Olivine Class of '81

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.

Olivine Class of '81 Jack McConchie What a team to go away with. Kev, who without learning a thing or two) until recently thought that an undersneaked around the scrub. Smelling coat was what dirty old men went a bit like eau de Waiwhetu, even around in; Neil, who had just found after a good wash, we shot up the buying a house a moving experience; south branch through open patches of and Paul, who now knew that one bung bush to lunch in the head of the lung was not a main course at the valley. A stiff climb to the saddle Kowloon Cafe after the Thursday run. and a stroll through an amazing number Still, you couldn't wish for a better of flowers brought us to Woodhen Ck. bunch with whom to spend New Year in I hope someone has explained to the the Olivines. deer this tribute to their demise. A bush-edge campsite provided the We arrived at the Jackson Valley via opportunity for lessons in stone- Air New Zealand and a combi from throwing at Keas and the resultant Hokitika, along with the rain as only fly repairs - something to do with the West Coast can offer. Camp was the backspin Kev thinks. pitched on a grassy flat midstream or, so it later appeared, in Carl Creek, Under an oppressive sky it was on to with us all realising at last what the Olivine Range proper and along "pissisting" rain means on the Coast. towards Tararua with impressive views of what's its name? During the next Encouraged that things wouldn't be so ten days we were to see Aspiring from bad once our stomachs had shrunk and 270 different degrees. A long slog that now we must surely qualify for saw us on Bald Mountain with the disaster relief, we set off up Carl weather still looking ominous. After Creek. Travel was rough and the lunch it was decided to continue along showers and heavy packs made it no the ridge to the Monteith Glacier. A easier.. At last after about 4 hours bit like the Mangare bridge, the ridge (we're convinced even watches go had two ends but no middle. A quick slower on the Coast) we arrived at lower of the packs down an 85ft notch the bush edge above Lake Clark. A then it was up to the glacier where short grovel brought us across a series hasty repairs were made to an ice axe. of gullies to an excellent campsite on Already the travel was enough to make the ridge overlooking the lake. A it go to pieces. An easy snow plod couple of hours in the pit and a hot under clear skys took us across the brew tempted the sun to make an appear- Monteith and down to a pleasant camp ance so it was outside for the impress- in the tussock of Falls Creek. ive views of the Haast Range. The next day dawned fine so it was off A first steep but and straight forward climb around Lakes Leeb and Dan and into the thing we were perched on the Arcade Glacier which bush of the Thomsen Range need I say travel down to Arcade provided Saddle. good A more. A couple of hours brought us slide and a steep narrow saw rock back to the tussock and lunch overby a beautiful tarn already gully regretting us looking Big Bay. Travel through a the 2000' we had dropped. Views of jumble of blocks towards Collyer the route were not encouraging more frustrating than trying to get a indeed I wished I had taken brown straight answer from a politician shorts - but a sidle across benches saw us camping in a "rock Bivvy" on at 4000' brought us to a the ridge just below a pass leading to slashed diagonally through large the fault the Martyr. With such a sheltered rock. camp it seemed a pity to leave so This provided a good staircase which, whilst it snowed and showered on and followed by a 500' snow plug saw us off next day we read and generally on the Findlayson Glacier by early regretted our lack of fitness. afternoon. The views south to the Ice Plateau and the heads of the Ara- Early next morning saw us on the Pass wata made it all seem worthwhile. from which a quick crampon and easy Another gentle snow plod saw us on stroll took us to the tussock basin Halfway Saddle i- wishful thinking - overlooking the lakes in the head of from where we continued around the the Martyr. ledges to a pleasant spot overlooking Hollands Creek and providing impressive views of Red Mountain. Well it was too thin to plough and they were too thick to know - or so The next day saw us following the ledthe saying goes = so into the bag ges down to the bushline, sighting three of the intrepid party went. our only animal of the trip a Whilst one swam out minus his pack and chamois with an urgent appointment two were pulled out on a rope, the elsewhere. What a relief to be back other (you don't get to be thirty in the bush? A miserable bush bash through