Today we were in Auckland for a delayed family Christmas outing with Warren’s work to the Auckland Zoo. Warren took the opportunity of course to slip in and get another summit under his belt and in his log. While Warren is not the first to activate Mt Eden for ZL SOTA, this was a first for him all the same. Andrew VK3ARR activated Mt Eden … Continue reading Mount Eden – Another region under our belts
Kahuranaki – home of the 670 repeater site is probably our last Hawkes Bay SOTA summit for this trip as we head back to home on Thursday and back to the realities of life as we know it. We arrived at the summit as the sun was starting to go down and Warren set up at speed to get himself on the air before it … Continue reading Kahuranaki – as the sun was setting
10 points awaited Warren, with a 3.30am wakeup – planning a sunrise hike with kids in tow didn’t quite work as planned. Warren’s cousin Olivia was to join us for the hike today but we never did cross paths in the end, she was up and down well ahead of us, although we are pretty sure we saw her going up on another track. We … Continue reading Blood, Sweat and Tears – Tackling the highest summit in Hawkes Bay
January 7th we ventured out for some holiday down time at Waimaramara beach as a family. After fish and chips at the local shop we headed for the countryside to squeeze in a SOTA summit activation. Warren couldnt let a day’s chance pass him by and he had prepared himself for the chance and made contact with the land owner to gain permission to access … Continue reading At the end of another day – Waipoapoa Summit
They always say to expected the unexpected and well, to be fair that was just what we found as we made our way to our final summit for today. Firstly on the backgrounds towards the summit, going up into the hills via a narrow gravel back roads we met a ute towing a quad bike on a trailer going too fast. Once we reached the … Continue reading Always expect the unexpected…..
We reached our second summit for today shortly after midday and Warren and Dave quickly set up the aerial to go live on the air, while throwing down a quick bite to eat. Warren had unsuccessfully phoned ahead to gain access permission to the site. Fortunately we managed gained access to the farm land however as the owner who Warren has met a handful of … Continue reading Off we go again – Ahiweka
Our second day in the Hawkes Bay started out with a full day planned on three hill tops and Tourere was our first stop. The day started with a quick stop to pick up Warrens radio friend, Dave ZL2DW at 8am and off we headed from Hastings off to the summit. Dave offered to join us for the day to spend some time hilltopping and … Continue reading Day two in Hawkes Bay – ZL1/HB-096
Finally we made it on holiday and of course the first place after a rest and dinner was to pack the car with SOTA gear and head up to TeMata Peak – Summit ZL1/HB-135. How this had gone live on the SOTA database and remained unclaimed as a first activation we are not quite sure as its an easy drive to the top. However off … Continue reading Hawkes Bay – we made it!
As the year ticked over from 2015 to 2016 Warrens adventures with SOTA were not about to go astray just because we were restricted on where we could be. Warrens work life and a few associated hiccups have meant an extended period on call this holiday season, including having to push back our holiday to the Hawkes Bay, to visit friends and family and of … Continue reading From 2015 and into 2016 on – zl1/wk-188 – Puketarata
ZL-SOTA. Warren (ZL2AJ) and Emma 