Searching for an Ice Hockey Tarn - Teenagers Tramping 1993

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SEARCHING FOR AN ICE HOCKEY TARN TEENAGERS TRAMPING 1993 Matthew Grainger Ice Hockey on tarn at Jumbo Matthew Grainger fter twomostt triumphant week- We left Wellington on a disappoint- The night wore on and several games Lend teenager's trips earlier in ingly dismal Thursday morning, only of cards later it was time to hit the pit the year, the punters were keen for stopping along the way to pick up with the weather showing no signs of bigger and better things, SO I organ- those essential items - cheesecake, improving. ised a four day trip during mid-term bacon etc break (8-11. July 1993). After much By Friday morning there was still no publicity, sevenhardy souls including Before long we arrived at The Pines change, so with no point in climbing me, were brave enough to put our road end and trudged off in typical Mitre for a view, we headed up the names on the list Tararua drizzle. After a chilly lunch Barton Track on our way to Jumbo. Matthew Grainger stop we continued along the Barra As I came into a clearing where the David Mardell Track to Mitre Flats Hut where we track crosses a small stream, I was Julian Dirou planned to spend the night. We surprised to see David and Chris Brendon Frater shared the hut with a flock of country clambering upa steep, scrubbybluff. Adrian Evans bumpkins from Carterton, who told It turned out they were trying to Chris Harrop us all about the taste sensations of shoot a few deer they had seen Michael Duffy just enough eating boiled pig's head. Fascinating grazing by the stream - with their for an ice hockey team stuff, really NOT! Meanwhile, cameras, of course! they looked on enviously as we devoured our delicious hearty beef From there it was over Pinnacle Sad- Read On stew, followed by chocolate fudge dle and then down to Atiwhakatu and coconut crunch for dessert, Stream for lunch, followed by a while they dined on undercooked 2 climb uptoJumbo. The weather was minute noodles. beginning to clear as we neared the bushline and thick snow on the moss- top of Jumbo, soaking up the views were greeted by Woody (Andrew M) covered trees in the afternoon sun and the sun on the way. The tarn just and the punters on his Easy trip. made an interesting change of scen- below Jumbo was frozen solid and we ery. couldn't resist a bit of ice skating, ice It was good old Mac Cheese for hockey, and ice cricket thej pitch was dinner, which was followed byMatt's Unfortunately, I ended up at the front hard and fast with good bounce, both Chocolate Instant Pud and Marshas we broke through the bushline, for the players and the ball. This trip mallow SpectacularTM for dessert, getting ajumbo serving ofsnow down was fast becoming a real sports and and the traditional games of cards, my neck, pushing through the snow leisure trip - already we'd had where. Dave, (thetrip comedian, withcovered trees. However, I was re- deerstalking, cards, snooker, cricket, out even knowing it) having finally warded with thef first learned how to glimpses of fantasplay the game, tic views of a vista hadusallinh hysof snow covered terics with his mountains the spontaneous Tararuas really can comments after be very picturesque winning a hand. on their day. Those keen Jumbo Hut was our enough (Dave destination for the andmyself)were night and after we seen out getting had demolished two photos at: sunrise 8 pint billies full of on a beautifully Old English Devclear Sunday illed Sausages for morning. After dinner and a couple aleisurely mornof cheesecakes for ing, we were on dessert, there was our way. A gentime for a quick eral consensus game of snooker - was that we green snowfoam on didn't particuthe table and "giant larly want to go jaffas" for thel balls, down the Gentle (one sucked white The Group, Jumbo Matthew Grainger Annie Interstate for the white ball) Freeway, sO we anda al broomstick foracue. Following ice skating, and ice hockey - and of plodded back upHoldsworth: and then this we played the traditional evening course the occasional bit oftramping north east, along to and down East card games. Brendon was turning out in between. Holdsworth Ridge. to be quite a card sharp, sitting there quietly, accumulating thej points with- Wel left. Jumbo bruised, battered, and After a snowball fight on the way, we outo drawing attentiont tohimself, while grazed after several slips, slides, and reached the bushline where we were gradually developing a sizeable lead. falls on the icel hockey rink andl headed treatedi tothejoys ofthrashing around for Mt Holdsworth, passing BJ head- through snow covered leatherwood to Saturday dawned claggy and coldwith ing in the other direction along the look for snow-encrusted track marka reasonably stiff breeze, but given way. The views from Holdsworth ers. Once wel had found the track and the outlook the night before, we de- were once again superb - right to the scoffed down some lunch, we blasted cided towait for a whiletos see ifthere northern and southern extents of the down the ridge to the Atiwhakatu would be any improvement. This Tararuas, Kapiti Island, the Valley, then along the Atiwhakatu turned out to be most worthwhile as Haurangis, the South Island and the Scenic Wheelchair Track back to the before long the clag lifted, the wind InlandKaikouras, the Wairarapa, and Duchess (better slightly late than droppedaway, and we were treatedto the South Taranaki Bight curving all never), for the trip back to Wellinga beautifully clear, fine day on the the waytoMt Taranaki in the distance ton, with good memories of a great tops. awesome, to: saythel least. From here trip no doubt the start of even bigger it was down the icy slopes of Mt and better things to come! We set off in icy conditions for the Holdsworth to Powell Hut, where we