A Christmas Trip Report - Nelson Lakes National Park

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A CHRISTMAS TRIP REPORT NELSON LAKES NATIONAL PARK Stephen Patience t's difficultto gather one'sthoughts D'Urville River was high and as the he emulated and spoke some of the and compile a trip report some 8 afternoon started to draw to a close, same words. months after the trip. Never mind. we decided to stay there. Bill, the inn Nelson LakesN National Park is a regu- keeper, his family, and friends were We awoke the next morning at an lar feature on most WT&MC Trip not all that welcoming, offering to ungodlyhour. It wasstill dark and the Schedules, butwith limitedtimeavail- take us across the lake in his boat to day hadn't yet dawned. Bill and his able, a few areas remain unexplored Sabine Hut from where we had just mate were contemplating trout for to the adventurous tramper. Keen to come. This certainly made us feel breakfast. Itappearedthatthey wanted explore these areas, I decided to put welcome. You could easily think that to be heard rustling around, making the idea to some WT&MC friends we were intruding in Bill's personal general conversation, and generally over a few beers. They sounded inter- home. His boat was moored to the wanting to annoy others still in their ested and no other trip seemed to be jetty outside and his hut was well pits. Bill's mate was heard to say in organised. equipped with the finer details ofsub- his distinctive voice which later stuck urban living, including quaint little inourminds; "Thought thoset trampers Thetripbegan a few daysafter Christ- curtains otherwise not seen in the might be up by now!" Well, they mas and the party consisted ofmyself average hut There was also a well- never went fishing. After some disasl leader, Roger Bolam, Francis Smith, stocked barand pantry There weren't cussion and appeasing, Bill agreedt to Sue and Hugh McEwen, and Allan enough bunks, sO the Purple Passion take us in his boat (2 trips) across the MacLachlan. Palace was again erected. Later in the lake to Sabinel Hut. It now felt likewe evening, the leader called a meeting hadn't progressed any further and Thet trip started on a Saturday, and as another day had gone by. Anyhow, it I recall, a blue and clear sky was all was quicker doing the tramp this way around. It was a hard slog climbing those as the D'Urville River had swollen Mt Robert Ridge in the heat, "Thought searing with the overnight rain. We grahowever, spectacular views could be ciously thanked Bill forhis hospitality had in all directions and some of the trampers might and the boat ride. We then tramped peaks remained covered in snow We the Sabine Valley up to West Sabine arrived at Lake Angelus Hut later in be up by now!" Hut. The rain had not dispersed and the afternoon Francis persistently rewe were glad just to have some dry minded me of my sunburn by saying, shelter. We stayed the night there and "Steve, you look a little sunburnt todiscussthenextday'splanned route. met up with an Australian girl also bloke", which only added to the fury Without any thought by myself at the named Sue. She had teamed up with of the pain I was already enduring. time, everyone gathered for the meet- an American named Matt. We sat The evening passed, some sat and ing whileltendedt dtomy chaffedt dthighs around the fire and had a nice cup of philosophized whilstthe others played Sue commented on the authenticity of tea and talked of people's humorous "pass the pigs". Sue and Hugh had my tiger skin briefs. This seemed to answer phone messages. We decided their own tent at the lake edge, amuse some and photographs had to on another early night due to New quaintly referred to by all as the "Pur- be taken to freeze the moment It was Year's Eve the following day. ple Passion Palace". at this time that we all agreed on a modified route - to proceed up the New Year's Eve dawned bright and The next day the weather was some- Sabine Valley. We sat around in the sunny and it gave us the opportunity what different from the day before. evening and listened to stories of the to resti up and dry our gear. Ozzy Sue We were in the cloud and rain while big fish that Bill had caught on the and Matt left that morning whilst we making our way down Mt Cedric to lake, the German tramper he rescued lay around in the sun. About lunch- Sabine Hut. Our itinerary was to inhis boat, apparently swept downthe time, ayoung couple with their rele's cross over Moss Pass and down to flooded Sabine River into Lake arrived at West Sabine Hut. They sat Blue Lake. The weather had not Rotoroa. We hit the pit early. Bill outside with