Another Ruahine Safari (Labour Weekend 1953)

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ANOTHER RUAHINE SAFARI ( LABOUR WEEKEND 1953) Ted Dakin, anxious to uphold his honour after mislaying the Shut-Eye Ridge near the Armstrong Saddle, last Corenation Weekend, proposed another trip to the sane area. He was successful in assembling a party of 17 suckers. The trip was uneventful, but dusty, and members of the party were seen to have aged visibly. On Saterday morning we rose early in brilliant sunshine, the light glinting on the snow patches of the peaks above which looked ruite alpine with their rocky ridges. The general idea was for the party to make its way up to the Shut-Eye Shack and those who were keen to press on would proceed north along the main range and drop down to see the Colenso lake. Those not so fit would remain at the Shack and do as they please. After sidling round a wooded conical hill and crossing a swamp, the party started struggling up a steep slope through dense undergrowth. No discs as mentioned by the H.V.T.C. party who were in the area before, were to be seen. After Stan, Leon, and Ted had had turns at finding the route a semblance of a track was found which coyly vanished at intervals under windfalls and undergrowth. Having surmounted one immense bump, we found to our great disgust, that we had to descend about 800 ft. and then proceed upwards again, though with increasing height the track improved. I do not know quite what was the matter with party = whether it was heat, lack of sleep, or general unfitness, but we made a record slow trip to the Shut-Eye Shack, no less than four hours. It was found that there was no water at the Shack beyond some rusty looking stuff in cans caught from the roof. With the additional factor that the party resembled tortoises rather than trampors 9 the, powers-that-be decreed that the trip should be changed then and there. It was decided to make a camp on the tops near a tarn, and those wishing to see the Lake would start out next morning with light packs. The shack was a dark uninviting hole accomodating about six, and although a handy port in a storm 9 we were glad not to be staying there. After lunch we started up again. A climb of a few feet and we were out of the bush and on scree covered slopes. The view of the Hawkes Bay plains was obscured by heat haze. After a painfully steep crawl up a few more feet, we found ourselves on a level saddle between two bumps in which there was a very shallow tarn. As there was good shelter camp was established there. General lassitude and thick mist put an end to_ any further activities for the day except for stew preparation. By nightfall the level of the tarn had dropped noticeably. Some had a few doubts about the water which teemed with defunct insect life, but Leon assured them, it was purer than the Wellington water supply; no bacteria can live in the cool night temperat tures at that height. Noone showed any ill effects howe ver pure or impure the water was. As soon as the tops were reached, a hot debate began on which was the Armstrong Saddle and was not really resolved at the end of the weekend. Another fruitful topic of discussion was the respective merits and demerits of Kiwis and Poms. At one stage Walla was to be seen treed, with two indignant Poms chopping at the base of the trunk. Sunday dawned fine and clear again, the beauty of the surrounding peaks being enhanced by the pinkish light of the sunrise. It was soon discovered that the fit types were still in their bags and had decided against going, to the lake for some poor reasona By general consent it was a "do as you please day", and the party split up and followed their own desires. Some headed south for the Waipawa Saddle and Waimakaka Hut, others just as far as Te Atuaparapara, and others headed north including Leon's shooting party. I was amongst the party bound for Te Atuaparapara. We first continued up the ridge for a few feet into a saddle ( the Armstrong ?) and from there had magnificent views of Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngaruhoe thickly clad in snow down to the 5000 ft. level, and further over to the right the Kaimanawa Range. Although the Ruahine Range is a little higher than the Tararuas, the tops are infinitely more easy to travel on, being much freer of the leatherwood and other growth which clutters up the Tararuas. The surface is firm rock and scree on the knobs and snowgrass in the saddles. On the sides/he ranges steep, fairly stable shingle slides fall down to the rivers below. The streams are more open than the Tararuas and present reasonable exit routes with freedom from gorges, log-jambs and other obstacles. The climb to Te Atuaparapara was a cake-walk, over a knob from the first saddles then down into another deep saddle, and then up a moderate snow-grass slope until the rocky summit(5400 ft.) is reached. Here we found patches of snow which, were most refreshing after our enforced drought. We then crossed over to the next knob overlooking the Waipa I wa Saddle and here made the interesting discovery that the number given to the knob on the map did not agree with the number in the cairn. At this stage we turned back and sidling off Te Atuaparapara, found a stream with running water. It was a/great treat after the murky tarn and doubly welcome because the heat was broiling. When we returned to the campsite we found the water level had become alarmingly low and supplies had to be supplemented from another tarn about * hour wway. In dry weather camping on the Ruahine tops would have its problems. Ted decreed that we should not return down the ridge on Honday, and so we dropped down a 500 ft. shingle slide to the Waipawa River. We followed this down for about two hours doing one or two rock sidles and much boulder hopping. On the way we met t the Tararua party who were going to share the truck on the way home and had a brew with them. They had just traversed the range from the Purity Ridge and had a consi derably more strenuous time than we did. We reached open country about midday and then about i hour's walk to the truck completed our journey.

We left promptly at 2p.m, and experienced another dust bath. At Takapau both the truck and male members of the party were refuelled, and many retrieved their lost youth under the hostelry pump. It was voted a most enjoyable weekend thanks to the weather and our patient leader, Ted. Party: Ted Dakin, Stan and/or Bill Potter, Leon Sondej, "Walla" Hobbs, Rae Radford, David Borley, Owen Roberts, John Bate, "Sherpa" Barton, Peter Davis, Esther-Hary Rigg. (Visitors) Geraldine and Alwyn Fellows, Tom Meyer, Peter Rothbaum e And last, but not least our Chief Guide who kept the truck company all weekend. Piggy-Wig.