Queens Birthday Weekend

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Queens Birthday Weekend After the week's snowfalls, news re- plod then ensued with the main party ports were noted with anxiety as reports arriving soon after midday. A brew was of the Desert road being closed came had in front of Park Headquarters in through. However, no further snow fell front of all the mad rushing tourists, and the road was reopened in time. while the gear was dried, and a few Thus, on Friday night, north of unwanted oddments placed in the bus. Waiouru, we shivered in anticipation of (For some reason a certain young miss what our jaunt into Waihohonu would collected her knitting!). We finally left be like. In the event a glorious walk for Whakapapaiti about 2 p.m. leaving through kneedeep snowdrifts ,ice, and a one or two sufferers to take the short heavy frost. way from the Bruce road turnoff. How- On arrival, a brew was hastily downed, ever on arrival we were greeted a thanks due to two chaps in a Landrover very untramperlike mob so we had a who had the brew on for us much quick brew and headed back to Alex's appreciated - and into the pit on spring bivvy, arriving just before dark. mattresses for a good night's kip. We organised the feed, had a brew, Saturday was gloriously fine and frosty and settled down for the evening's singwith snow covering the whole area. A ing and high-jinx. Proceedings got under leisurely brew and breakfast, and we but N.C. interrupted them by fallgot away about 9 a.m.. balaclavas and iea through his rather frail mattress. mitts being the order of the day. Heading Poor Neil, suspended by his armpits and off into the bush, we were soon into the unable to do much except take the torsunshine, plodding along the snow-cov- rent of laughter and rude comments ered ridge in little groups a few yards that followed. Next was a glorious verapart. sion of the "yingtong song" by John, About 11 a.m. we stopped for chocky Bruce and Andrew, interspersed by and biccies and regrouped. J.S.A. organ- some Mainland propaganda from the ised the next stage, the "Ngauruhoe tent outside, this being politely dis- Bombers" were to take off and leave missed with a few extra-loud choruses. tents in the saddle to be picked up by All in all an enjoyable evening. the less energetic members when they Monday dawned fine again, so the came along later. As it turned out four slower members got away soon after 8 of the seven decided that there was insuf- a.m., with some of us staying to tidy up ficient time, so lunch was taken and and leave later. After hurtling along we plans made accordingly. Three still went caught with the others in half an up Ngauruhoe while the rest of us hour, and's steadied up for the long graddecided to go round the high side of the ual pull onto "little Ruapehu". A quick lakes. Bruce and myself put claws on stop on top for photos and parkas, and and found it easy to sidle below the ridge we were away bombing down to the while poor Murray and Geoff had to put bushedge for lunch and brew. After in a laborious two hours of stepcutting. lunch we strolled down a rather steep We eventually arrived at the Tama lakes muddy track to emerge above the railcampsite only 15 minutes after the way line at Erua. We then finished the others. trip on a different sort of track, dodging Tents were erected and a feed pre- goods trains as they rumbled by. A pared in quick time, and those not kind elderly couple were extremely pood directly involved in cooking hit the to us, providing us with cakes and boilsack. Tea was had and all were in the ing our billy on the kitchen stove while pit, when torches were seen above camp. afterwards cramming us into a lovely Yes, it was the three who had been warm sittingroom to talk and watch TV Ngauruhoe arriving. It was cold and until the other mob arrived with the bus. dark, mist had come down, so they had Many thanks indeed, it was much appreonly found us by following our foot- ciated. prints down the ridge. They were fed Those on a fabulous trip were: John and soon all was peaceful as we drifted Addison, Bruce Ludlow, Murray Taylor, into a far warmer land of nod. Neil Carey, Garth Christensen, Jon Sunday dawned fine and hellishly cold, Spink, Val McGlashan, Jenny O'Brien, so it was a case of first up to make the Andrew May, Sandra Antrobus, Pat brew, and let's face it, you can't fight Rickard, Pat White, Russell Falconer, nature indefinitely. Frozen boots were Geoff O'Niell and Dave Minard. (Who put on and breakfast had before leaving were the main reason the trip was "fabufor the Chateau soon after 10 a.m.Along lous". Thanks to you all-J.S.A.)

