Totara Flats

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COFARAFLATS. 12th - 14th May. The party arrived at Bannister hut about 10.30p.mo on Friday night, and after a brer everyone hit the sacko Saturday dat ned grey and vet and the main party left for Totara Flats at 8.4 a.mo Nothing untoward "as experienced on tais march, excepting that Pat White : as sick halft ay up Gentle Annie; she soon came round hor ever after los ing her breakfast. The Waiohine had to be forded as the cage 1 as not working. This operation vas conpleted T ithour mishap - everyone got a good souking horever. After changing, and a bret te soon that ed out. As tie weather * as still very vet, everyone ras hut hound, and the time ras spent by some in card playing, while the mo' intellectunl had a poetry reoding se ision from Songs of a

Sourdough, quite an innovetion this. Time 1 ore on and the inevitable ster TaS prevered and eaten Trevor Walsh's radio ras eventually persuaded to function sufficiently loudly, with the help of odd bits of wire made into an aerial. Everyone vas in the sock by ten. Next day it tas still raining, and the party left at 9.30a.m. There was some doubt as to whether the lor er cage was in working order. As Ted Esler had told us, he had found no ropes on it lost time he went through, and as it Vo ould be impossible to ford ve had to leave ourselves time to ralk out. The cage T as reached just after 1.0p.m. It vas on the opposite bank and ropeloss. Hovever, re had a trapeze artiste in the party - one called Tich I rho could not be dissuader from swinging out on the T ire, hand over hand. He dropped off in the water at the far side, but had a charmed life, and soon we were all across. The truck was to neet us at the S LT. bridge, and after we had all changed and brushed up, we received vord from a lody cyclist that our trick had stopped half-a-mile dovn the roado She also told us thet most large trucks would not cone this for up the gorge road, so ve all started off to meet ito The truck driver vas a hordy type, however, for he took his truck past the ST ing bridge and turned. ve all piled in and so enaed 0 very damp but very enjoyable reckend. Those on the party veres C. Callcut, Go Herwood Leigh ? 7 F. IcGoran, T Valsh, Jo Mavis, I. Graham, Fes Secker, J.Vhitsitt, Pat Vhite, Barbara Bartley, Kitty McQueen, ond Dallas Doran. Jack Thitsitt.