The Monday before a trip is usually the last day for bookings and cancellations. However, late bookings will be accepted if a space is available. Cancellations after the cut-off date without good reason will make the participant liable for some, or all, of the booked transport costs.
Our meeting place for all trips is Mill Lane (off Victoria Street) in central Hamilton and to date we have had no problems with parking our cars there. Normal departure times are:
- Day trips: 7 – 8am Sunday morning. Exact time will be confirmed by the trip leader.
- Extended day trip: Saturday afternoon
- Weekend trip: 6pm Friday evening
Joining the Club
We suggest that people interested in joining our club come along on a few one day tramps to begin with, to 'try us out' so to speak.
The list of our upcoming tramps can be found on our Facebook page. If you are interested in any of these please contact the trip leader or co-leader and register your interest no later than the Monday before the tramp is due to take place. They will be able to give you more details on what is involved and the type of gear you may need. The cost for each trip, for both members and non-members, is indicated in the trip details on the website.
Once you have decided if our club is a good fit for you, we ask that you fill in a membership request form which is then sent to the next committee meeting for approval. Once your application has been approved and your subscription paid, you become a full financial member of the Club with voting rights at the AGM.
There are currently four categories of membership available:
- Individual: available to individuals. Such members have full voting rights at the AGM.
- Family: available to one or two adult partners and their dependent children. Voting rights are restricted to the adults only.
Student: available to full time students who do not qualify as family members. Student members have full voting rights. - Associate: Individuals who are interested in supporting the club but who take a limited part in its activities. Such members shall not have voting rights or be eligible for election to the committee.
Subscriptions run from the 1 April to the 31 March and are currently $35 per annum for individual and family memberships, $20 for students and $20 for associates. In the first year, subscriptions are reduced to 2/3 after 1 August and to 1/3 after 1 December.
Benefits of Membership
Members of the club receive reduced rates for all trips and two club bulletins each year. These contain a summary of the trip reports written by members over the previous six months or so as well as other information or articles considered of interest. Members also have voting rights at the club’s AGM which is held in May each year and are eligible to be on the committee.
The Hamilton Tramping Club is also affiliated to the Federated Mountain Clubs of NZ (FMC). This means members of the Hamilton Tramping Club receive the FMC Backcountry bulletin quarterly as well as a FMC discount card which can be used in a number of places. Full details of the benefits of affiliation to the FMC can be obtained from their website.
Rules of the Hamilton Tramping Club
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Whilst the committee shall take all reasonable care to ensure the safety of participants on trips, the participants themselves undertake such trips entirely at their own risk and no responsibility will be accepted for accidents, injury, loss, delays or other misadventures which may occur or happen to members whilst on trips arranged by the Club.
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All participants on Club trips must recognise that they are subject to the direction of the Trip Leader(s).
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Anyone wishing to go on a Club trip must notify the Trip Leader no later than the close off date, usually the preceding Monday night, so all necessary transport bookings can be made. After this time, cancellations or failure to attend the trip without good reason, may make the member liable for part or all of their portion of the trip cost.
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On club trips it its strongly recommended that participants carry emergency contact details (including name, relationship and phone number) and details of any existing medical conditions and medications which may be relevant in an emergency. This information is best carried in their packs and should be readily accessible by the trip leaders in the case of any accidents which may occur on the trip.
Privacy Policy
Approved for circulation to members by the HTC committee at the committee meeting of Tuesday 13th October 2021
The Hamilton Tramping Club takes your privacy seriously and aims to comply with the Privacy Act 2020.
We collect personal information to facilitate your participation in club activities and to facilitate the administration of the club.
The prime purposes are to:
- Enable club members to be contacted on club business, (A contact list of names, phone numbers and email addresses will be supplied to Club members only).
- Provide the phone numbers of trip leaders and co-leaders for upcoming trips published in the Club Trip Plan and the Bulletin magazine issued to members every 6 months and on the Club website.
- Provide Trip Reports to members, including photographs, which may appear in the 6 monthly Bulletin magazine and any names used will be first names only.
- Allow trip photographs to be posted on the Club face-book page, but with no names included.
You have the right to access any information held about you at any time and to correct that information.
The signed Nomination for Membership agreement includes a permission for the club to use your details for administration purposes. That is unless you advise the club that you do not agree. You can request that your name and/or image be omitted from all publications by advising the Privacy Officer, or from individual articles by advising the trip leader. In such cases your first name may be used in the article. An ‘all publications’ opt out will expire unless explicitly renewed when you renew your annual subscription.
The Hamilton Tramping Club Privacy Officer role is filled by the Club Secretary. You can contact the Club Secretary on
Expected driving standards for HTC trip drivers
The Club is dependent upon and grateful to willing volunteers who are prepared to take on van driving duties for the Club trips
The Club expects that drivers will:
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Obey all NZ Road Rules while driving.
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Carry a current driver’s licence when driving on any Club trip.
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Be currently approved by Rite Price to drive a Rite Price vehicle (or be approved by any other hire company relevant to the vehicle being driven).
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Take time to become familiarised with the features of any rented vehicles. Understand that hire vans are larger and heavier than normal family cars and so will handle differently on the road.
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Take extra care and use caution when driving a trip vehicle and be aware that passengers are relying on the driver to drive safely at all times. There should never be any reason to rush.
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Apply even more caution when driving on unsealed or rough roads.
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Communicate with passengers during any trip to invite feedback on the comfort of the ride and the style of driving
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Be prepared to ask for a relief driver if there is any feeling of uncomfort about continuing as driver at any time. Be happy to share driving. On longer trips schedule rest stops and change drivers after about every 2 hours of travel.
