A Rakaia Holiday

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A RAKAIA HOLIDAY the Dart. They finished off the rem- Or Moraine and More Rain nants of the mountainous stew we couldn't finish. By 8.00 p.m. it was On Christmas Day of last year a raining and we in our bunks thought wondering taxi-driver deposited four sorrowfully of the T.T.C.'s on the T.&M.'s at Lake Heron Station-Bill saddle, and the T.&M.'s, we knew not Drake, Bruce Miller, Brian (Davy where-and then we slept. Crockett') Cropp, and myself (Andy The Tararuas returned at 10.00 McGechan). At last the weight of p.m., rushed up tents, and to our sur- organisation was off our backs, but, prise, seemed bright and cheerfu'. The 0, my God, the weight of gear which Scouts moved out up the Snowy, head- replaced it! We staggered off around for the Rees, and the Alpine Club the swamp for 15 minutes, then colboai followed them. At 11.00 a.m. the lapsed in the midday heat to dine off T.&M.'s arrived wet through. The chicken and tinned fruit, chuckling Scouts came back as the Snowy was sadistically at the thought of the too high for them, and went back Levin crew whom we had left at down the Dart. The rest of the T. & Hakatere Junction whilst waving our M.'s arrived in the afternoon, follow- Xmas cake. They were lunchless, and ed soon after by the Rovers, who had somewhat hungry! I will not dwell been flooded off Cascade Saddle. upon the painful journey to Downs On Sunday Bill and I climbed Hut that afternoon-suffice it to say Headlong-a rewarding morning- that our half-hour tramps with quarand were followed up by two T.T.C. quarter-hour ter-hour spells tramps gradually with changed to parties, while the rest of our party spells. Bruce had a half-hour and dried out. took to tramping 'sans hangover, shorts'. Any That evening the Brough brothers connection implied is purely accidenarrived after climbing Maori-the tal. Six terrible hours out we made second ascent, the first being in 1936. Downs and collapsed, reviving suffi- We spent a convivial evening with ciently later to eat Brian's Xmas them and they enjoyed the venison pudding. Incidentally, the bridge steaks being handed round. across Lake Stream is now again in Shortly after that we ambled out, existence; it is conspicuous a halfleapfrogging and fraternising with mi'e upstream from the present ford. the T.T.C. down the Dart. There were Next morning we left the company a few minor incidents at Queenstown of two shooters who had spent the and Christchurch concerning travel night at Downs also, and trekked up for two who had committed the un- heart-bursting Prospect Hill, a long pardonable sin of NOT BOOKING- undulating plateau that never ends. but we made it back. The changeable nor'-easter shrouded We did more than we had expected the peaks in murk, but the tremento do, thoroughly enjoyed our climb- dous panorama of the Rakaia River ing (the first either of us had done), was some compensation. Thankfully and now we have some idea of the we dropped down into Thompson's country we wouldn't mind going back Creek, and stepped into the Rakaia with a small climbing party-with a itself at last. The trip up the river few plans made in advance next time. was simply hard work, pure and hor- NICK JENNINGS. rible. Boulders, Matagouri, Washbourne Hut, "Coodgee Beach', tussock Editor's Note: This article was very -all went by in slow succession. The aptly named. river is rapid'y cutting into the bank * * * just up from Washbourne, and soon a sidle through thick bush will be The Editor will always be pleased necessary; whereas on the other bank to receive articles for publication in it is a good half-mile clear of the Tramping and Mountaineering'. Totara Point bluffs. Times certainly * * * change. We took three days of mediocre weather over our trip up to Who's in the huts, and who hasn't Lyell Hut, crossing Meins Knob the paid? Subs are due, and should be usual ghastly way. The magnificent paid to the Treasurer, view was some recompense, however.

But this slog, as we later found out, to use the back door via the Cockayne is now unnecessary; the bridges are Glacier, St. James Col, and the WSW at last usable again. True, half the ridge. The Cockayne is receding very Lyell must be forded to reach the rapidly and is a veritable gridiron of upper one, but this is possible even crevasses. Most were open, however, in high flood, as we later proved. and we threaded our way through At Lyell three pleasant surprises them to burst up into the spacious awaited us-an empty hut, a "help- cirque and a perfect day. Another yourself' notice from the Forest Ser- hour or so and we stood on littlevice, and fine weather; this last al- visited St. James Col gazing across most unheard of in the Rakaia. We the basin at the tumbling Cockayne gratefully crawled into our pits to icefall and the sawtooth virgin ridge get a little sleep in before an attempt on to Blair. The shadows were reon Malcombe the next day. The usual treating across the line of our steps agonies of the pre-dawn start were cut up the final slope of the col; the forgotten when Lyell Lake mirrored only sound in the morning calm was a perfect sunrise-the day was sure the staccato ratle of stonefall off the to be fine. Our hopes were high for face of Blair. The Ramsay peaks this impressive 8000ft peak, and the loomed above, well within striking moraine seemed a mere nothing. distance, and eagerly we started on Krel ice was bare, the slots were open, the technicalities. They were not exand travel fast. Then came the neve acting, but they certainly required and the first setback-soft snow at plenty of concentration. A steep loose an unusually early hour. The ropes rock face, a snow traverse, loose gensplit up, and Bill and Bruce, picking darmes, more steep and soft snow, a better route, arrived some time and then the long and very loose earlier and sat down to meditate. The summit ridge- the hours sped away. snow kept softening. By the time we The most technical piece was an innoarrived, these meditations had result- cent-looking five-foot overhang; six ed in the conclusion that under these feet of Brian managed to just