us and began to sing improved and a faction of trampers and his mate sat around late into the songs from a song book. Some songs were now mutinous. We decided to evening and drank and gambled. As were hymns and we began to think carry on around to D'Urville Hut, we lay in our pits, their conversation that we had been set upon by a group otherwise known as Bill's Batch. The wasi interestingtolistento. Ask Roger; ofCTC's. This was not the case. The young guy was straight out of school (6th form) with his girlfriend. The rele's were in fact uncle and aunt of one or the other from Australia. They stayedover forl New Year's Eve and we prepared ourselves for the evening ahead. There were countless courses of meals beginning with aperitifs in thel late afternoonsun. Roger camespecially prepared with his long sleeve shirt and tie. Wes supped with our pinky fingers in the air like thei intelligentsia toffs from Oxford. We shared our food that evening with our guests, as they shared theirs with us. Later in the evening, we all sat around the fire and sang: songs from the school song book. Thereweresomeexcellent songs that were and still are classics. It's amazing how much fun can Allan and Steve taking a break Francis Smith be had when everyone sings along. All that was missing were the pink, silky shorts that revealed most all arrived at Lake Head Hut around musical instruments. Time passed curves and bulges ofthe body. Need- the same time and Ozzy Sue and Matt and 1993 was drawing closer. Sue less to say, our rest: at this hut was no also turned up. Theywereb both pretty suggested that we all tell of our longer than necessary. We made our happy, Sue having found about $300 greatest achievements of 1992. This way to John Tait Hut arriving in the in notes on the track which had only passed another half hour, only to be late afternoon. Some took a bath and just been walked by Sue, Hugh, and followed by sharing our aims and others just sat around and had a nice me. It wasn't ours but we all took goals forthe comingyear. Eventually cup oftea. This wasc our last night and inaccurate guesses to make claim to the new year came and we toasted all ofthe group food was eaten. Later the fortune. Having arrived at St each other and went outside the hutt to in the evening, to our surprise, Hugh Arnaud, the heavens opened and the sing "auld lang syne". Not long later, pulled out a very special cake, other- rain just poured down. After taking candles were blown out and everyone wise known as "Betty's" cake, all the shelter, some of us visited the DOC was asleep. way from England. Wel held it in our centre to fill in a little time and alsoto hands and were amazed at its weight, investigate who John Tait is, or was. New Year's Day we headed off over most of it being in fruit and nuts. I Amazingly, no-one knew. I went to Travers Saddle. It was another fine taker my hat offtoHught forcarryingit. the storeand gorgedi myselfwith some day and as the sun beamed down, the I'msurel Royal Mailr Imusthavecharged reali foodthat didn'tneedi re-hydrating. slope became tougher. Fortunately $$$$$ for getting it to God's Own in Ozzy Sueand Matt alsot turned up and the rest stops weret frequent enoughto one piece. All the same, it went down Ireckon they spent part of their newly adjust to altitude and take in the well with a nice cup of tea. It was found finance. Ouri friendly taxi driver views. A little snow remained on the early to bed due to the late night the George, turned up on time at 6pm. saddleand it was al bit breezy: and cool previous night. Matt remained in St Arnaud and apbut we soon found shelter on the leepeared sadt tos see Ozzy Suej part: at the ward side of a large rock and took in We were up at a reasonable hour on time we drove off Before long, we the views overt the Travers and Sabine our last day. It was only a stroll to St were on our way to Picton and only Valleys whilst havingl lunch. Wemade Arnaud but my chaffing didn't 'arf just managed to score a fare to Welour descent to Upper Travers Hut. give me a boat load of grief. Roger lington on the 8pm sailing. Roger, Snow was still aplenty on the Travers and Francis took the swing bridge Francis and I parted ways with Sue, side and some of us took part in a war across theTravers RivertoLakeHead Hugh, Alan, and Ozzy Sue remaining of flying snowballs. Upon arrival at Hut, and Sue, Hugh, and I took the inPicton. Onceon thef ferry, man, was Upper Travers Hut, wer wereaffronted alternative on the other side of the it good to taste a nice cold beer after7 by at friendly guy whoworeu ultra tight, river, later meeting up for lunch. We days, or what!