Nelson Lakes Easter 1970

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Nelson Lakes Easter 1970 6.20 p.m., Thursday, 27th, Welling- night is had by all in comfortable (two ton-Picton ferry terminal. Conditions: mattresses) bunks. utter chaos as a result of the airport 8a.m, Friday 27th. We receive an being closed. Three thousand people offer of transport up the lake by trying to get places on a boat capable boat. This was originally intended for of taking eight hundred. Luckily we are the FE trip only, but we are all spivs already booked on. at heart. That's a point, where's the leader Arriving fresh at Coldwater, a good with the remainder of our tickets? "All day's trip the valley is envisaged. holding tickets please However, this is not to be, at least not posrcrete Two minutes to go! No leader! for some. At an 11 a.m. brew stop, six No tickets! Panic! Aha, a familiar of the party make a decision to bomb figure, Ron arrives. Everybody piles on on and to get as far up the valley as and we're away. Now to find a seat. they can that day. As several of them HO, HO, HO! Thats' what 799 other have done this trip before, it is decided people have already done. Finally deck that an attempt will be made on Sumchairs are brought into play on the top mit Creek, and as it turned out Mt. garage deck. Here a haven for trampers Travers itself, rather than the upper and suchlike common types is estab- valley. lished. Minus this group, the remainder of With the help of a stray guitarist and the M. party, nine in all, move on to the verbosity of Pete Reid, the group Hopeless Creek where a stop, is made was soon swinging - - - would you be- for the night. It is then realised that lieve just singing? - how about hum- some of the party will not be able to ming along? complete the trip to the upper valley. Picton; everybody off the ferry in Four of us, David Major, Warwick record time, on to the bus, right we're Round, Mark Webley, and myself, deready.. Hold it! Dave Minard has cide to press on early the next day and L-O-S-T- H-I-S P-A-C-K. (Insert yaried do as much of the complete trip as poscurses.) Eventually the pack is found, sible. order is restored and the bus roars off After our early (kof kof) start next into the night. We have here a memor- morning we find the valley floor closable impression of Joan Baez from one ing in considerably and the vegetation Brian Hunt. I think Joan's version is changing correspondingly. This section better. of the valley is, in my opinion, not to Some hours later St. Arnaud is reach- be missed as it provides some of the ed and a bleary-eyed lot stagger down best scenes on the trip. The reason for to the hut on the lake edge : good this could be the lack of any recent grief, electricity even. A comfortable flooding, allowing the vegetation and area-adjacent to the stream to consoli- next morning to allow for the longer date quite well. John Tait Hut is reach- trip on the western side. Deadline for ed in 90 minutes and shortly after, we meeting the bus was set at 1.30 p.m., stop for a long lunch and brew. 3.30 which at that stage we had no worries p.m.sand we're arriving at Upper Trav- about meeting. Three-quarters of an ers Hut. After a quick brew we're off hour brought us to Coldwater at the for a quick trip, minus packs, up to head of the lake. A brief exchange the saddle. with some divers staying there and we Now to find the track! Cairns all were off on to the new track. The over the place. Forty-five minutes of was fairly easy with the track edds solid climbing and we're on the summit going above 100 ft or below 10ft above to be rewarded by an excellent view the lake edge The track is washed down to Sabine Forks unfortunately away in places due to the action of the lighting was not as suitable as we winter streams and in some cases up to hoped for photographs. Forty-five min- 15-20 minutes was spent relocating the utes down and we're back at the hut track. where our two-day-old meat walks out We established a fairly slow pace of our packs to greet us. It made with frequent stops to photograph the interesting stew, however, with the very cheeky Bush Robins which seem usual disturbing results to the eaters. to be a bit more prevalent in this area. That evening the hut was full to over- We even made a frustrating attempt to flowing with, among, others, a large get them to eat out of our hands. They party of Canterbury University tramp- obviously don't like raisins. A halfers. With their help and much discus- hour stop was made at Whiskey Falls sion, we solved most of New Zealand's but they were found to be not as social, economic and other problems interesting as the Travers Falls seen before retiring for a late night. The earlier on. It was about then that we hut unfortunately tends to get very hot realised the trip out was going to take which would be in the winter, longer than anticipated. The pace was but at this time ofind the year it is a bit pushed but it was found that when we of a disadvantage. reached the beginning of Paddy's track After a hot and sweaty night the the chances of making the bus in time morning dawned crisp and cool. A wel- were diminishing. However, with a fast come change. A large feed of left-over jog down the road we arrived only 15 last night's stew (did I hear somebody minutes late to hear from the Manamention cast-iron stomachs?) and we're watu club that a search was in progress off to try and get as far down the val- for one of our members thought to be ley as possible as we want to tramp lost. At this stage, however, fears the western side of the lake on the proved groundless with the missing last day and can find nobody with any member turning up, having put on an idea of the time required, although unusual burst of speed after going on plenty of people seem to know of the ahead early in the morning. Pile on the track. As it turned out, it took 414 bus again and off. hours, but this could be cut to 3 hours Now was to come the highlight of quite easily, I think. the trip. A brief stop for some famous A very interesting stop was made at home-made pies. Alas, to our horror, Travers Falls. Well worth the slight we discovered that the "bakery" stockdeviation! It would be an interesting ed fermentous liquors. Naturally, we sight in flood due to the formations of could not in all politeness refuse to rock at the top. accept the hospitality of our host and Hopeless Creek camp was passed in hostess and so we partook of the aforethe early afternoon to find three mem- mentioned liquids, but it was an unbers who shall remain nameless look- nerving experience to be forced to do ing remarkably relaxed and dozy something so totally foreign to our (thinks, had they just got up or did natural behaviour. The remainder of they look like that anyway?). These the journey for some inexplicable reaerrant and wayward people were pick- son is a jumbled memory of half ed up and we proceeded down the snatches of song, many strange sung valley for about 212 hours where, after varied arguments and general noise and more than a little dissension as to the confusion. I don't think the two extra site (we're not stupid, we told a con- passengers we brought from St. Arnaud descending Manawatu party that we will EVER accept a lift from a bus load were practising river crossings) we stop- of trampers again. For them it must ped for the night. have been a psychologically nerve David, Warwick and myself got off shattering trip. to an earlier start than the-c others the PETER SAKEY