Karamea Bend, North-West Nelson

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Karamea Bend, North-West Nelson Laurie Gallagher were duly cudgelled to death. The skins point someone believed in having a were paraded round the hut at breakfast strong brew and poured all of their time to add a few more gory details tea into the water. But after scooping to breakfast. out approximately 5 tablespoons of tea We left Waiopehu Hut at 8.45, pro- leaves she was right. At 1.15 we left ceeding towards Bush Corner. From here for the road-end, deciding not to we descended down a spur to the Maka- over Spion Kop, and two hours arere retu. The descent involved almost 3 after a short swim and also to let the hours of "bush bashing" through dense "piker" we picked up on top of Waiawkward bush which contained numer- opehu the day before catch up; but ous outcrops of bush-lawyer, bastard no sign came of him, so we continued grass, fallen logs and other such irri- on and arrived there at 3.15. tations. There were many spills and We arrived at the pipe bridge about entanglements which seemed to try the 3.30 and sent Adam running up to patience of Jenny, Jeff, and others. the farmhouse to 'phone for a taxi'. Nick's attitude towards bush-lawyer soon Two other jokers, (namely Ted and became apparent. It was even reputed Richard) motored away to divert the that someone seemed to be making love bus to Ohau. Before long we found to bush-lawyer (this amused the party ourselves piling out at Wellington very much). The progress of the Station after a very enjoyable trip. became slower as we proceeded dowy And that was the Fit Mystery Trip. the spur. After a final steep descent Three mysteries still remain, however. through a maze of vines and over rocks The least is the question of exactly we reached the Makaretu. After a short where we went-although the general tramp down the Makaretu we stopped outline is clear and the river and ridge for lunch.

travel definite enough, there are still The lunch was a gréat time for two one or two parts of the which party members to discuss (argue) about are somewhat vague as to A "denanth which camera was better, but once the rather greater mystery is. why people word "brew" sounded from the other willingly volunteer for a completely end they soon forgot about it. At this pointless, unnecessary and physically damaging activity such as this; and third- McSweeney, Paul Neilsen, David Ramly, why they are so emphatic, when sden, and Grant Richards. it is all over, that they enjoyed it?! Daft, isn't it/aren't they. They were: Editor's Note: The above account was Jenny O'Brien, Lynette Sellers, Chris written in Parts, each member of the Barker, Richard Bradley, Chris Everett, trip doing one section. This is why Kerry Gallagher, Geoff Glasby, Simen it appears a bit fragmented. Why was Grant, Nick Jennings, Ted Kellett, Adam it written that way? A mystery. Mystery Trip - . . F.E. Looking north from the learned halls Nick's trip who were seen approaching of Victoria on Friday afternoon, I gazed Twin Peak. at the Southern Tararuas and wondered From Waiopehu we descended where on earth I would be sleeping through a maze of fallen and dense that night and the next. Yes, this was leatherwood which was logs just tolerable the eve of the much advertised mystery without having to protective trip and that evening 10 odd, frustrated clothing on. A Furber any push through trampers gathered at the station listening subalpine scrub and stunted beech to malicious rumours spread by the three brought us down to a swampy saddle. Mystery Trip leaders that we were either After thrashing through thick supplejack going on a Ruapehu working party or on hands and knees, I found the Walls Whare working party. Once in a tiny enclosed clearing surrounded myself in the bus, possibilities were mentally by more supplejack, bush lawyer and ticked off as we passed first the Hutt hook grass.-charming!! We had been turnoff, then the Otaki turnoff. Nick told that Mystery Trips "blow ya mind", showed much skill and saliva by rolling but all we got from that stretch of Kevin Moynihan a "mystery-trip-durry" ridge were lacerations about the body using two cigarette and nearly and battered knees. However, the ridge a # box of Greys. NNeE must either became more defined, travel was easier have shares in Greys or genuinely care and by late afternoon, we came across about Kev's frustration. Lake Hollow. This is a dry, tussock-filled The bus dropped us off at the pipe clearing with a Forest Service bivvy bridge, Ohau, and we were told that and helicopter pad, situated on it. After the Blackwater was our destination for a short break we went off Oriwa Ridge that night. By next morning most of down a short, steep spur which took us were fairly certain, roughly where us down to the Upper Makaretu. We we would be going. From our campsite followed this down to the first lot of we carried on up the Blackwater, up flats, where, rounding a bend we came smaller tributaries till our creek ended across the Easy Trip camp, which looked in a damp, mossy cliff, which we sidled like a scene out of"Paint Your Wagon". around and bushpushed a short way The next morning was spent in the till we came out on the ridge a few pits waiting for the sun, then sunbathing minutes below Waiopehu Hut. During till noon. Progress was then made up our lunch stop there, we had all heard a spur on the true left of Goat Canyon. the usual noises one hears tramping: The going was good until we blundered birds singing, the first stags roaring, into dense murkwood and supplejack squeaky packs, people whimpering, but which Dennis remembered from a pre- Dennis was the only one who heard vious trip as "the land where trees a carillion playing. There must be very grow six inches apart". However bearing few people who bring carillions into 280° would have us on the ridge, we the hills, yet he swears on hearing it, were told, so we proceeded in that perhaps it was part of the mystery, direction, crossing a few streams which we will never know. flowed across the "ridge", and soon After the early lunch we continued we were out of the murkwood and on up to Waiopehu where we had onto the farm land. After a break for another stop and there in the sunshine lunch we continued along the ridge, we had views of the Main Range and over Spion Kop, down through the pad. the ridges into the Makaretu where we docks to the road and a short road planned to go. After a while we moved walk taking us to our bus rendezvous. off down Oriwa ridge leaving behind These on the trip were Dennis Gazley John who had decided that piking was (leader), Kevin Moynihan, Max Buckley, a good lark and that he would sunbathe David Forbes, John Addison and on the top till he would join up with Jeffrey Bryant