Duet

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DUET Bannister Hut, at 6.00 a.m. the alarm biscuits, thanks to the air-drop he had rattled out its "get up" message, which just had from the plane we had seen we obeyed reluctantly, and proceeded -real forest service! to cook breakfast. Conversation ranged around the hills At 6.50 a.m. we left and set off up -we were able to contribute quite a bit the Atiwhakatu trail. An hour and a of local knowledge in return for the half later we had a spell where the new information that: track ends, and watched the perfect Carkeek Hut is on the main Carkeek morning become an overcast day. ridge just inside the bush edge; Then on up the river, up a spur, and Dundas Hut is visible from Dundas two and a half hours later we were sit- and down a spur on the Ruamahanga ting at Spooner's Hut somewhere under side of the ridge; Jumbo enjoying the sight of an overcast A new hut is going in at Neill forks; day turning into a fine morn. The Waiohine Hut is at the bottom of The track up to Spooner's is excellent the southern spur off Isabelle. -where it starts we are not quite sure, About a dozen Forest Service shooters but once on it life is good-a clear, well will be in the Maungahuka, Angle Knob, defined, and unbelievably evenly graded Dorset Ridge and Carkeek area for route, with more bird life around than in some time. most areas, which provided us with a Half an hour later we tore ourselves musical accompaniment of amazing away and plunged down the spur to variety as we climbed. All this added up the Atiwhakatau in about 15 minutes. to happy travelling, particularly as we under the Pinnacle Ridge/Baldy saddle could see the thick undergrowth we From that point down to the first flat didn't have to push through and the was an interesting hour and a half of steep knobs we didn't have to go over gorge, waterfalls, and many sidles, on the top of. one of which we met a family of goats From Spooner's, after a bite to eat, who were SO undisturbed by our preit took us about half an hour to get sence that we can only presume that to the bush edge where we watched a our antics convinced them we were small flying machine buzzing around at cousins, if not closer relations. low levels. As it was flying around with Then on down the river-at the too much purpose and regularity to be Mountain House river track turn-off we ioy-riding we put it down to a Forest decided to be devils and continue on Service inspection or something of the down the river-a mistake, as we found sort. EI an unpleasant little gorge. Swimming Just on half an hour from the bush isn't essential unless you slip on a edge we were on Jumbo and after ad- greasy rock, which one did, muttering "I miring the view we settled down by the don't know if I can swim with a pack tarn for a twenty-minute snack while on!" The reply was unsympathetic we waited to let the weather decide what "You'll soon find out! Fortunately he it was going to do. What it did was could. Later there was a water jump to cover Mitre and the Kings in murk from another greasy rock or over a deep and that, with a coolish breeze start- dark hole on to a shingle beach a mere ing to blow, persuaded us to stick to our four feet below the surface- swimming original plan instead of the alternative might have been drier than this splashy of a return over Holdsworth which we event. had been considering. Eventually, with the sun well down, So off we went, round and down, to we escaped from this hell of about an Angle Knob Hut. When we were about hour's duration and landed at Donnelly's 100 yards away a great billow of smoke Flat. The usual gallop back to came from the chimney and as we Bannister followed, and we walked into walked up to the door a large dog the hut almost exactly twelve hours barked-welcome or warning? Welcome after leaving it, with the sky once again obviously, for inside a billy was about as clear as it had been when we started to boil and the Forest Service shooter out. responsible soon had us comfortably in- -TREVOR KNOWSLEY, stalled with a brew, milk, sugar and NICK JENNINGS.