Mt Tauwharenikau - Reeves

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MT. TAU"HARENIKAU = REEVES. Nove 4/6th. I+ was quite a good nigh+ for +rempingas we lef+ Phil and his Walls Working-Party in +he truck at +he Kaitoke P.W.D. Camp and dived in+o-+he wash-house +o change. Actually +here was a dis+inc+ chill in-+he air as we-left +he camp, "alla, Stan, Bill and I, for +he road walk +o Andrews Farm, and +he Puffer. We put Bill out in front as usual andmanaged +o talk him into a walk which we did very sedately na++ering like a +reeful of magpies"up +o +he op via++he zig zag. We finally made +he Summit of -+he most comnon Tararua Crossing and headed down Upper Smi+hs intoritae Creck (Sounds good doesn'+ i+?) where we imbibed at-+he 1VH21 stream fyou'll never guess what)-and proceeded +hus streng*hened +o our des+ination at Smi+hs Hut, where, in les S +han no-+ime, we had a good brem. Before long-+he villains of +he piece broke +hrough +he door - no o+her +han Jim Dawson"and Ben Talbot. We gave +hem a-brew never guessing hom +hey would repay our hospitality and wished +hem every success in +he weckend's shooting - having fotnd out +hey were not going +o be in our immediate vicinityt Which"all goes +o show our great confidence in +he Shooters Section. - We-+old Jim of our plan +o go +o Walls via +he Ford and M+. Reevés Track. We then made our first mistake of +he weekend - TC +old him we were considering going +o Reeves via M+. Tauwharenikau. -Jim, always"helpful; told us +o cross +he Teuwharenikeu at +he slip just below +he Chateau and having picked up a blaze follow a good open +rack +o +he top - one hour-and a quarter - where we would find his name inscribed on +he Block pego That appeared a much quicker me+hod of reeching Reeves so +hanking him for his information wre prepered for +he sack as he left. There was only one other incident worth mentioning. Two people arrived not long-after" and-asked if Fhey could stay, obviously looking over +he hut wi+h proprietary kindliness. They also asked Stan if we were +he +ito people on +he bus. S+an said we-were +he four people on +he +ruck and everyone now being sa+isfied of everyone elses insanity we went +o sleep. Nex+ morning-by gen+le-hints as broad as a superfor+ress me managed +o convey +o *he o+her people ve were four and belonged +o +he Club +hat omned +he hut. We +ried +o convince +hem we were "green"-+o tramping but our dilapidated-gear and "perking" habits gave us away. At 7.20 me bade +he hut adieu and headed off on our II shor+" trip +o heeves. We crossed +he river without mishap after perkinga candle and a comic from +he Chateau and having reached +he river shelf above +he slip looked for a blaze. We found one righ+ away but every+hing in an upward and even sideways direc+ion bore a-striking resemblence to-darkest Africa. we had Broat faith in-Jin s+ill and spli+ up in 3-parties (I don'+ know why 3) +o find +he "+rack". Darkes+ Africa soon had no+hing on supplejack and o+her bush impedimenta. Stan of course with his good old Trepper Nelson pack was thoroughly enjoying himself! I+ wasnt+ long before we were out of sight and sound of each o+her in our searches and in +rying +o find +he-+rack "alla fell +hrough +he bush and stuff - mos+ly-stuff - and found open beech forest. Talk ebout-+he Iron"Curtain. Having found one ano+her and unear+heaS+an we put Bill in front"againand headed up +he side of +he spur: Nowr and again 1+-flat+ened out +o about 60 degrees but i+-was quite steep at o+her +imes. Once we made +he edge of-+he spur-we found a +rack which led us straigh+ +o +he +op - of-+he block. There WTC found the peg-with Jin's name-on i+-- one hour and a quarterout from Sni+hs. "e celebra+ed wi+h an orange and a cigare++e but for +he first *ine we began +O doubt Jimo No ma++er how hard wre *ried +o +hink o+herwise +here did seem an upward lift on +he ridge ahead or us. Hour righ+ we were. Three hours later we came +o M+. Tauwherenikau: On the whole the going was good. There has-been a track +here and +he + blazes are more like fores+ fires.- We had ano+her rest be+ween +he top-of +he block and-M+. Tauwharenikau where we-all climbed trees +o look at +he landscape, We could not-even see Reeves as it was hidden behind a massive rise +hat could only be Tauwharenikau. On the top at last we took photos of-+his; +he first ascent from our Club. I+ was jus+ possible +O get-all four of us on top at once. We-climbed +he summit +rees and had a-good view of +he-Sou+hern and Central Tararuas, although +here was a desultory mist washing about +he The tops. Winchconbe looked positively +iring! Ahead of us lay +he +rack +o Reeves. I+ curved in a long, lazy double S onto Reeves open +op. The-ridge drops abruptly in+o +he saddle a short distance after"Tauwharenikau and Swings away to +he Nor+h +hen back round-+o-Ees+ +hen Nor+h and East againo As we dropped off into +he saddle something-happened which migh+ help explain some odd sayings of +he I boys. sar a hazy ou+line of a ridge-+o our right and as we were veering left I said"very petemptorily - "I hate re+racing! = Just a minutel Jus+ e"minute!" Bill pulled up and looked round and said lme-go +his way. I1 Heving changed my mind I said "Yes:" and +hey all collepsed in"senseless mirth. Anyway I go+ my Owf back. We had been travelling across +he-broad back of +he saddle heading upwards. Bill chose lef+ and I, right. I was righ+ +00. Somewhere along +hissaddle we ios+ an hour. Bill called a rest under a "forest fire" - +o impress +he followers - and we discovered we had-been travelling an hour since las+ stop. I+ didn't seem +hat long - so I guess ue mus+ have been unconscious. We were soon on+o-+he opcn ridge below Reeves end-+hen picked up +he Reeves +rack opposite from Bull Mound at +he 3 discs.

Twenty minutes later we were *honkfullylying on our backs" lazily watching Bill open us Some+hing-+o quench otr +hirst. Six hours tuenty out from Smi+hs! "That a short cut! Jim's pres+ige was so lov he could sit on a cigarette paper and Swing his legs-in our opinion." S+an however could be thankful - +he first part had been-+he worst on his pack. The ridge is nostly beech +hough +here is a fair anount of Totara Sou+h of Touwherenikau. There was plenty of fresh sign of-deer and pig and waterholes on +op of +he ridges so shooters should be able+o camp out. Talking about shooters. We had been +here about twenty minutes when Den and Bev arrived. They told us +he *rack was clear down +o Walls. well, if we hadn'+ knomn +here was a track we-could easily have been"fooled. Still we finally arrived a+ "alls at 5 o'clock after an "interesting"days +ramping. Phil cf course hates to see people not, vorking so as soon as we had looked at a map +o see where we had been-he put us on to pain+ing, A fine welcome home. Hours later we had teag a short sing-song and *hen-as +he rains came ve aived = excepfing Stan- off to +he-+ruck where although re got our feet wet we slept long and late. And of course I netdn'+ +el1 you just hom we welcomed Jim when he caugh+ +he truck at Kaitoke. Marie Mershall. o e o