This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
SCRAWLS FROM THE EDITOR ae (fe yy At Christmas time, I didn't do any major tramping this year, and I found “a myself tidying up the box of newsletter stuff that I got from the previous Editor, which appeared to me to be fairly randomly organised, if there was any organisation at all. While sorting things out, I came across a bundle of old newsletters, and I mean old: the newest was dated May 1974, and the oldest was dated December 1962. This became my summer reading. I learned a lot about the history of the Club, which was really interesting, and what struck me was how little some things have changed. An example of one of the little things is that on the front page of the 1962 edition is the club's postal address, PO Box 5068. We've had that box for at least the last 44 years, and probably lots of years before that too. One thing that has changed is the telephone numbers. In the October 1971 edition there is an advertisement for slide manufacturing by David Hewitt whose phone number was 6352, Waikanae. Some of the personnel hasn’t changed: in the June 1963 edition, current committee member Barrie Noyse was welcomed to the club with the comment that he probably held the club speed record for rapid membership. In the March 1973 edition, before I was born, there is an article on rock climbing instruction led by Allen Higgins. if you look in the winter editions of the newsletter since 2000, you might find the same article! Back in the old days, their trips were equally as challenging as the ones we still do today. At Christmas in 1965, Fraser Walls led a trip into the Travers, Sabine and Spencer Mountains areas. It was classed as a medium trip, covering 3 passes and a distance of about 70 miles. It involved 14 days in the bush in total isolation, not even a food drop, they carried everything they needed and a gun to shoot some fresh meat. At the beginning their packs weighed between 60 and 80 pounds. Yes that's right, 80 pounds. Now that’s what I call serious tramping! The group of 16 started at Lake Rotoiti, and went up the Travers valley to John Tait Hut, where they ended up staying 4 nights. They then walked further up the valley to Upper Travers Hut where there was “plenty of snow”. They shared the 8 bunk hut with a group of 14 scouts! The scouts slept 3 to a bunk, and club members took to the tables and floor. From the article written by Sabina Owen: “No one had a particularly good night’s rest. After finally settling down by midnight, we were all disturbed half an hour later by the fire which decided to smoulder. The smoke soon had everyone up-top coughing spluttering and so we were forced to do something about it. Fraser, with his capacity for instantaneous oblivion had to be really shaken awake and on coming to, his first words were, ‘H----, it’s not time to get up yet is it?”. The trampers enjoyed spectacular views from the Travers Saddle, and moved towards Lake Constance and the Waiau pass, a “wilderness area" with no disced routes, huts or bridges. The party had three days in the open at Blue Lake. From the article: “Neil, Kelly, Murray and Norm came on the scene after the second day, bringing with them a plentiful supply of venison. The girls were requested to do something spectacular in the way of cooking, so we finally sealed the meat with butter and herbs in tinfoil and cooked it for about six hours in the hot ash. It was delicious and a very acceptable change from the standard diet of dehy. stew... ... Much can be done in a few days ‘rest’. Some people are always active no matter what. Several of our members pursued their particular hobbies and past-times. Don brought out his paints and spent several hours sketching the landscape, Blue Lake in particular. Unfortunately, he had to finally abandon the project as the flies proved too pestiferous. ”
Their next step was going “up the Waiau Pass. Up in this instance is an understatement. It meant scrambling on our hands and knees grasping about every blade of grass for support. We just about went up vertically. So much so that we soon had a bird's eye view of Lake Constance and right down in the Sabine River valley itself. The Waiau Pass at 6100 ft. was eventually reached by all members of the party at 10.30.” Their destination was the Ada homestead. “The river and valiey had broadened out considerably now with extensive grassland. We were also coming across herds of cattle. Nevertheless, some of the boys managed to get ‘lost’ in a forestry hut, which had some rather lurid literature for passing the time”. The party were now moving into the Spencer Mountain area and the Ada Pass. “Ada Pass itself is rather unique and only 3200 ft. high. One continues to walk on a valley floor all the way and most of it is grassed, with a gentle rise. It is only when you see the river flowing the other way, do you realise you have actually gone over it.”
The final leg of their trip was out to Maruia Springs and Lewis Pass. “Well, with 14 days in the bush, the whole party was looking a little dishevelled and worse for wear, what with beards and long hair. However, we did our best to spruce ourselves up. We had all banked on the fact that we would have a good ‘swim’ in the hot springs, so it was rather shattering to find that they were not working. Some of the boys managed to scrounge a hot bath out of the hotel, whilst the rest painfully tried to get rid of the dust and grime in the river.”
Another fascinating article appeared in the November 1969 issue of the newsletter. Graham and Priscilla Hancox and Bill Cronin visited Stephens Island and Bill wrote this article:
Stephens Island is a hill half a square mile, rising out of the sea some two miles north of D'Urville Island. It is occupied as a lighthouse station and wildlife sanctuary. Graham, Priscilla and I went to stay a few days with club member Peter Daniel- lighthouse keeper, over Queen's Birthday this year. The Picton Ferry, the Nelson bus and a hair-raising ride in a Landrover driven by “Stirling” Hancox saw us on board Turi Elkington’s launch at French Pass at 9.00 am in the morning. We chugged the 20-odd miles up the East Coast of D’Urville Island arriving about 12.30 am at Stephens. A slight swell necessitated both us and our equipment being taken ashore by crane onto a concrete rock platform. Two separate cable winches driven by diesel engines hauled our baggage to the top of the hill while we slugged up some six hundred feet.
After lunch we chased sheep. Now sheep can run faster downhill without falling over, we proved it. However, Robinson Crusoe Daniel gave a demonstration of how to catch a sheep with a flying Rugby tackle and carried it to the slaughterhouse. We had two more sheep to catch. On the advice of a shepherd amongst us we howled down the hill and barked our way up with remarkable success, driving a flock of sheep into a pen where the wethers could be selected for slaughter.
Leaving this for the more bloodthirsty, and grabbing our fishing rod we shot down to the razor back where I was glad to have two hands for the descent to the sea. We soon had some blue cod for tea and shot up the hillside, only to be sent further up to the top of the hill to collect vegetables from a plot amongst a patch of bush.
There are three lighthouse keepers and their families resident on the island. Supplies and mail arrive every fortnight by launch from Picton, but Stephens Island is largely self contained, having its own cows, cattle, sheep and fish, the keepers grow their own vegetables.
A rota system is operated for lighthouse duties and this involves checking standby equipment, maintenance, and giving weather reports--one at 6.00 am in the morning, and of course, relighting the wick should it blow out. The main occupation of a keeper is farming and fishing. An idyllic five days were spent fishing at the bottom of steep cliffs and roaming round the island, which has a large Tuataru population. The Tuataru is a lizard which has survived from prehistoric times and can only now be found on isolated islands, off the coast of New Zealand. There are also pre-historic frogs on the island, but these are very rare and we weren't privileged to see any.
I headed home after a journey of some nine hours by boat, landrover, plane and car which seemed rather long when the Paraparaumu coastline can be seen from Stephens and when compared with the London to New York air race time of some five hours.
A final note for those of you who read the article on Paul Green getting the Queen’s Service Medal in the last newsletter, and thought that’s nice but not realising because they haven't been members for long enough to know that Paul Green was the club’s Chief Guide around this time (1969). Now you know.
Michael
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