Rees - Dart 1952-53

Machine-read text (unproofread)

Read from the scans by software, so it contains mistakes. Typing it up properly would help blind readers: use Suggest an edit.

REES-DIRT 1952-53. Rod Milne (Loader), Potor Millor, Jack Loitch, Frank Lipsconbo, John Torry (T.h.C.), Marna (Tin) Pottor, Trev Walsh, Diana Testor, and Both Ponhale (T. .C) loft for Christchurch by the Rongatira on Christnas night anl enjoyul a good trip lown alihough Potor sh ckol tho natives by sitting in the bar an: wolfing pork chops. Aftor the bar closed a sinr-song was starto. up by sono crow nenbors an. wont on until nilni ht whon everyono rotiroc. Frilay was spent in Christchurch whoro, aftor a lot of rushing around, we colloctod John and WO sot off for Quoenstown on Saturday norningo W had fino wenther for tho trip gotting good vicws of the poaks whilo several camoras woro called into play. Quoenstown was roached about 6p.Io whon we inol at a hotol an? hunted for a placo to sloop, onlin up in a house owned by sone fricnis of John's; although thoy were actually awey n holilay tho pooplo using the house wore gool enough to put us up for tho night. We loft our town clothos thore an. noved off in the lake stoaner for Glonorchy noxt dey, arriving thoro at 1pollo A truck droppod us an! our gear at tho onl of tho Roes track and we packodup an. novod off, followod by a C.T.C. party who wore on the sene trip, That nirht was spont in a shophords hut on Arthurs Creck, about thrco hours fron tho road. On Mon'ay WO novol on up tho vally anl ostablished our first base canp about a nile abovo Hunter Forks. J-hn and I had loft the hut about à an hour choad of the others intonling to wait for thon furthoron. Wo just wandrel along fron cnc patch of shado to the noxt gonorally alniring the sconory but every tino WO waited for tho rost they socnol to bo sitting down a nilo or so back. Wo finally lost sirht of thon and evontually arrivod at a carp occupiod by 3 nunbers of th lucklend T.C. By this timo WO wero borinning 40 think that the othors had Cocidol t canp soncwhurofurthor back, Wu thrurht wO had cono fer onough anywey so stopped an! it wasn't until WO beran to rockon up our supplios that we liscovorod we were in tho worst prodicamont wna t any trempor can got into, WO had plonty of wator, yood, milk and sugar : but no toal We were able to blulgo a brcw fron tho A.T.C. however anl hal just conplotod it whon tho rost of the partv arrived, nuch to our reliof. We pitchod canp by the L.T.C. an! sottlod in. Putor wont out shooting but saw only I no decr which ho nissod. That nirht, wO had the only rain of tho trip anl i roally rainoc. Noxt doy was, by connon consent, a rest day and was usoil nainly for drying out goar, and taking tho rifle out for a shot. A T.T.C. party passod through during tho day havin, cono ovur Cascade Sadilo fron tho Matukituki aftor clinbing in that arcao Wednoslay was spent by some in salubing while others clinbed on Clarke, discovering a numbor of Ceep caves which noone folt like oxploring. Boinr Now Yoar's Eve we invitod the T.T.C, up ant saw the, Now Yoar in. Thursday was anothor rost day and John loft for civilisation as ho had to get back to duty at Wigrane Pctor &. Frank took the rifle out and this time WC had sono wolcome frosh noat. On Frilay we broke canp and headed up valloy, inton- Jing to cross the Snowoy Sadile and CO down Snowoy Creck to the Dert

