Cricket on the Top

Cricket on the Top While many may think of Eden Park, the Cake Tin, Jade Stadium and Carisbrook as New Zealand’s premier sports grounds, they are obviously unaware of the Grand Plateau arena situated in the crater of Mt Ruapehu.

The scene of WTMC petanque, badminton and golf matches; in 2003 it hosted the WTMC cricket match.

Winter solstice historically offers a chance to let ones hair down and partake in quirky trips, this year being no different as packs looked a little bulkier than for a usual day trip as cricket bats, pads and even stumps were packed. The murky weather was slightly better than forecast but the cold southwest wind had a wintery bite, the promise of clearing skies drew us upwards. For many it was the first chance to don crampons since snowcraft or AIC courses and the gentle slopes were an ideal place to practise.

Arriving at Dome shelter the cloud had cleared and views were superb. Lunch was eaten, the stumps set up and photos with the crater lake and Tahurangi in the background taken. It was then down to the Grand Plateau, the flat terrain proving more suitable for a run around. Crampons removed, stumps set at one end of the pitch, while 3 ice axes represented the stumps at the other end, cricket enthusiast Kevin Patterson even pulled out boundary markers, checked the pitch conditions and the game begun.

With a group of 18 people, the field was rather busy, so WTMC crater sports enthusiast and retired On the drive, cricket at Dome Shelter, Mt Ruapehu Grant Newton Tramping & Mountaineering 2003 Grant Newton tramper Mr H. Smith laid out his rug, pulled out the thermos and set about his role of spectator. All he could really bemoan was the fact he didn’t have a deck chair!

The thin air at 2600m left players gasping for breath after a couple of sprints between the wickets, and as time went on the tennis ball bounce became unpredictable as pitch conditions deteriorated. With a good workout over, the crampons were strapped on and the group split into two with 12 heading straight down, while an enthusiastic five players sought out the view from the top of Te Heu Heu before the descent to the pavilion on sunset.

The cricketers were: Becky Austin (leader), Harry Smith, Kevin Patterson, Lee-Ann Mitchell, Simon Ward, Allison Clark, Jan Goodwin, Brian Goodwin, Andrew Chisholm, Ronie Wareham, Katy Jones, Naomi Booth, John Harrsion, Rachel Sander, Lyndsay Fletcher, Sylvia Jorgensen, Graham Morley & Grant Newton