Ruapehu - Labour Weekend

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RUATENU. Labour Woekend. Mr.Free had built a new canopy for this trip and it certainly was appreciated as we left Wellington with one of the most possimistic weather forecasts I have yet encountered. We can all testify to its accuracy - in fact could not long after leaving Wellington. At Sanson we waited for some t: ime for Bill Murray and finally left at about 12.20am. hoping he would not turn up later andwait in pouring rain. It was cold and damp, if not actually raining, as we pilod out of the truck at the turn çut of Ohakuno. It was then that Val realised wo were not going to the Chatoau and I can understand the nnnouncement of a nine mile stroll (? -Id.) beforo bronkfast was somewhat of a bitter surprisc, The party was divided into tho Alpine Instruction Courso, the "Extras" undor Tom Lawton and the Instructors whom we left in the truck. With Trovor in front we made quito good timo considoring the early and non-fed hour, stopping at the milo posts to do subtroction and broatho! Somowhere botween the fifth and sixth posts my foot packod up and the A.I.C. bec came green packs in tho distenco,thon I occa.sionc.lly ovorhaulod vhen they restodo Tom's party we.s somowhat in the rear. The first "hill" nogotiatod I started thankfully across the open and was caught by Terry and then driving hail, Terry and then Frank passod me end I mannged a very slow and most unenjoya.ble crawl up the runlot of mud they call a track up to the Hut, and thon tho wind was dutormined to blow mo back again. Tho woathor roport was boing verified. Tom's party arrivod and nuch lator tho Instructors who had somo curious storios to toll! Tho timo takon for tho A.I.C. was 4t hours, for Tom's party 42 hours and for the Instructors about 3 hours. (Edenote a tho first two aro for party timo including all spells, that for tho Instructors is for tramping timo cnly.) With tho rain bocomo sloot, mist and intornittont snow, with a driving wind thoro soomed no object in hounding tirod bodios up a mountain so Saturday aftornoon was spent quiotly" esleop, playing "500", chattering or just trying to get the firo to go, and an idle nomontary wondoring what an acroplene was doing in that storn 30 noar the mountain. Saturday night curfow want at eight and so to sleop again. Sunday damed white i there had boen about twelve inches of snow fallen during the night and the stuntod bush was woighted down with it. It was a ronlly beautiful sight. The wind had dropped a little and so tho climb was on while Vrl and I slopt and then cloared out the fireplece. Sunday night WO held a sing-song much enhanced by throe strange and amorous "femalos" and the usual Rock-Climbers worked out 8. route ovor and under the table -2 romerkable pastime!

Monday looked vintry and wet, the snow still about the Hut. Cripples and women left first and gouged a sloshy track through the melting snow and slippery nudo For the first time in the weck end a feir view was had of the country we were travelling over. The Hut is on the bush line at 4,550 feet and the treck drops down and around a fairly open space into bush which is mainly beech, drops again and then for seemingly endless miles follows a gentle down grade. It is well corduroydd and would be impossible to lose. Out of the bush again it was along old trem trecks and then off to the road and the truck - we hoped. The reverse process * going up - seems even more endless. We arrived at the roed and no truck, but very soon from a passing milk lorry driver we receivedthe news of the missing plane. We rang the Ohakune Police Station from Mr.Hussey's place and offered our services as a search party and they thanked us but said that they were concentrating on the Wanganui area. Jim entertained us with Maori Hakas, taiaha dances and games until the truck arrived and then off to Taihape. We heard there that the Wanganui area had not produced the plane so we egain rang Ohakune, Once more we were thanked and told that search parties were already organised. And so back to Wellingte ton. The party wast- Instructors - Athol Roberts 9 Rob Jemieson, Len Brown. A.I.C. - Bill Rice, Terry Moore, Keith Garbutt, Barry Wilcox, Peter McMillan, Graeme Hall, Trevor Walsh, Rod Milne, John Robinson and Marie Mershall. .Extras Tom Lawton, Frank McGowan, Betty Brewster, Val Moug, Jim Ritchie. M.M.