Pike and Depike, the Winter Northern

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PIKE AND DEPIKE, THE WINTER NORTHERN "What about Girdlestone Saddle, into longs and sandshoes and lighting tomorrow?" a good fire. Up, stretch yourself, and back to the hut for lunch. We had been sitting about for two hours, with the "Why not? The ridge looks easy wind getting colder. From the hut we from here, narrow - and no deceptive heard Nick's voice, "We are going on". side spurs." After some unprintable comments from us, we reasoned to leave Te Matawai "It's clearing over the Northern Hut at 1 p.m. for the snow-covered tops again." was madness, but their reason was soon apparent, for two other trampers had " arrived and were going to press on, much "Blast! Send it down Huey.' Huey to our shame. Their names, Rick and Huey - : - Huey : - replied the Muff. echoes from the other side of the Otaki watershed. Our party had "piked", and Thus it was that seven bodies made a now Margaret, John and I were sitting fast trip up Pukematawai, striking snow on body-contoured clumps of snow grass, some 200 feet below the top, where we some 15 minutes above Te Matawai Hut, donned longs. Arete, Arete bench, Lancalling on Huey to provide us with an caster, the Waiohine Pinnacles, Kapiti excuse for not going. To the North (just the view I mean). There was not lay the heavily bushed Mangahau, with much snow on the Pinnacles so no prob- Avalanche Flats marked by a slip, and lems arose, and we made our way to the sometimes unclouded Triangle Knob. the Tarn Ridge Hut with an hour of day- To the East lay the misty wind-swept light in hand. The hut, which we saw Northern crossing route; the South pro- in construction last Anniversary Weekvided a view of the Hain Range, Otaki end, is well insulated and tied down, but River, Oriwa Ridge and in the distance the foil lining runs wet with condensa- Kapakapanui, while far below our feet tion. However, we spent a very comroared the furze shrouded headwaters fortable night there; it will sleep eleven, of the Otaki. A majestic, wild, but truly but the table takes up most of the floor peaceful scene broken by an occasional space. Next morning, through snow view of Mt. Crawford. underfoot and heavy rain falling, we passed Blatchfords' memorial cross, So far the highlights of conversation Dorset Ridge, Girdlestone, Mitre, Kapiti (at the start of the trip) had been "Let's (out of sight), to Cappers' hidy hole. travel all night,' followed by universal It will have to have a roof put on mutterings of "We're not going past it Dave, before I'd sleep there. As I South Ohau". Despite these good in- stopped for a short spell I thought tentions, an hour battling with mud and the hour we had sat and watched a the Army's telephone cable, some of thunder storm pass over Masterton on which went A.W.O.L., on the Ohau the far distant plains, last Anniversary track, soon persuaded us to crawl into Week-end, and the lambs wool clouds on our sleeping bags at Ohau Hut. Satur- the Three Kings. What a difference, day morning began with a sadistic alarm even since four weeks ago, when we'd clock screaming its head off at 3.13 a.m., looked across to the South Island, followed by a torch-lit start up the Egmont, Ruapehu, and the Wairarapa Ohau River at 4.45 a.m., as far as South blanketed in fog which spilled over the Ohau Hut, where one member of our Blue Range into the Waingawa, as we party unintentionally went for a swim. basked in blazing sunshine on three feet Next a slow graunch up Yeates 600, and of hard snow. Now, wrapped in mist, sO on to Te Matawai Hut by 9.15 a.m. we broke through the wet snow on our Here the rot set in, and during the eat- way down the ridge to Mitre Flats Hut. ing of our second breakfast frequent After lunch we picked up the V.W. trips outside were made, to view the Kombie at the Pines. Times taken: weather on the tops. They were in Saturday, 9 hours; Sunday, 8 hours. cloud with a stiff Northerly wind blow- On the trip: Margaret, Nick, John ing: would we go on - .? (Patchett), Norm. (Whiteside), and your writer Norm., who'd been suffering cramp, finally settled the question by changing -FRASER WALLS.