Bannister

Machine-read text (unproofread)

Read from the scans by software, so it contains mistakes. Typing it up properly would help blind readers: use Suggest an edit.

BANNISTER Tararua crossings are usually graded to rescue them from rocks in rapids and as Southern, Northern, Middle, and curious detours to retrieve them from Bannister, in order of difficulty. dark little backwaters where they some- Due to transport problems a Ban- times ended up. nister crossing in the strict sense of And so, with much wringing out of the term, was a bit of a problem, so sleeping bags and clothing and food at the three of us interested in the area the bush edge, attempt number one decided to cross Mt. Bannister itself ended. from Mt. Waingawa to Arete, and then The second attempt started earlier on return to Mitre Flats and the Pines via the Friday night, and Henk made a fly- Arete stream or whatever route seemed ing start from the car. John and I most suitable once we got over our caught with him at the bush edge major objective. In this way we could and had 1to literally drag him away from use our own transport to and from the the eeling lesson he was giving, in the Pines-a major consideration when it middle of the river, to the local girls. seemed likely we wouldn't get out of the And so on to Mitre Flats, only to find bush till fairly late on Sunday evening. Saturday morning dark, dismal, and And so, reasonably fit after a Christ- damper than usual. In that weather mas trip, we set off last summer to find Bannister was out, sO we spent the day out for ourselves just how difficult at the flats. Bannister is to cross. Sunday looked better, so at about 10.00 a.m. we eventually decided to On this first attempt we slept at the go up to Cow Creek and then back bush edge, and on Saturday made fast down to the Pines along Blue Range. time in to Mitre Flats and then up to After all, several members had told Cow Creek. us Blue Range was good travelling, and From there we surprised ourselves by we had also read in a log book that reaching the bush edge on Waingawa in Blue Range track was faster than a little over an hour and although the up the river to Cow Creek-all moini in weather looked a bit doubtful we were it should be a pleasant three or four fairly confident of success, as we started hours Sunday afternoon trip. up towards the top of Waingawa It started to rain on the way up the through the snow grass. river so to get out of the wet we And then disaster-John's stomach in- periodically submerged in some of the formed him in no uncertain terms that deeper pools, and from those safe posiit was extremely indignant and irate tions defied Hughey to do his worst. about something. The result was an This he did as the river was getting enforced rest, somewhat rudimentary dirty when we left it at Cow Creek, attempts to relieve the situation, fol- and after lunch in the hut we found a lowed by slow progress and a certain flood high enough to persuade us to use amount of double-packing. the bridge. We had lunch just below the top of From the bridge we blundered up a Waingawa and then went on slowly spur and on to the track to Te Mara, to find a stake with a metal arrow on which took us two hours to reach in it informing us that Arete Forks was deteriorating weather. "that way". In view of the time we Soon after that we realised our inhad lost, the state of one stomach, and formation was inaccurate-there cernastly little black clouds, the majority tainly wasn't any track. About two vote was for Arete Forks Hut. It took hours later we began to hate those who us something over an hour to reach it put misleading entries in log books, and down the reasonably well blazed spur. those who had told us of their trips On Sunday the weather was fine and down Blue Range. health back to normal so we spent the Conversation was reduced to a morning climbing up Table Ridge and monotonous repetition of the basic going over Mitre to Mitre Flats. theme of "I told you it was a stupid At the Flats we met a Hutt Valley idea. We shouldn't ever have tried it," party for lunch, and then made a mad with minor variations, from disillusioned retreat down the river. We swam the young men as pace was put on, rests refirst pool swimmable and from there on duced, and darkness approached. floated the packs down with mad rushes Eventually we emerged from the bush after an unhappy period spent At the Pines the weather was as foul bush-bashing in strange country with as it could be. Henk got out of the fading torches in the dark. car and checked on the river which Great was our consternation when we was well up and we promptly decided followed a bulldozed track to a huge we hadn't intended to go anywhere near farmhouse with two great barns behind Mt. Bannister anyway-we had really it, and one end of a suspension bridge set out for Bannister Hut. Sa back looming up against the sky. to Bannister Hut we went to find a crowd of Hutt Valleys there who had Several knocks on the door produced made the same decision. a sleepy reply and we were told to fol- On we low the track round by the kennels and Saturday went up to Mountain it would take us out to the road end. House muttering threats involving Which road end, we wondered as we set Holdsworth-Jumbo or something of that off. It was, of course, the Pines. The sort. little bach on the terrace just before However, soon after we arrived at the bush is, in fact, a substantial house Mountain House a couple of Tararuas -and the suspension bridge turned out came down from Powell and their reto be the gallows on which slaughtered ports of conditions further up persuaded sheep are hung. us to stay put with a good fire. The Somewhat embarrassed, but nonethe- weekend was livened up by a party of less rather proud ot our route finding at shooters, five hundred one but of whom couldn't play night, we got to the car just seven hours As he was my partner was prepared I to try. after leaving Cow Creek. to find he was a natural was genius delighted at the We decided the Blue Range track game-Paul and Henk