Oriwa Ridge

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ORIWA RIDGE The ski season is ended; and a August 1960 very successful one too, in spite of 26-28, only a meagre fall of snow: what of So much has been heard about this the summer season' ? tramping? mighty tangled ridge that four of us socialising? decided to get some first hand in- We are a tramping club, and we formation. Its log jams and bush have some very keen youngsters lawyer, supplejack and leatherwood, coming along to club on a Thursday we could visualise quite well, but evening, but, are they getting out how much? how long? how enjoytramping at the week-ends? ? Lately able?! we have seen tramping trip after Oriwa Ridge lies in the heart of trip cancelled, due to lack of numbers the North-West Tararua to fill the truck. The questions you country. It is approximately jungle six as members should ask yourselves hellish miles in length and is surare: "are we giving these youngsters rounded by the headwaters of the and tramping a fair go? Is your Otakitoko River on one side and the committee doing its job to get the White Nile on the other. It towers trips If running?" to a magnificent 3,588 ft. at the you are satisfied with the beginning and maintains that answers you get, O.K.; if not how quite creditably to the bitter height about doing something about it. This was the challenge which caused end! + + + us one moonlight night to set foot CHESS MATCH, OCTOBER 31, on the Levin pipe-bridge. Why the 1960 26th of August; surely winter? Of T.T.C. versus W.T.M.C. versus course, so that there would be snow C.T.T. on top to supply water, for we cer- Reported by Dave Capper tainly didn't expect to be over in one day or maybe two. A three-sided chess tournament Full of confidence and determinawas held by kind permission of the tion we headed roughly towards Wellington Chess Club, in their club Waiopehu hut. The silver moonrooms. This was a sequel to the light was superb, the time 9.30, recent series of encounters involving spring was in the air. We the three tramping clubs. many a new-born lamb (what passed a The result was a win for the fright for them). Eventually we Tararuas, who put a maximum team realised that we had missed our of eight players into the battle. The Now this was very serious at way! this rivalry was purely friendly and their stage as we weren't even were in the no casualties due to flying bush, and if we couldn't find our chessmen. Results: across a few acres of farm way T.T.C. 6 points what would we be like when country, the W.T.M.C. 4 points big test came, with all its snakes and C.T.C. 1 point wild animals? Sitting down and In the future it is my hope that smoking a cigarette didn't seem to Board No. 1 will go to the highest do any good at all, so by trying all bidder, as there seem far more in- points of the compass, the safety of teresting and charming opponents in the dear old bush was reached. Thus the lower grades. the track to Waiopehu. Waiopehu Brian Foan has supplied the fol- track proved to be quite exciting in lowing statistics of the series of the dark, as one couldn't see what matches played. he was being attacked by; bush Played Won Points Boards lawyer grew hands and reached out, W.T.M.C. causing severe lacerations, in the T.T.C. most mysterious way. As we gained C.T.C. each sweat-soaked foot of height, an + + + occasional backward glance was re- PLEASE NOTE warding, for far below was the coastal strip, with Levin and Lake The venue of the Club's Christmas Horowhenua bathed in shimmering party is "The Thistle Hall", Arthur silver, and far away we heard a train Street, and the date is Tuesday, whistle. How unlucky were all those December 13th. people in the city sleeping.

