A Trip to Fernside

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ATRIP TO FERNSIDE. Sent. 3/5th. "I have a throry about trains, they run An linos." As Wo passed through th- Tutt Vall-y thrre was a stoady downpout of rain (that pronised to nako th- weather roport come true) but tho Wairerapa offored kindliorw8thrr and it was with much thanks-giving that-twelve trampors' with varying dogrons of truck sickness pilod out at Foatherston for ico croam. Thon back to tho truck and oninto tho darkness. "o had boen travelling for some time on a snooth, or comparativoly snooth, road whon our rost was rudoly shattorod by somo buck-jumping that would havo done an unbroken Wild Wost colt crodit. "p-consid-red-the road tho bost placs for trucks and thendiscov-Ted to our dismay that We woro still on it. To rosignod oursalvas to this but not to the sudden stop and thn truck drivor's annorncoment that"as thore was drift-wood on tho Toad and a largo puddlo in front he thought Wo would got out and walk - "You cross a small stroam - only an extra half mile." It had bogun to rain mistily so We-changod - ton minutes to Walls? - and having tamed the truck, procooded though the puddle. "I was first through and could not help noticing tho strnch tho large crabs and frosh wator crays not to montion sundry fish and rath-r oldorly und-rwater vegetation." Howovor wo still did not losn faith in tho truck driver though thore Woro nisgivings at the lack of mountains on our loft - thoy woro away on tho right - and the usual drop into tho Watohine. Actually Wo woro now on tho rivorbod. Wo aro glad that our lmad-rnizjudged tho-direction of tho flowofthe rivor bocause We than hoadod downstroam until Wo Woro confrontod by a largo and inposing railway bridge. To climbed'out of-tho rivor bod and procnodod happily away fron tho bridge on tho railwày track.- A half milo lator Wo hoard shouts from the rear and wont back to consult nap and compass. I am risking my lifo in"saying this, but in spito of tho-fonelo mombors of tho party stating that tho bridgo Wa had just loft was not tho Waiohino railway bridgo and-that "oodside was prosunably in tho diroction Wo had boen travolling, tho map and compass malos Woro in the majority so We about-facod and hoadod for tho river again. Wa crossod the bridge and sloggrd along the line to a dosortad station - RNSIDE. Fornsido is a small-waiting shod on the lino batwoenthe Tawharenikau Rivor and Poatherston and provides"slooping accomodation for 12 porsons 1f two can bo provail-d upon to sloop on the narrow bonch that normally Servosas a Soat. Wo dissuadod Tomfrom Te-crossing tho bridge and going to "alls and then talkid oursolvos out of a brow although Terry brought-a pilo of wood onto tho platform. In spitr of smothored laughtor (not too snothored = "d.) and Torry's outrag-ously original romark that "Tho truck driver must havo takon tho wrong road", and ghost trains, wo soon drifted off to sloop. Wo re-cross-d tho bridgo noxt morning and broakfastod on tha rivor bank boforo trokking a woary mil- or two along tho lino-to "oodsido. By ton Tio yoro at Walls Wharn - only twolvo hours bohind schodulo. Tho rost-of the journey is incidental to tho nain objoet, Pornsido, but as Wo had to tako that ronte, Pootos - Tewharenikau, to catch tho truck et Kaitoko somerd-scription Soons nocossary. Tho track loavas "alls "hare and winds:ur to tho highost grassed point bohind t e hut, thon off and upwards through brackan to the bush. Ths trip upwas roally dalightful, tln re was littlo wind and tho sun Soomed to shine ovory timo To can out of tho-bush. mh-ro was plontyof mud on tho track but no wator at tho Canp Sito so Wo prossod on regerdlass to tho top of It. Roovos Por lunch. For a whilo Wo Voro priviloged spoctators of a Vory small poacoful vorld. "horo was cloud on thr tops oxcopt for snow clad Noill and Coro but To had a good viow of tho "aiohine Valloy in the dark splendour of its bush, tho light groan of its rivor flats and tho shining silvor of thn river. Graduelly our quiot world closod in until there was blacknessand rain all around us - with Roovos in bright sunshinn. Suddenly wo worn in the nidst of snow - largo flekos whirling about us and prinkling us in whito. To beat a hestyretrent off tho top - Bov, Boryl, Morv and Donis and - rr = Rod to Cono Hut, and tho rost of us to Tawher-nikau, not-without tho USo of map and compass. Wo surnrisod ourselves by taking the Mt. Roovos track down aftor xploring tho 1-ft hand corner of tho top Iny unlucky insriretion"-"and consulting tho map. Trov, Cyril, Ian and Torry Woro now out-of sight sinco Lavrie end Tom choso to com down with me but a short way down TATO found Torry by thr sido of tho track whoro ho had waitod for us. "hon hoavy mist doscended and thron discs confronted us with apperently no track Wo had to got out map and compass again and finally dotormined our position from a Block Stako XV - XV11 and tho Tutuwai Stroan on the loft. Thon as tho mist cloared Wo found the next disc. Tho rost of tho trip into the valley was unoventful down a Woll narkod track, and occaisional glimpsos of tho Marchant Ringe peppored with snow, a roally boautiful sight, mado up in part for painful contact with shrubs branching across tho track. Trovor and Cyril arrivod at Tavharonikan Hut at about "p.m. but tho rost of us arriving at 6.15 docidod to sloop at Smiths. Sunday was wet so littlo work wesdone on tho hut and on tho arrival of tho Cono party We Went ont Ovor the Fuffor end so honn.

Tho members of this trip fool sure that whilo Fornside is a lovely spot for a station - Wo actually saw a train stop thore = it should not bo includ-d in future tripsto Mt. Roovas, and somo of us wouli lik- to Son a cours in rivor recognition - not to montion Pailway Bridgos!" Mombers ofth"perty Wores- Torry Mooro (Loador), Bov Bock, Boryl Jemes, Tom Lawton, -Leurin Hoilson, Ian Hindmarsh, Cyril Pod iin, "rovor Walsh, Donis Allison, Morv Noble Hocgoénds Rutch Marshall. M.M.