Trip Leader Guide—Day Trips
Peninsula Tramping Club 14 October 2026
Initial Preparations
Get the relevant map from the trip planner or https://www.topomap.co.nz
Familiarise yourself with the route and potential hazards. Refer to books and brochures, and ask other people who have done the trip before, so you are satisfied that you can cope with it and navigate successfully.
Decide the maximum number of people you want to take. Factors include the difficulty of the trip and transport economics.
Arrange for permission from landowners, if necessary. The trip planner can usually tell you who to contact.
People register interest in the trip
People wanting to go on the trip should contact you during the week before the trip. Describe the route to them, walking times, hazards etc.
Ensure the person is fit enough, can handle the terrain, and has the right equipment.
Do they have a vehicle available? How many people does it fit, with day packs?
Ask if there are any medical conditions or special medication that you need to know about. PTC members are expected to carry in their packs a sheet listing next-of-kin and medical conditions. Additionally, ask for an emergency contact for each person for the particular trip.
Before the Trip
The meeting place, vehicle cost is usually stated on the trip list.
Contact the gear custodian and arrange to pick up the gear you need: first-aid kit, emergency locator beacon, etc. The custodian also has copies of the 2023 edition of Safety in the Mountains.
Get a weather forecast for the area you are visiting. Consider changing the route, going elsewhere or cancelling completely if adverse weather is forecast. Let the contact person know any change of plans. http://metvuw.com/forecast/ metservice.com https://www.yr.no/en/
Any special equipment needed (eg ice axe, crampons, snow goggles, extra warm clothes). • Name and telephone number of contact person. If the trip is late back, anxious people can ring the contact person, not the police.
Tell the Contact Person and Emergency Beacon Contacts -
Names and next-of-kin contact details.
Vehicle makes, models, colours and registration numbers.
Where vehicles will be parked.
The intended route.
When you expect to be back.
Beacon Contacts can be simply emailed using: plb1@ptc.nz plb2@ptc.nz and plb3@ptc.nz As a single step, pasting plb1@ptc.nz;plb2@ptc.nz;plb3@ptc.nz into the address line should work.
On the Trip
Briefly discuss the route and hazards.
Let everyone know who has the first-aid kit and PLB—usually you or the most qualified first-aider. The PLB pouch contains ‘how-to’ information for emergencies.
Encourage the group to stay together. This is particularly important where the track or route is difficult, navigation is not straightforward, or the weather and/or visibility is poor. At these times it is a good idea to appoint a competent tail-ender. At the very least, arrange for regroupings and snack stops at landmarks or at certain times.
Count your people. In rare cases you may decide to split the group if there is a wide range of abilities but you need to appoint a leader for the second group and you need to be sure both groups can navigate Ensure that nobody is tramping alone, out of sight or sound-range of others.
Keep an eye on new or slower group members, and ensure that they are not left on their own. They may need reassurance.
Back at the Vehicles
Make sure everyone gets back to the vehicles.
Pay drivers petrol money. The calculation using the IRD Tier 2 rates is per vehicle so split the cost between the number of people on the trip evenly. (usually to within the nearest 5 dollars for each passenger.) The driver will be refunded this amount, minus their petrol share. Add up the total cost for all vehicles and divide by the total number of people, including drivers. This is the amount to collect off each person for transport. If you are not confident about the calculation ask someone else to do the sums. On long trips you can agree beforehand with the driver to scale back the petrol cost.
See table below.
Back in Town
Let your contact know you have returned.
Return gear to the custodian in a clean and dry state, along with gear-hire charges.
Let the trip planner know how many people were on the trip, and discuss any issue that arose. • It's good PR to send a thank-you note to any landowner that gave you access.
If in doubt about anything in this guide, talk to the trip planner. Thank you for leading.
Vehicle Costs
All vehicles: $0.40 / km [Adjusted by the Committee from time to time - last updated 1st October 2026]