This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
"T don't like the Ruahines, Tog many valleys filled with erasion debris," says our esteemed leader, "but I had to get fit for xmas'', The trip was led, in fact, by Neil Woodrow, and approached the range from the west. For Mike this was a first and he was impressed. Nine arrived at the Te Parapara road end on the - Friday night and as the car park was at 2500 feet, a good start was made. An easy one and a quarter hour walk on a well graded track ended at the Rangiwahia Hut, close to the bush line. This hut was originally built as a skiing base and the team met three members of the now defunct Rangiwahia Ski Club who were. making a visit for old times. sake. One member had. last visited the hut 28 years ago. The Tonque and Meat party split’ into two, an easy trip of seven stayed at the hut to do a day trip, and Graham White and Mike set off over easy tops to Mangahuia, and. then down to the Oroua River. There they camped a half-hour. below the Triangle Hut. i Travel down the river the next day was easy with a few gorge sections... The end of the trip finished with a climb to the road, Mike says the bird life was more plentiful than he had noticed in. the Tararuas and during the weekend he saw or heard Paradise Ducks, Magpies, Tuis, Shining Cuckoos, Fantails, Kererus, Tomtits, Grey Warblers and Riflemen.