What are family trips?
The club caters for a range of family trips from those for backpacks and mountain buggys to more adventurous ones with teenagers. The family group trips on the fixture card are contributed by three groups:
- the pre-schoolers group
- the primary school & intermediate group
- the secondary school group.
Evidently there is overlap with different age groups within a particular family and the experience and ability of the children.
The group fosters a great friendship not only amongst the parents but also the children. Some of the teenagers of today were going on family trips in backpacks ten and even fifteen years ago and are the greatest of friends.
For upcoming trips, check our fixture card.
How long are the trips?
The majority of trips tend to be day trips, although overnight trips staying at huts and camping are also provided.
Over some long weekends we organise lodge trips further away to places like the Ruahines, Tongariro, and Taranaki. These are very popular with the children allowing them to do a mixture of activities, cycle, tramp, or just play around the lodge with their friends.
Over Christmas some of the family group head to the South Island for 5 to 7 day tramping trips.
What kinds of activities do we do?
The family group trips are not just confined to tramping, we cycle, ski, go caving, tube down rivers, canoe, and go on tree planting trips.
With the Ski season coming up, consider coming along on some of the family ski weekends and ski weeks held at the club's alpine lodge right on the Whakapapa Ski-field. Check the Ski Page for more information about the club's skiing activities generally and family ski trips.
Read about some of the great family trips in our Trip Reports.
Taking children tramping
Some may ask how do you get your children enthused to go tramping?
Well, the club has a long tradition of family tramping, although the group has become more active in recent years. Most of these children were taken into the bush in backpacks on their parent's backs from a very early age and were able to feel the leaves and hear the birds sing and enjoy an early bush experience. As their younger siblings took their place they were able to explore a little on their own at ground level. As they grew older they found there was fun to be had in the challenges en route, the adventures of a different world to explore and new things to learn.
So, many children enjoy the bush for the same reasons that their parents enjoy it: the tranquillity, seeing the birdlife, the history of places, companionship, and the sense of adventure.
The children especially enjoy the adventures of staying at places, either in a tent or hut, rather than just going for a walk for its own sake. Many of the children enjoy the club's family lodge trips for the diversity of options this gives them.
When on a tramp, it is important to allow time to give the children a break, such as arriving at camp early to allow them to do their own thing, to play cards, or whatever. On longer trips, it is good to have a day's rest, time to play hide and seek, to go off exploring, in fact, to be themselves.
It is also important that children have good equipment, for they are more vulnerable than you to the weather and it is important that they keep warm and dry.
How do we join in?
Upcoming scheduled family trips are listed on this website, in the monthly Tararua Tramper magazine, and on the trip noticeboards at the clubrooms.
When you find a trip you are interested in, contact the leader of the trip to discuss the trip, transport arrangements, the level of difficulty, the ages of the children, and the gear or equipment required. You will usually need to sign onto a trip on or before the Tuesday club meeting occurring before the trip so that leader can finalise the arrangements.
The club has a gear room from which you can hire a range of tramping gear. The family group also runs a sale of second-hand children's tramping and ski gear periodically.
| TTC Family trips and activities |
|---|
| Request to join by email -> mailto:ttc [period] family+owner [snail] ttc [period] org [period] nz?Subject="Please subscribe me to ttc [period] family"&Body= |
| Visit ttc.family email group |
| Post to ttc [period] family group -> mailto:ttc [period] family [snail] ttc [period] org [period] nz?Subject= |
| Unsubscribe by email -> mailto:ttc [period] family+unsubscribe [snail] ttc [period] org [period] nz?Subject="Unsubscribe"&Body= |
For further enquiries, come along to our Tuesday night club meetings or contact Peggy Munn -> mailto:ttc [period] family [period] trips [snail] ttc [period] org [period] nz?Subject=Query from TTC website on tbc.