were not so mentioned in the log book was really pleased. the Te Mara track-and subsequent As we left to go back down to Banquestioning revealed the fact that none nister Hut it was trying to snow on of the Blue Range experts had been us down it further than the spur down to And so ended the Mitre Flats! So much for good advice. fourth attempt. The next attempt was combined with For the fifth attempt John was at a Te Mara-Mitre Flats trip, but the Ruapehu so Henk, Paul and I set weather was so attrocious on Friday out again-with Ken and Colin McNatty night John and I gave up at the start. in tow. As this was Labour Weekend Henk went on ahead on Saturday and a rush was not so essential, so we didn't by the time we got to the Blue Range go into Mitre Flats in too much of a Hut turnoff the hour was rather late. hurry. However, after seeing the improved On Saturday we set off in fine weather weather we decided to give it a go and and at Cow Creek Hut met some local with several others rushed off to Cow experts who told us the best way on to Saddle. By the time we got there, Waingawa was up the grassed slide just though, it was obvious we wouldn't get upstream of the hut. This was steep, to Bannister Basin hut before dark, and but it took us rapidly on to the as no-one relished the thought of look- main track, and "p a little under an ing for the hut at night, or alternatively, hour and a half we were at the bush of spending the night out in doubtful edge. weather without a tent, the attempt was From there on abandoned and we went down to Cow murkier and the weather became Creek Hut to find Henk muttering darkly murkier-sufficient so for to himself about wasted opportunities. us to wander on to Cattle Ridge. It was obvious we had gone wrong, and we The third attempt, then, ended with were fairly certain where the ridge a wander out down the Waingawa. swung off to Mt. Waingawa, but we had Truly, found a good tarn so took the we were finding Bannister tunity of having a brew and opporrather difficult. putting on parkas, leggings and gloves as things The next attempt saw Paul Green in were becoming a bit breezy. place of John, who was otherwise While we ate the mist cleared and that en-to gaged weekend. we saw what we expected-we were about 100 yards too far along Cattle this definite knowledge of a crush at Ridge. Henk and Paul, who were Mitre Flats made it quite certain that we packed, rushed off to try to get a view would head down to Arete Forks Hut. of Bannister Basin Hut before the mist We took a spur I had been told about came down again. -and the spur was even better than we Hughey was too fast for them, though, hoped. Very little leatherwood proband Colin, Ken and I caught them up lem, and we reached the bush edge in at the Arete Forks turnoff. There was an easy half-hour, and then it took only a fairly strong suggestion that Arete another 20 minutes down to the river. Forks should be our immediate objec- From there we had a pleasant walk tive, but it was soon agreed that we down river for threequarters of an hour would at least go along to the next bump to Arete Forks Hut. to see what we could. Here two swam, two washed, and one At the next bump the only view was stayed dirty. Instruction was given the same mist, and in any case, I was on how to cook a stew-and then to bed fairly certain we wouldn't be able to see for a rather better sleep than the prethe hut until we reached the following vious night. The weather had improved, bump. So on we went again-only to we were over Bannister, and had no find a perpendicular pinnacle com- worries about being stranded by bad posed of damp earth, soggy moss, and weather in a place like Bannister Basin. loose rock. It was somewhat hair- The atmosphere was definitely happier. raising, but we all got up it, and then gingerly navigated the sharpest knife On Monday we set off down the edge any of us had met in the Tararuas. Waingawa Gorge. The weather was fine and the water almost inviting-except On the other side of that all were for the odd occasions when we were unanimous-we weren't going back down forced to swim! This part of the that trip thing, so on we had to go. was notable for a certain person's plain- At the top of the next bump-hooray, tive cry of "Tm too short", when he was a stake in the ground with a metal left stranded after the longer-limbed arrow saying Bannister Hut. members had stretched across an awkward piece of torrent-however, he was About threequarters of an hour later successfully helped across. Later, in an we got to the hut-a long way down excess of enthusiasm for boulder-hopwith a nasty patch of leatherwood at ping, the same small one managed to the bottom if you miss the track, as we spreadeagle himself on a steeply sloping, did. slippery rock. His frantic wrigglings And sO to bed. for the next five minutes provided the On Sunday we plodded back up the comedy act of the season! way we had descended and went on We left the gorge in a bit under three along the ridge in the murk. We found hours, had a brew at Cow Creek again, three more nerve-shattering pinnacles and went on out down the river. and sat on the top of Mt. Bannister twice before there was a local break in And so, after nine months, we the cloud which gave us a view of the eventually managed to get across Mt. top. And so, eventually, we sat on Bannister-Colin, Ken, and Paul, of the top and sucked our triumphant course, were lucky-Colin and Ken in cigarettes. particular in getting across at their first attempt, and Paul at his second. However, all this had taken rather longer than we had expected, so "on- The only trouble is that now we want wards" was the order of the day-over to go back again in the hope that we'll the Twins, on to Arete, a minor doubtful be able to see and appreciate where zig-zag to find the Bench as an approach we've been-so presumably the whole from the North was unusual, and then wretched business will start again next lunch. January or February! After lunch we followed the North- NICK JENNINGS. ern route to Tarn Ridge Hut. Hutt