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ACTUALLY- Pines — Mitre - Rrete Forks -— Kiriwnakapapa OF Pines via Blue Range Greg organised 7 then 2 last minute additions made us a. We started fromthe Pines in pouring rain and the Waingawa was up. First probiem cross Blake stream. We made zt to Mitre Flats by 12.15am. Thence to bed under flies - all except..2 who desertec to the hut. ic ' cont'd...
ee. cont'd 2. Next morning the river was going down and the clouds were up. It was still blowing. We shortened the trip to go to Arete Forks via Mitre rather than over Baldy and the Kings. Just as well. The rain and we hit the top of Mitre about the same time. We battied the wind and rain - not as strong a wind as the previous weekend. Twice we went a bit astray ~ towards North Mitre Stream. By 3pm we were at Arete Forks -— 7 under flies same 2 in the hut. _ It rained. Up came the river. ‘It stopped raining about 6pm and down went the river - about,2 feet in 2 hours.. Satusday night: it rained again and’ the rivér was 'really..up. We didn't like the idea of going out over Mitte. Too cold. So we set cut for Cow Creek. That took the regulation 3 hours. The Waignawa was so high that we doubted. we would get to Mitre Flats. . Even if we could find the sidle track we doubted that we could cross North Mitre Stream. We thought of Kiriwhekapapa and the Blue Range. In the end we split, 4 going down Blue Range and 5: to Kiriwhakapapa. This was on my advice as 4 can move faster than S$. I am no Kevin Thompson when it comes to maps and I have had problems on Blue Range before. In. the event I had no’ navigation difficulties though in one-place it was by luck and Richard's eyes who: saw a mountain where I wasn't looking: We arrived out at 7.30pm to find that the medivum:party had given up waiting for the van driver. Off to Mastoxton where we missed them by 15 minutes. Thence to Kiriwhakapapa. It was midnight when I.opened the front door.» Well let's get the gear clisan and ~: for next weekend —- we cannot get 3 bad ones in a row3 ! On the trip: Dale Parsons, Michael Moran, Richard Hermans, Sue Charles, Michael Hollis (Scribe), Malcolm Thomas, David Evans, and Hut bashers Graham Hawthorne: and Gregozy Crd (leader). :