Three hours brought us to the de- started. The ridge stretched away lightful little Levin pigmy hut which like a huge monster, ending in a flatwe used as an excuse to stop then topped horror; which we ingeniously on with fading batteries with another named "Flat Top" (we were mostly hour of tripping, sweating, losing quite clever you see). The next the track, pretending to be fit, 'til objective worthy of note was we arrived at Waiopehu hut. Out of "Notoriwa", which is just what it the window was still the lovely view, says, Not Oriwa. inside it was quite warm, so we had a brew of tea with lemon, then The going improved, and this looked in bed by two a.m. We had a lie in really disastrous, for where were until five, and then arose slowly and these famous log-jams we'd heard methodically, taking a full hour to so much about. The tangled bush have breakfast and pack up. At lawyer, supplejack, snakes and exactly six a.m. in darkness, we draculas which we'd been told about? emerged into the cool early morn, How could a fellow suffer properly then at 6.30, torches off. Up and up with only a bit of leatherwood to out of the bush into leatherwood; play with, and ordinary tangled bits leatherwood to snow-grass. From the of bush which gave way after only top of Waiopehu the view was moderate exertion. At 12 o'elock astounding. The sun removing her the dread Notoriwa was underfoot, red tint, etched sharply the Northern smashed. "This is a great game, ranges with their lofty snows, while let's some more of these little below was the long, long ridge of FLE we though, for even after the previous night. These we hardly Notoriwa, the going was still good noticed, for there in all its horror and the sun shone down. Then it was "The Ridge". It didn't look happened. About 2 o'clock the going anywhere near six miles long, more began to deteriorate, one joker was like 600. revived by the food-to-month method and we crashed on. Now we could Even on this clear day, the end really enjoy the log jams, piled high, was almost invisible, as it swept full of bush lawyer, supplejack and majestically down to the Waitewai- monsters. Where to over, wai, thousands of feet below. "I through, under, round? Fois probwonder how many days to the bottom lem presented itself in an endless of that spur?" we though. In the kalaidescope. Hacking, cursing, immediate foreground was Oriwa dropping, climbing, slipping, grovellsaddle leading to mysterious Mt. ing and crawling. A delightful Oriwa with its famous Lake Hollow. feature was the sudden discovery of It was this saddle we attacked, or being completely alone in a little I should say, it attacked us, for 21 room made of bush lawyer and fallen hours later, after this delightful logs How piquant. hike through bush-clad scenery, we The hours rolled by, the sun stayed, collapsed by Lake Hollow. but no photographs, just suffering and One happy little incident which ward, staggering, forward. pushing, Flat cutting, onfilled us with great mirth was the be a veritable bush Top proved paradise, to loss of a parka, but as I'm not using for it grew in endless lawyer profusion names, let it be surfice to say the across mountainous piles of fallen owner is called "The Possom". We logs. At 5.30 it was all over, and noticed as we lounged around drinking we sank down on our little oasis of brews, eating, and generally living it sleeping bags, for the moon had reup, that the weather was fine, which placed the sun and all was quiet. was bad, as it promised to deprive us Far below the faint murmur of the of any real suffering, and even river told us this was nearly the threatened to make things easy! end. We could just see our monster More important, where were we going spur leading, far, far below to the to get water from, if it didn't snow Waitewaewae tea comprised (or fried White Nile). Our soon? ? Disturbed by these thoughts, and cabin bread. Delicious! mince, lemon, and visibly shaken, we approached lay under the stars, and As we the next section, and at the top of our minds an endless aching cinefilm of sore, this realised that we'd only just lems, it all seemed worthwhile. prob-

Morning dawned quite perfect and "FOOTY, 1960" as we hadn't got much to eat and It was a grand assortment of both no water, it was easy to start at 7 C.T.C. and W.T.M.C. members who o'clock. The going continued fairly converged on Wainuiomata on Satursmoothly, no log jams, minor bush day, 15th October and knelt at the lawyer, but the big spur progressed National shrine of the football field, in a series of huge slips, and as each for the annual match. one deteriorated the going became quite nasty, making navigation in- They were arrayed colourfully but creasingly difficult. Once again we secularly, and quite out of keeping had this interesting situation of with the cult of tradition. It was crashing head-first out of control quite obvious from the moment that through prickly-type stuff, accident. the W.T.M.C. captain, Bruce Jefferies Slipping on wet logs, trapped in kicked off, that our team was sufferdense undergrowth, sidling to get a ing from effects not altogether due better view, and falling through man- to dancing at the Trampers' Ball on traps. Add to this the fact that we the evening previously. Now I was were emaciated through lack of playing in this game, but like Elvis water, and man, we felt that the Presley, didn't know the score. That concentration camps must have been is, until it was all over. child's play to this! There was a lot of rushing about, and now and again one of the other About 8 a.m. one of our comrades team's players could be seen lying located a huge pool, of fully a foot under our goal posts, clutching the across, containing a vast quantity of egg-shaped ball. As I felt a bit erystal-brown water. This was tired, I had a lie down also. visibly reduced and our moral rose Just after half-time, a fellow steeply, so that we tore on like called Jim Purdie was brought into cattle smelling water. About 8.30 the game by the C.T.C., on the the going improved, and deer trails grand pretext that they were a man opened up to quite sizeable propor- short. Now he didn't have his shiltions and led down lovely spurs. The lelagh with him, but he didn't need angle became steeper, while far it, and soon the football field was above was our dear old ridge, and littered with bodies. And as I lie as the sun filtered through the bush, here, I must congratulate the C.T.C. our spirits rose. Down, down, down. on another fine win. C.T.C. 12, Faster, faster, now running, racing W.T.M.C. 9. for the Waitewaewae. It appeared But don't get too confident C.T.C., quite suddenly at a reasonable angle, my broken arm, leg and back will and looked to us like the first river be mended by next year. we'd ever seen, shallow, bubbling, -George Middleditch dancing with sunlight. A sort of A note from the Gear Custodian, Derek Finegan: Please bring back to war-dance was held in sheer delight, the club any gear which you may also a cairn was built. It was then still have. It's wanted on the 1 o'elock and we set off for Waite- Christmas trips. waewae hut. The idyllic stroll down + + + the easy river flats; the sunny hours at Waitewaewae and the usual exit