Ruapehu - Labour Weekend

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RUAPEHU. Labour Weekend. Would you like to be driven up to the main doors of The Chateau in a dirty old truck? If so you should have come to Ruapehu on Labour Weekend. Apart from this slight faux pas our driver also managed to squeeze in a sixteen mile detour somewhere this side of Taihape but by judicious guiding we managed to get him to the Motor Camp slightly later than usual on Saturday morning. After the usual mad scramble for breakfast and mountain transport we eventually found ourselves on the way up the mountain. Most of the party spent the day on the slopes below the Yankee Slalom, only Stan, Cyril and Phil braving the heights. Maybe this was just as well for some of the acrobatics being performed down below would hardly have met with their approval. All too soon came the time to head back to camp after what had been a really enjoyable days ski-ing. All right! I enjoyed what I was doing even if it wasn't ski-ing. Late that night Johnny Robinson and Keith Durrant arrived after climbing Ngaruahoe. Sunday dawned misty after rain during the night but the sun managed to shine and away we went for another day as enjoyable as the first except for a slight catastrophe which overtook Hori in the form of a broken ski. Johnny and Keith set out to climb Ruapehu - Johnny in what appeared to be only a long shirt and no pants - while Phil and Dianna rushed up Pinnacle Ridge. Stan and Cyril climbed to the crater and came back raving (No. No madder than usual!) about the ski-ing up further. Back in camp that night a sunburnt and tired party were treated to a slightly premature fireworks display which amongst other things held up a car trying to leave the Motor Camp.

Strangely enough Phil and Dianna were last back that night. Phil was blushing something awful but tried to tell us it was the sun. Sunday night was wet and next morning quite a few found bed very comfortable. Johnny and Keith took an amble up Pinnacle Ridge while Hori, Rod and I enjoyed a few rounds of golf before lunch, I'l1 warn you though - the safest place on the course when Rod is playing is about 10 feet behind himo When and if he hits the ball that's about the only place it doesn't goo We were scheduled to leave at 2p.m. but Johnny and Keith struck difficulties and we finally left at about 3p.mo, arriving in Wellington at 11.30p.m. Seen on the mountain were:- Stan Kinder (Leader), Bob Williams, Rod Milne, Stan Potter, Cyril Jacquard, Jack G. McCahey, W. Hicks, Ray Wilson, R. Pearce, Graeme UAR12. Hall, Skelton, Dianna Coliings, Agnes Wells, Keith Durrant, Phil Gardner, and Bill Rice. W.H.R.