Waiorongomai

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TAIORONGOMAL. Nov. 19/20+h. When studying +he Trip Schedule I saw Ruakakapatuna Caves - and having once visited +his miniature Waitomo I said "I'll go on +ha+ +rip." but, "subjec+ +o alteration" cropped up once again and we were Swi+ched +o Weorongomai, becatse, - unforttnately, the Farm Manager at "Patuna"-would not grant permission +o uframpers and"such-like" - gates had been lef+ open and stock-mixed etc. e+c. -Tell, I +hought, Waiorongomai is one of +he beauty spo+s +ruly ideal for an EASY WEEKEND, and I went - it was a most unusual +rip. Itwas no+hing unusual of course +hat-+he Leader had-no BILLY, NO AXE-and NO TENIS, but who bo+hers about li++le detaiis like +hatt I +hink he is in ltague with +he Trip Schedule Committee I and carrying out bushcraft from A +o Zee. Eigh+ of us lef+ by +ruck early Saturday morning for +he estern Lake Road, we intended doing Waiorongomai Forks +he-easy way; somewhere, somehow and sometime two o+het parties"mould join us-on-+he morrow. I+ was a pleasant run over +he Rimutakas +o +he-Ma++hews Farm and af+er crossing +he paddocks we reached-+he river. The sun was shining with all his might, but +he wind had, I am reached sure, gale force. Sun giasses and hats blew off and floated down"stream, and if you were caught unawares (not deep enough-+o ge+ your underwears) you almost spun inta circle. Af+er half an hour or so of +his-we decided it was probably lunch +ime and we would stop at +he first manuka flat bu+ quite suddenly from +he advance came loud whoopees - and off into +he bush went all +he goa+s, two and four legged. "he two legged-ones finally came up in +he rear as we were se++ing about +he usual business of making a breft, Above as, on a greeny bank, were more goa+s (4 legged) just gazing a+ our busyness. Now alongside our breming place was a deep pool, jus+ the kind +hat-asks +o be Swum in - bu+ Peemee (alias Snowy Baine) was the only one who ventured, having begged, borrowed or s+olen Mendreke's togs. The-Leader, wwho invariably brings up the*rear (to encourage stragglers I-am +old) decided he wasn't pushing on and six eigh+hs of-+he party packèd up af+er an hour's sojourn, heading for +he camp site at Waiorongomai Forks where +here-is a large grassy covered fla+ surrounded by" mantka and trees forming good shel*er for a party without +en+s. (.3 now we disuovered +hat someone had brought a

ent and an axe and E+h had purchased a billy big enough +o-have a ba+h in - +hings were looking up!) One could no+ have wished"for a bet+er day I i+ was still ex+remely hot and all +his criss-crossing was indeed pleasent. -I+ +ook about 3 hours +o reach +he Forks. Normally it would only take 12 if-you take advantage of going overland and +hrough +hc bush +hus cut+ing. out-quite a - few unnecessory bends. "he afternoon was punc-uated wi+h many many stops, such"as-for running down gosts and deciding whether or no +o take +o a tree on sight of a wild pig, and building a cairn for +he Leader wi+h full directions as +o where *he Forks"were. We also dumped packs and +hen had +o return for +hem --and so +he af+ernoon was used up and we reached camp a+ about 4.30p.m. *Te set about making ano*her brew and +hen prepered stew. Opera-ions were ra+her hampered by Mandrake who-insisted upon"henging sundry piecesof goa's meat jus+ where me wanted to put our stew. I+ was s+ill blowing furiously and +he wise ones sough+ shelter for +he nigh+ in +he low bushes, +he unwise one slept in +he +ent which flapped all nigh+. The unusual part about it was +hat in spito of a good fire we were-all waiting for it +o get dark enough +o go +o bed. Mc+hinks-lack of Brewers Association members had-something +o do with it. (I almost forgo+-+o mention-+het-tho Leader had-+urned up in +ime +o contribute +o +he stew but - had stalked right pas+ our cairn.) -For us dawn cracked +o +he-sound of banging ona +in plate and Mandrake disturbing +he peace-- I did not heer +he remarks but I can guess Just what +hey were. As usual on an easy weekend breakfasts were-had at odd intervals and by now a fine drizzle had set in. However a few bods ventured far+her afield and were wrell rtwarded by a walk +hrough mognificen+ bush up-s+ream. At Xmas time it is +ruly picturesque as +he Rata is in bloom and +here are-very fine specimens +here. Above +he Forks +he going in +he lef+ branch consists of boulder-hopping and scrambling"up one or two shingle banks, bu+ +here is no need +o ge+ wet boo+s. -By lunch +ime +he wea+her had cleared and packing was jus+ a bo+her. The campsite had a"linger-longer look - but - was-it pleasan+ wading downs+Team. Good + ime was mede, EYg party pausing only when +he struggle with an eel was added +o +he excitement. We "lorst +he leader" again and were boarding +he +ruck when he hove in sight. The other +wo parties had hopped aboard at +he mouth of-+he 1 Weiorongomai and could not unders+and why we chose +o cût across pleasant green paddocks ( full of inquisitive ca++le beasts) ins+ead of walking on boulders and +hings.

On reading +his it does no+-seem +o do jus+ice +o such a sriendid weekend, of-course +he wea+her was in our favour but I can recommond-+his*rip to anyone should it be schedvled again.- You can turn 1+ into-an"easy weekend or use up any amount of cnergy-by taking +o +he higher levels. I+ was, +o my mind, a pity +he +rip was no+ advertised more. E+hyl Carter.