The majority of university tramping club history in New Zealand harks back to the early twentieth century, when romantic notions of nature and a love of wild landscapes were common in early traveller journals.
The University of Otago was established in 1869, and in 1870 the University of New Zealand was created by an Act of Parliament and colleges were established in Christchurch (Canterbury College, 1873), Auckland (1883) and Wellington (Victoria University College, 1897). Tramping clubs followed some time after and fostered leadership, outdoor skills and camaraderie. Botanists, geologists and other students of nature were especially keen to head into the wilderness.
Auckland University Tramping Club (AUTC) is one of the oldest outdoor clubs at the university. It began in April 1932, but its roots dig in further. The club's present co-captain, Seán Thomson, says, “The club is actually an offshoot of an older club called the University Field Club; a group of people who would travel around the country to carry out scientific field trips. After ten years or so, there was tension between those who