Hut. We lunchel at Sholtor Rock Hut and were ovontually on top of tho sadile about 7.30p.n. but had docidod to E nd that nirht in a cavo near the top. This was rathor a ploasant night with nost of us slecping on a pilo of rocks whichsloped lown at an anrlo of about 30 dogrees; WO had a row of bouldors pilod across our feet to st p us from slipping into tho firoplaco. Tho Dart Hut was roachod at 11a.T, noxt day whor WC caurht up with the C.T.C. arain, They ha. crossoi. the salillo about 4 Cays ahoad of us an? hal beon clinbing in the aroa. Tho hut itsolf was occuried by a party fron the Otago Soction who wure up on a working party. Sunlay was arain a day of rost, Potor took tho riflo and brought back a hare. Monday saw Rod, Tin, Beth, Trov anl nysolf go up tho river to tho rlacior and onto Cascade Salllo, which was the route that the two nen who lost their livas rocontly usol, Tho sadcle itself looks an idoal crossing fron the Dart sido, but it falls away alnost shocr on the Matukituki sido in gravel slices and roticn rock facos, noking tho direct routo inpossiblo. Tho actual route fron the Cascado Sadillo swinrs back in undor Anstoad and Tyndall, and drops off down stoop snowrass facos into tho valloy. It was apparently in potting onto these faces that the two chaps nado thoir Listake. Fr m tho salllo Rod, Tin an. Trov clinbad Plunkot Dono while Both anil I oxplored tho rlacier. Wo returneil to canp, whore tho rost of the party had spont a lazy day, about an hour ahcal of tho othors. Tho evcning was opont in proparing for the journey Cown the Dort noxt Cay. Wo loft the hut at 8,300.ne an: lunchod at tho head of the cattle flnts. Thu cattlo woro elv,n a fairly vido borth but they lost intorost in us. Sandy Flats was on aroa with a vory virilo population and WC spont tho night thorc, Wo pushod n stoadily in the norning and lunchcc at the top of Dans Padlocks which, if Mr, Moir was corroct, wero only 3 nilos fron Paradiso. About 3 horrs lator we docidodthet ci ther ho was wrong or Dan hadn't nado a vory good track. ftor sone tino WO docidod "To Hell with convontion" and plunged into the bush once more in the gonoral direction of where wO thought Paradiso was. About 2 ninutos lator WO onorged onto padlocks an? about a i nile away could sOC buildings; aftor errivin thoro wO found! that Peraaiso was a furthor nilo on. Woarily WO shoullorod pecks arain and noved off down tho stroan pointel out to us, walking straight into tho swanp wo'd beon warnad of but by thnt stago wore past caring. Evontually we arrived at tho Paradise Motor Canp and then liscussed whothor to stay thore or go cn to Glonorchy. Aftor various wanderings about by Rod an. furthor Ciscussions WO finally steyel where we wore for the nicht as tho Glonorchy Exchango was closod and WO could not ring for our truck; which cano to colloct us and the C.T.C. in tho norning. That afternoon WO wont down the lako to Queenstown andl spunt the nirht just outsido tho motor canp, thoro being no rood spots loft inside. On Saturlay WO went by bus to Tinaru thon train to Christchurch. At Christchurch we said goodbyo to Tin who was havin anothor weck Cown there. By rights this should have beon the onl of the trip, but just beforo tho train roachod Christchurch I necided that I felt liko a wook in tho Wainak. and Rod that ho folt like a wook at tho Her- nitago and in the ond WO talked curselvos into this latter suggostion whilo the rost of tho party wont off hone. Wo stayed that night with an uncle of nine and tho noxt day net Tin again and talkod her into coning with us. Doparting for the Hornitage on Monday norning we wont up the Tasnan Glrcier on Tuesday to Malte Brun Hut and prayod for fine woather the next day. it 3aollo all Rod saw was nist so he crawled back until 7aol. and with the nist cloaring we had a hurriod broakfast and left at 8 for a clinbo It was too late to attonpt Zly dc Boaumont as planned so wO set off for Hochstott r Done. it 1pollo we sat down for lunch on the low Cone but with fist coninr down hoaded back down again reaching the hut at 4p.I, Thurslay dawned nisty again but this tino lidn't clear. We spont a futilo haif hour trying to call the Hornitago on the radio to find out if the Ball Hut Bus was coning up but couldn't raiso thon So loft tho hut at 9.30 with the cheorful assurance that the chaps thore would caul the Hornitago that nirht to nako sure we hain't got lost on tho glacior. Howover thenist lifted when we were just below De la Bocho Corner just aftor Tim had assured us that WO wero going around in circles. Even now she thinks that WO wore. We arriv a at Ball Hut at the onl of a lino of tourists, after having been assured o by a fonale tourists that we deserved a bucket of V.C's. for carryin "those big heavy packs all that distance" 9 and having our picturos takon with a novio comora by a bod who, WO wore later told, had cone out from America tc filn N.Z.! On Fri lay wO returned to Christchurch to find that the errangenonts for getting our boat tickots had collapsed and WO hud no tickots. Wo wore ablo howovor to got thom on the wharf and evon nanagod to ret Tin's transferred fron the night before. And so, all too SC on, cnded a pair of successful and exceedingly onjoyable trips, cven thourh Rod and I cane back ninus our ice axos which had got onto the wr ng bus and boon sont back to the Hornitageo Tho next inication we had of then was when WO had a lottor fron the Tourist comprny seying that thoy had then, and! when WO sent the froicht involvec, thoyt1 send the axos. We nanaged to convince thon that it was their fault thoy got lost and so pot then back for nothing, which is as it should be. Jack Leitch. +++++++