A Stormy January 1951 is Recalled

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AS Stormy January 1951 is Recalled Lloyd Wilkin Two tramping mates, Denis Allison and Lloyd Wilkin decided to do a Middle Crossing for good adventure over Anniversary Weekend. Friday night saw us arrive at Otaki Forks before tramping to Waitewaewae on Saturday. It was to be a lazy afternoon. sunbathing and swimming before an early meal and the climb up to Shoulder Knob in the cool ofthe evening. he break was enjoyable but when it came time to Wer managed to find enough wood for a fire. The cookleave we couldn't find the start off the track up the ing was excellent since all wood at this height seemed hill. We decided to bush-bash up to thet first hump to burn beautifully. After more than 47 years, I can still on the spur and look for the track! We still couldn'tfind vividly recall the atmosphere after the main meal of dried it but we found plenty of windfalls entwined in lawyer, veges and dried fruit on that Sunday evening. which required skirting and crawling over or under. We sat overlooking Angle Knob Creek and our view Progress was slow and around midnight we reached the was directed towards the steep spurs and creeks runbushline, located a good track zigzagging up through ning down from McGregor opposite. The evening was the scrub, and wasted no time laying out our pits on the calm except for the roar of water cascading down disleast sloping ground that we could find. tant waterfalls. Towards the east we had a fine view of Charlie was also in thel hills that weekend, having left Angle Knob with the last rays of sunshine casting long town with pack and rifle for Kaitoke. He had arranged shadows on its slopes. Had we both been pipe smokto meet a friend from Masterton at Cone Hut on Satur- ers, now would have been the time to light up, puff daya afternoon. They spent the night at Cone, with Charlie contentedly, and survey the scene. But alas, neither of rising at 4.00 am on Sunday to leave alone on a Cone, us were smokers we are, however, still around to Neill, Winchcombe, Hector, West Peak (now Bridge talk about it! We crawled into our pits and slept. That Peak) crossing to Field Hut, to arrive on Sunday evening. night mist closed in around our campsite and the next On Anniversary Day, Charlie would exit at Otaki. day there would be a raging storm. When Denis and woke on Sunday the good weather Meanwhile, ten miles to the southwest Charlie had continued and our gamble of not taking a tent appeared climbed from Cone Hut over Cone and Neill and was in to be paying dividends. To the south the Tararua Peaks the vicinity of Winchcombe when suddenly a southstood out on the southern skyline, while to the north- westerly storm overtook him, driving him off the diffieast the lofty buttresses of Mt Crawford seemed very cult ridge. He sought shelter by choosing the Hector close. A quick breakfast and we were off to climb over River side of the ridge to camp on for the night. Next Shoulder Knob and onto the Main Range at Junction Knob morning (Anniversary Monday) the storm raged on and where we turned south and followed the ridge towards he regained the ridge near Winchcombe but still could Anderson Hut. Denis was more experienced than me not continue towards Hector because of the conditions. and kept an eye out for a good route down to the He dropped into the headwaters of the Tauherenikau Waiohine River far below. River, crossing it before climbing towards Bull Mound When we reached the Waiohine River it was low and which at first he could see. As he drew closer, he was easily crossed. After a while we came to a sizeable creek enveloped in mist and lost sight of it. Charlie left his and pondered whether there was enough water for it to pack, rifle and freshly killed venison near the Mound, be Francis Creek. Neither of us had seen that junction which he still could not see, and set out to scout around. previously and thought its sufficiently downstream to be Fog and sleet hampered his efforts to locate the Mound the forenamed tributary. But we were wrong. Francis and he gave up. He returned to collect his gear, but was Creek was still downstream and when we took thes spur unable to locate that either! Wet through and without on the true left of the river, the direction of climb was extra clothing or food, he spent Sunday night and all of initially towards the southeast, SO everything appeared Monday lying between a couple of logs, the only shelter to be in order. As we gained more height, we noticed available in the rough scrub. OnMonday night his friends the direction of the spur's crest swinging towards the became concerned when he failed to arrive home and east and then towards the northeast. We could see the raised the alarm. The search and rescue operation for wide