We have recently been joined by sev- to get an unbiased idea of what this eral members of other tramping clubs, club looks like to an outsider who is from various parts of New Zealand and also even overseas. This of course your a tramper. A bit of armtwisting, Editor considered a golden opportunity and this was the result. * * * * Being a new arrival from the Main- a space under one of the flies). Next land, I was eager to find what the North morning I even felt a few pangs of sym- Island had to offer a tramper. My main pathy for those soggy bods who had impression of the Tararuas at this stage spent the night under the clouds. was that they were a range of hills Breakfast time: but no porridge. And wherein people frequently went missing. for all they knew. I could have been an The first step was to contact a tramp- avid porridge fan. (Our trip leaders ing club. I had been advised in Christ- always purchased party food, including church that the most active one up here this, and porridge-making was the first was the "Tongue and Meats" odd name ritual of the day on trips.) It is obviously for a tramping club?) so duly turned up not normal practice to start the day with at the Trades Hall. There were about a Boston bun and peaches, either, judgfive times as many people as I was accus- ing by the way some people eyed my tomed to seeing, at a meeting and upon breakfast. consulting a schedule I found a We duly set off, but it didn't matter bewildering choce of trips. Being a that it was stili raining, because we much smaller club, ours only had a waded upriver in at least three feet of weekend trip once a fortnight with a water, all the way to the hut. Mental Sunday trip on alternate weekends; note = after observing that they seemed otherwise trips were privately arranged. to actually enjoy it "Will be interested Eventually selected an easy-sounding to see when they take their boots off, trip and put my name on the list. whether they've got webbed feet." Of Same familiar scene as the Christ- course, coming from the South Island church Railway Station on a Friday where everything, including rivers, is on night: a congregation of bods wearing a much grander scale, I found this mode boots and checked shirts, packs every- of travel- which would probably have where. However, there was a noticeable resulted in drowning down there - quite absence of ice-axes. These were regarded strange. in our club as being an essential piece On reaching the hut we found it to be of equipment on every trip, their versa- full of "F.E." At this stage I was tility as cheese/salami slicers, tin-openers, quite confused Noresr regard to the grading tent-pegs, etc. having been proved on of trips, having the idea that thev were many occasions. Being used to a frantic Easy, Fairly Easy, Medium and Fitness. rush to catch the 6.40 West Coast railcar This misnomer on my part was due to on Friday evenings, I was pleased to find the fact that my first impression of an that these thoughtful people had chart- F.E. party was a group. of weary-looking ered a bus, and we were able to make a bods reclining in their pits behind a leisurely exit from the city. cloud of smoke, a position they main- I was somewhat surprised when we tained for the next 26 hours or so. Howleft the bus and had to tramp a few miles ever, it has since been pointed out that in the dark - who didn't have a this section of the club do have their torch? (We hadVNa always camped as soon active moments and, no doubt, could as possible after leaving our transport, probably be as fit and keen as their and made an early start on the Saturday.) counterparts in any South Island club. Eventually we reached a campsite where We couldn't even see the object of our we had a brew, and I was rather scep- trip, which had proudly been described tical when someone asked if I'd like as the "highest mountain in the Taralemon in my tea. But sure enough - tea, ruas". all 5000 odd feet had disapcomplete with genuine lemon. peared behind mist and rain. Conse- Then it was time to put up the tents. quently I wasn't impressed by the biggest But this bunch of optimists had only hill in the area, and spent the rest of a couple of flies between them. "Of the day drying out and wondering if it course it won't rain." Accustomed as I would be fine on Sunday. was to sleeping under a tent and fly, I Came the time to prepare tea and decided at this point that they were all yours truly pulled out mince, only to quite irrational, and I hoped it would find that everyone else had steak. (We pour (this latter after securing myself had always used quick-cooking mince for a stew, thus obviating a two-hour wait new experience to see à meal being willfor our meal.) By this time I felt that ingly and capably cooked by the male hitherto I had been tramping with an portion of a party. underprivileged organisation; to think And so ended my first day's tramping that we had been content with lemonless with the W.T. & M.C. Lying in pit tea and ordinary mince! One pleasing that night, listening to the rain and the aspect emerged: the Wellington girls usual crossfire of comments, I could have evidently got the men well trained quite easily have been back in the with regard to the culinary arts some- southern ranges. And these North thing which had never been achieved in Islanders weren't a bad bunch, really. the Christchurch Club - and it was a PAT WHITE. *