fit over conditions this particular climb would it, but I was compelled to squirm up require 25 hours! We were not suffi- a crack. The others crawled around ciently recovered from our swagging it in some peculiar way. One o'clock and the snow was too soft to allow saw us on the long knife-edge suman ascent of Malcombe from Lyell mit. The awe-inspiring low peak tow- Hut. Disapointed and depressed, we ered enticingly out of reach; besides attempted the south ridge of Nichol- the locals, Cook, Tasman, and son, but found it schrunded off. So D'Archiac were impressively visible. drooping in the midday heat we start- Several thousand feet straight below ed back for home. Then at the end of sprawled the St. James G'acier, a the ice I broke a crampon. Morale hit most dangerous lookng area, apparrock bottom, and the return trip was ently much used by Ramsay for tarpure agony. The broken crampon was down get practice. the Regretfully we headed serious; it put paid to any further snow flank of the NW ridge, attempt on Malcombe, or later, Whit- crossed this ridge and headed back combe. across more snow slopes flanking our line of ascent. We climbed back down The rain next day did not matter; the unavoidable loose step; it was a rest day had been declared. The late more dangerous than difficult, one flyafternoon saw the return of J. Evans ing rock the size of a football missand R. Patchett from the Ramsay ing Brian by less than two feet. A Glacier. They were due to leave the few minor drops into crevasses on valley and the latter lent me his the way back enlivened proceedings, crampons. This was an extremely but Lyell Hut was a very welcome generous gesture towards a total sight to a tired but satisfied party stranger, and I wou'd like to record after a 15-hour day. my sincere thanks. The following afternoon saw us Rested, next day we set out at dawn slogging up the Ramsay Glacier mofor Ramsay, 8000ft or thereabouts. raine, a rubble heap unparalleled in The usual route via the Clarke Gla- the country. A camp was erected soon cier is a mere walk, so we decided after the commencement of the ice, near to the last stream. Then two wide by the entire face of the route highly unpleasant things happened. long cut the peak off completely. It, Brian crushed a thumb moving a boul- and several identical successors, were der and the sky filled up with hogs- nearly invisible from below. Malbacks! Rather than think about the combe was unclimbable. Dejected, we latter we mentally climbed the mighty headed up the north ridge of its Whitcombe wall and retired to bed. neighbour, Nicholson. The climb was Soon it began to rain. It began to rain fairly easy, but the weather was hard, very hard. By morning one tent threatening. We descended in tapioca was awash and the temperature at snow, and it became obvious that 6000ft was not warm. The ice was another storm was heading our way. running with water, the gale was The rift couloir to Blair was bare of growing, the aneroid was dropping snow at its head, and the Heim icefall two points an hour! We decided to looked impassable. Blair was certainpull out. Thus began one of the tough- ly out. Nothing more worthwhile est days I have ever been through. could be climbed from our base, so we We were too wind-battered to bother struck camp and evacuated to Lyell, about roping, and threading a way rapidly. En route Brian jarred an through the great crevasses in blind- ankle and I felt decidedly sick. When ing sleet was more dangerous than we found the Hutt Valleys had gone we were able to appreciate. The long we felt better. The weather closed in drag back down the slippery moraine for the next few days and we gratein pouring rain, on no breakfast, and fully took a little horizontal exercise. in sodden clothing, was one of those It was nearly time to out of things so agonising that one is able the valley. Our original pull was to to stand back in a sort of clinical Saddle plan detachment and view it as an inter- cross Butler into the Lawrence esting experience. I lost another and perhaps climb in the Arrowsmiths crampon! At the foot of the moraine on the way out, but Brian had this the Lyell was in high flood, but the untrustworthy foot and the weather alternative to the crossing was a 4- was dicey. A 6000ft pass was not jushour slog around its terminal face. tifiable. We returned the same way We crossed. It was only half of the as we had come in, using the bridges! main stream, and was just on the They were pleasant days with light borderline of the possible. Frozen packs and the inevitable fine weather solid, we crossed the three-wire bridge one gets when leaving. I lost anacross the other half, Bruce insisting other half crampon! Mr Rouse was upon doing cartwheels thereupon. most hospitable, offering telephone, Then up the streaming bluffs and the tea and shearers quarters-very comweary plod to Lyell. The hut was full modious at Lake Heron. of Hutt Valleys! We shoved in and This may seem a disappointing slowly managed to thaw and dry out. Christmas, with nothing happening It was a case of double-bunking. but storms and bad luck. On the sur- Tired, wet and uncertain of the face this is partly true-we climbed weather, we proclaimed a rest day only one of the major peaks for which for the next day, and were joined by we had planned, and did much hard three Christchurch trampers. But the work for apparently little reward. continuing seemingly fine weather lured all of us up the Lyell again But there is far more to it than this. after our rest, and a camp was put The evil reputation of the valley is in on snow just below McCoy Col. well deserved; all the odds are against Our digging in would have seen us the climber. But the great efforts through a mortar attack; we were a accordingly required mean that the little tired of being flushed out by rewards, though few, are proportionnow. Next morning was clear. We set ately far greater. All thought the trip off at a run for Malcombe; the going well worthwhile. And we will all be was excellent as far as Rangitata Col. back. Then came the blow. A granddaddy schrund a hundred feet deep by fifty ANDY MeGECHAN.