40th Anniversary Southern Crossing

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40th Anniversary Southern Crossing 13-15 December 1988 Warren Thorburn Field Hut brings a short refreshment stop for most, a night's rest for some and one or two make a long Saturday of it by staying Friday night at Four van loads of Tongue and Meats' respond to Otaki Forks. Brian Hunt's and Anita Catchpole's 'push' to celebrate the club's 40th anniversary tramping The slog to Kime Hut for a nights sleep isn't weekend with a Southern Crossing of the enough to quieten everyone snorers and sleep Tararuas. talkers abound! There's only so much room on the Judd Ridge Saturday morning is showery and windy. Those track - to relieve the potential congestion the first of us at Kime Hut breakfast leisurely and leave in van leaves town at 3.30pm on Friday afternoon, dribs and drabs from 9 o'clock as the Field Hut the last at 7pm. brigade arrives. We re-group on the summit of Mt. Hector for an anniversary photo. With misty Whether or not it's better being able to see the conditions prevailing, Brian warns newcomers to extent of the mud morass on the way up to Field "hang a right" on top of Atkinson to avoid the Hut is a moot point. At least in daylight someone embarrassment of a detour down False Spur. may see you before you sink below the surface! The weather spurs us onward to the Dress Circle. This tramping by 'shifts' results in a very spread No views today (yet again!). Three or four out party and accordingly my report may be trampers pass in the opposite direction, somewhat less than complete. somewhat overwhelmed by the crowd en route. - iihi - One "shift" of the Sue Charles 40th Anniversary Southern Crossing

Chief cook 40th Anniversary Sue Charles Southern Crossing The Mound' still fascinates with its unusual We stop to 'fuel the engine' in the saddle before landscape of large rock outcrops and flat, open the 120 metre climb to the summit of Alpha. grass 'paddocks'! A search around for the Alpha Hut is crowded for lunch, the large party entrance into the bush and then down, down the spilling out onto the verandah with groups still 630 metres to the Tauherenikau River. arriving. The club's medium party has tramped into Cone The weather has now turned humid as the sun Flats. We're aware of their presence well before breaks through intermittently. A fast crew has seeing them as the smoke from their camp fire bounded off. rises up the Bull Mound track. Interestingly, the descent down to Hell's Gate has The chilly river has a quick effect on those of us more vegetation on it than when I was here last. opting to take a cooling off plunge. Then it's out The direct route one used to take, cutting out the with the mugs and bowls for a brew provided by a zigzags, is therefore more difficult though I think welcoming medium party. my current fitness level may be a factor as well. Trampers everywhere! Old and new faces. The The weather threatens to break but no one's sure medium party seems as large as our own and whether it's into rain or sunshine. Some travel included long absent and unexpected ex-member across Bull Mound with parkas on, others off. Ken Churchill. Greetings and reminiscences are Either way it's damp. exchanged all around.

Preparation of the evening meal is 'conducted' by arriving. The faces are even older or younger as chef Anita. Observe the strange sight of her ex Tongue and Meats and potential new ones apprentices squeezing plastic bags filled with make the most of a now brilliantly sunny day. diced meat marinading in sherry. Snarlers spit and billies boil on the fire, dogs We speculate on the likely demise of the sherry chase, kids take to the water, trampers chat and that Anita doesn't require for cooking. Alastair oldies reminisce. and Craig give a spluttering demonstration. It's all over too soon though as varying degrees of The meal is voted a triumph. A sudden weather age and fitness determine the latest possible change to the south in the late evening brings leaving time for the grunt over the hill to Kaitoke. rain and chases the last of the fire squatters off to bed. Sunday morning dawns fine. A morning brew is delivered around the scattered camp site. Breakfast is leisurely taken and the first of the shifts' departs at 9am downriver to Smith Creek. The racers are away but most of the party settle down to a steady pace and steady chitchat. The A memorable anniversary trip with kind weather and kind friends. On the Southern Crossing trip were: Anita Catchpole and Brian Hunt (leaders), with Warren Thorburn, Sue Charles, Alistair Booth, Andrew Chisholm, Owen Lum, William Cone, John Gardner, Megan Rodden, Bill Drake, big pool in the Tauherenikau River is passed, Marshall Clark, Bruce Taylor, Bob Haig, Ian with regrets expressed that the day isn't hot Bunckenburg, Marion Griffiths, Paul Critchley, enough for a swim. Only a black labrador from Craig Kurth, Alisdair Wallace, Jon Critchley, another party enjoys that privilege. Philip Booth, Patric Lane, Sam Raphael, Pete Te Rini, Glen Curtis, Stephen Duck, Paul Mackay, At Smith Creek the numbers have doubled again. John Flynn, David Clark, Mike Peat, Hugh The anniversary easy trip is in residence or still Stevens and Peter Jackson. Sue Charles