expanse of the Francis Creek basin down on our Selwyn Brian Vial - "Charlie" to his mates - began. right and realised that we were heading for Angle Knob, On Monday, Denis and I woke to a chilly southwestnot Holdsworth! We decided to keep going towards erly with clag obscuring any view of Angle Knob. There Angle Knob and continued climbing towards the north- was breakfast to prepare and no time to lose, as the east until we reached the scrub and climbed over Shin- weather looked stormy. As we headed off, visibility was gle Slip Knob to a tarn in thes saddlel beyond. We stopped down to 25 yards as the southerly wind increased. Denis to camp, still without a tent. In 1951 there was no moved to the left to follow a narrow rocky ledge below crashed RNZAF Devon aircraft to view for the crash OC- the crest of the ridge. We moved carefully and after a curred on 17 February 1955. few minutes, stepped onto the summit. Tramping and Mountaineering 1998

Looking towards. Angle Knob from Shingle Slip Knob Denis Allison The rain began as we reached Jumbo and turned to On Monday 29 January the weather cleared and he navigate through the saddle en route to Holdsworth. climbed towards Bull Mound to get his bearings. He We went down and down and down, giving away all our climbed to Cone Ridge to gain the track to Cone Hut hard-won height but nowhere could we see any sign of where he arrived at 6.30 pm to find a group of TTC the descent bottoming out on the saddle. Visibility was searchers still in attendance but preparing to leave for 25-50 yards as we headed into the storm and the de- town early the next morning. They escorted Charlie out scent continued with no sign of an upswing ahead. We to Kaitoke on Tuesday to end a massive search effort. decided to turn and climb back onto Jumbo with the When I attended the Thursday Club meeting on 25 storm at our backs. On Jumbo we would head down January! I looked for Denis and anyone else whol looked into the shelter of thel bush to the Atiwhakatu River and receptive to an ear-bashing about middle crossings, for out to the roadend. Iwas unaware that Charlie was missing in the Tararuas. At the river we travelled alongi its bed for a while, but Chief Guide Phil Phillips took the floor and explained it started to rise and became dangerous to cross. We the situation. Three small parties comprised of the fitreached the true right bank where we found a wet test available trampers carrying light packs had set out weather track, which climbed and descended as it passed that day from both sides of the ranges to make a fast slips and bluffs. Near Donnelly Flat Denis said he would reconnaissance of the main routes that Charlie mayl have tramp fast to try and stop the transport leaving without taken. The next day (Friday) full-scale search and rescue us and I was happy to tag along behind at thel best pace operations would begin when a party of 100 trampers I could muster. We missed the truck but a nice couple would comb the ranges. Searchers hadl been chosen from with a motorcar offered us a ride into Masterton where all Wellington clubs plus those in Levin and Masterton. we telephoned our folks and caught a late bus back to Thirty-five stretcher-bearers had been selected, should Wellington. So ended a memorable Middle Crossing. Charlie be found injured. Phil concluded by saying that As previously mentioned, Charlie "celebrated" Anni- our club wanted a maximum effort by members this versary Monday lying between two logs for shelter be- coming weekend to locate Charlie and to carry in suplow Bull Mound, while his alarmed roommate rang the plies to the basel huts. Police that evening. All Tuesday he stayed put, due to My task for the weekend was the moving of rations the weather, and on Wednesday he looked for his pack, and gear from Otaki Forks to Kimel Hut andl completed rifle and venison, this time locating them. He made an- two round trips one on Saturday in blizzard condiother attempt to force his way through the dense scrub tions and one on Sunday in improved conditions. On around Bull Mound but again he failed. He gave up and Saturday the searchers based at Kime were hut-bound headed down to the Tauherenikau River. He had little all day, while on Sunday they were out searching. Search food left, could find no real shelter, and was hampered teams based at Kime would havel been encouragedy when by poor visibility. He spent Wednesday night and all of theyl located footprints high in thel Hector River basin on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday in his sleeping Sunday 28th, while on Monday 29th they located Charlie's bag at the top of the Tauherenikau Gorge, almost too campsite of 21 January and found tracks to follow. It weak from exposure and lack of food to move. was good news indeed. Tramping and Mountaineering 1998