Wallaceville - Waiorongomai - Wairarapa

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TALLACEV ILLE - WAIORONGOMAI - WAIRARAPA. Nov. 18/20+h. Wi+h +he idea of get+ing a lit+le fi++er for Chris+mas, Marie Mershell,"Bill Rice, "Titch" Greham, Graeme Hall and myself decided'to do a Rimutaka Crossing and +hus connec+ with +he Club trip +o Weiorongomai. Hori nas working Saturday morning and consoquen+ly we didn't leave +Own un- +11 12.45p.m. Thence by-bus to Valleceville where +he bus stop by +he way is direc+ly opposite a pub. (?) Then followed-a dusty road walk releived only by an intercs+ing "across +he Swamp" shor+ cut. Te soon reached Mr. Gorries farm and from +here - travelled for-an hour up Narrow Neck S+ream which brough+ us +o +he foo+ of +he ridge"running up +0 +he main range: The talley on the right of +his ridge is known as-Automatic and +hat on-+he left as Drum Gully. As it was ge++ing late we decided +o nake camp here, where bo+h wood and water were plen+iful, instead of risking a dry camp on +he saddle. "Titch"-hed a hidden store of +inned food nearby so our + dinner +hat night, +hough spread over sôme +ime, was mostenjoyable. "Ie hit +he "scratcher" about 9p.m. up again at 4.30 a.m. (Yes Terry, Hori's-alarm clock)-but as Hori had a bout of 'flu he s+ayed in +he sack a li++le longer. We finally broke camp at 6.20 and after 40 minutes reached +he saddle a+ +he hoad of +he ridge. (This saddle is approx. due East of Misty.) From here i+ was a case-of bush push s+raigh+ down. After 20 minutes we reached +he beginning of the Nor+h Branch of +he Waiorongomai - a mere trickle at +his stage. -This trickle however, developed, as-+rickles do, into a substan+ial s+ream wi+h "interesting" waterfalls necessitating detours a+ +imes. One waterfall in particular was mos+-impressive - estimates varied from 65 +o 80 feet in heigh+. Titch's camera recorded same: In one or +wo places"water was waist deep but only short s+re+ches were like +his. A li++le af+er 11 we"reached open river flats and-stopped for-lunch about 12-opposite a big shingle slide on +he true left. From here-it was a short hop-down open river flats populated by goat and pig +o reach +he bridge about 2p.m.

Later re were joined by Bev, Dallas and Dennis srho had followed us down, and la+er still we caught the +ruck with Max and his crewo The "aiorongomai is, I think, a lit+le easier +han +he Turere mainly"because there are fewer large log jambs and fewer waterfalls and gorges necessitating detours." "here detoyrs are necessary +hey are much-easier +han in +he Turere because as a whole the-banks of +he s+ream are much more secure and climbing +hem is comparatively easy. Stan Kinder.