Whanganui Walking Group
(River City Walking Group)

🚗 Transport & Carpooling

For our out-of-town trips and select semi-local hikes, we use a carpooling system with private vehicles to get to the tracks. To make things stress-free on the morning of the hike, vehicles are organized and pre-paid for trip expenses in advance by the trip coordinator based on the registrations received.

To keep things safe and reliable, all of our volunteer carpool drivers are experienced group regulars who have held a full New Zealand driver's licence for at least 3 years.

Choosing to Self-Drive:You are more than welcome to drive your own vehicle to the track if you prefer. If you choose to self-drive, we warmly invite a voluntary $5 donation to our group safety fund. This fund helps cover the maintenance and replacement of vital group safety gear—such as our Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) and group first aid kits—which we carry on every trip for everyone's peace of mind. (Note: This donation is entirely optional, and self-drivers are always welcome to join our hikes regardless).

💰 Transport Cost Breakdown

For those participating in the carpool, passengers make a standard contribution to cover travel expenses, ensuring our volunteer drivers aren't left out of pocket.

  • How it's calculated: The transport contribution is worked out using a fair volunteer per-kilometre rate based on the average fuel consumption of our group vehicles. This covers fuel usage, a contribution toward wear & tear, and a small built-in safety fund donation.
  • Price Stability: While fluctuating fuel prices mean our trip costs may change over the season, the price is locked in once the trip email is sent out during the week of the tramp. If a vehicle isn't completely full on the day, our safety fund steps in to cover the shortfall so the trip always goes ahead as advertised. (Note: The only exception is a sudden, extreme fuel price shock of +20c or more per litre during the week, in which case we may need to make a minor adjustment).
  • How to pay: This contribution goes directly into our dedicated group account to cover the pre-paid fuel and travel costs. You can pay this via bank transfer before the day of the tramp, or in cash to the event leader before the vehicles depart.

Note: Please make sure you register in advance so the coordinator can ensure there are enough seats available for everyone! If you would like to bank transfer, please email us for our account details.