KAPITI COASTGUARD FUNDRAISERS

[badnuz]

Hi ya all
the coastguard is again running a couple of fundraisers, one is this weekend ( i believe??) the other is 11th April

for more info contact MUDY1 via PM or here:

fourbyfour@paradise.net.nz


2010 ‘KAPITI COAST GUARD’

FUND RAISER

Sunday - 21st March 2010 $60 per vehicle


The ‘Tararua Four Wheel Drive Club’ welcomes Four Wheel Drive enthusiasts on an outing through the Akatarawa Forest Park.

This trip is a family fun day, for four wheel drive shiny vehicles.

NB: The forests tracks are not suitable for the likes of 4 wheel drive cars etc ie Subarus (generally, ground clearance is not adequate to prevent underbody damage.)

Pre event bookings are essential.
No bookings on the day. Limited numbers.

For pre bookings: Contact:

Stu Barton 0272324164 stuart.barton@clear.net.nz
Graham Wilson 0274421764 smartsolar@xtra.co.nz

A drivers briefing will be held at the Paraparaumu Railway station carpark, in Epiha St, over the railway line at 8-30 am

Vehicles will leave promptly at 9:00am. So Please be on time.

We will be leaving the car park in groups and proceeding in convoy to the Maungakotukutuku Valley.
Each group will have a Tararua Club vehicle leading and another vehicle at the rear.
You will not have time to stop on the way so make sure you have fuelled up and bought all provisions before arriving at the Railway Car Park.

Land access is by courtesy of the Wellington Regional Council. Access gates are locked after we enter the forest, so if you get separated from your group then you will not be able to exit the forest.

Please respect the environment - Stay on the authorized tracks. - Do not litter.

For your own safety and the enjoyment of others, your group leader will be in charge. Please follow his instructions.

We will finish back at the Maungakotukutuku entrance to the forest at approx 4:30pm.

What To Bring

A full tank of fuel.
Your own lunch and refreshments - tea – coffee – water.
There are no coffee shops where we are going.
Warm clothing. Remember we are going into the bush, the weather is changeable, we could have mechanical break downs, so make sure you have some warm clothing.

What NOT to Bring Dogs (pets) - Firearms - Alcohol.


Convoy Rules:

The Golden Rule of convoy travel
“keep the vehicle behind you in your rear vision mirror.”
At track intersections, ensure that the vehicle behind you has seen where to go before you move off. The area has a reasonably complex network of tracks so we don’t want to spoil anybody’s day by having to look for drivers that have ignored the rules and wandered off on their own. It is very easy to get lost in the bush.

Be cautious on steep ascents and descents. Select the right gear and use engine braking and don’t rely on your brakes.

Keep a good distance between yourself and the vehicle in front, especially on ascents and descents.

At river crossings, one vehicle only in the water at a time.
Remember to check your brakes after crossing a river.

Consumption of alcohol is prohibited:

Common sense applies. If you are not sure about anything ask for assistance from your group leader, all club members are experienced and will be happy to offer advise or assistance.

Tyre Pressures:

To improve traction on the slippery parts of tracks and increase ride comfort we suggest you deflate your tyres to no lower than 20 psi.
As we only have a short distance to travel on seal when we leave the railway car park, if you want to deflate your tyres, please do this in the car park before departure.
This will save time when we get to the forest entrance.
Bring a tyre gauge and valve key for this exercise.

NB: DO NOT DEFLATE TUBELESS TYRES BELOW 20 LBS PSI.

On returning to the highway, at the end of the trip, remember your vehicles handling will be affected until tyres are reinflated to normal pressure.

General

We will have a Club vehicle as the lead and tail vehicle of each group. The drivers are experienced and know the area. Club vehicles have VHF radio and can communicate with one another. These drivers will be able to provide updates on what is occurring throughout the day, especially if the convoy has to stop for any reason.

If you have a PRS Radio then we will be using Channel 4
If you have a CB radio, use channel 40

Most of the tracks that we will be using are in a reasonable state of repair, a mixture of metal and clay surface. However it is possible that we could be held up by slips or trees across the track. Club members will have the equipment necessary to handle these obstacles.

Vehicle Recoveries

In the event of vehicles becoming stuck, extreme care is needed during a recovery operation.
You will notice that all of our club vehicles have heavy duty tow hooks securely attached to the
chassis..
Using strops, or a tow rope, on a normal tow ball is a definite no-no.

If a vehicle is stuck please be guided by a CLUB MEMBER on how to recover.
Tow ropes breaking under pressure and tow balls flying off tow bars are a definite health hazard.

Make sure that both you and your passengers keep well away from a vehicle recovery.