steep, damp, rotten trees and coming in from the SW before dropping lawyer soon had us heading back to down steep tussock and boulder slopes the open tops. into the scrub above the Joe River. Just above Victor Creek we managed to Travel up the Limbo, as its name would boulder hop across the Joe and eventsuggest, was getting us nowhere so we ually settled on a sheltered campsite climbed out on the true right. After on a high terrace above Victor Creek. what can only be described as a brief With a few spots of rain it was into encounter of the worst kind with the the pits for tea, but evidently the sub-alpine scrub, we collapsed in a massive entrenching exercise around hei > in the head of the Limbo. By the tent carried out under the the time we had lunched and climbed National Development Act in the nationto Hurricane Col the cloud had come al interest was sufficient as the down to obscure the views of our route next day dawned fine without a breath and it started to rain. After poking of wind. around in a half hearted attempt to find a way into the Sealy, we headed The scrub of Victor Creek gave way to back to camp in the Limbo. The good tussock and scree slopes which cloud hung around so a day of literary brought us to the base of a steep indulgence was called - we called it route onto the shoulder of Mt Victoria. a rest day. Now, however, the error We decided to give it a go as the only of only two books on the trip became alternative was to go back down the obvious. Having all read King Rat Joe. The hard snow and good cramponing (we never did catch our two rats for soon saw us committed - or at least we self-sufficiency) and got bored with should have been. The ice dropping word games on chocolate wrappers, it off the icefall into the terminal lake was decided to serialise the remaining below provided sombre accompaniment book - it was torn into four pieces. to my heart, which was getting a rough time from my chattering teeth. Once A fine day saw us up before the sun around the shoulder it was back into and on Hurricane Col in less time than the more common soft snow for a quick it takes to eat your chocolate ration. descent to the Marion Ice Plateau for A steep snow slope was soon found lunch. into the Sealy and what looked like a difficult route onto Invitation Col Now with the trip smashed - along with proved sufficiently straightforward several knees - we lazed around in the that after satiating ourselves with sun until we ambled off across the views of the Ice Plateau - now so Marion towards Col where a = Boys disclose we were able to lunch on the cussion which was to last for several Trinity Glacier. days ensued. Round one of the argument ended with us making tracks towards Key Dave where we camped Camp was set up on a rocky ledge 200' below the snowline. just above Trinity Col with impressive views of the glacier and Aspiring. The Dart didn't provide much of a lure From here we dropped off into Trinity but eventually we tumbled down through Stream to recover our airdrop. I the bush to the Whitbourne confluence think it better not to mention our where we forded the Dart and met the airdrop save to offer anyone who finds track to Dart Hut. We lunched at the the missing drum Bon Appetite. hut and having decided to borrow a book from the library we moved off up With packs refilled - thank goodness river towards Cascade Saddle. Needwe didn't find that extra food = we less to say in the rush to escape slogged onto the shoulder of Gyrae and civilisation the book was left behind then down onto the neve under Darkness and with increasing cloud hovering via a snow bridge over a couple of over Mt Edward and Plunket Dane we slots. A pleasant stroll across the camped just below the snout of the neve and up the spur onto Little Ark, Dart Glacier. with views of the whole length of the Williamson, brought us to a quick With little more enthusiasm than seen descent to the saddle between the Ice at a club committee meeting, we packed Plateau and the Barrier Ice Stream. up and shot over Cascade Saddle to A celebration of brew and bikkies and while away the hours at Aspiring Hut it was off to set up camp by the before heading back to the "real" Memorial Ice Fall. world. We got away early and were soon on Sol- It may be the scenery that makes for ution Col from where we traversed back a good trip but it takes the right across to the ridge off Destiny. Here company to make it a great one. at least, after sending our way through Thanks boys for a really great trip. a mixture of slots and blocks, we were out of the cold wind which had picked up. Once off the snow we lunched by Jack McConchie, Kev Thompson, Neil a small creek and watched a front Woodrow, Paul Cooper.