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WAIITI -STREAM Mt (November 25-27) we Fit Prip port os 44 aif: Dale Parsons * i. “2 2 z : - : ‘ ie ‘I guess Dave summec. aap: the Mitte ae i well "lJ.. It was a great tip but I wouldcnit want: to Go it. ae Serie weil’ not EOE 10 years at leasts.." All in ali it was nowhére ~ near as bad as what i might have suspected. The trick to it, is to ignore the Tararua Route Guide Map and pick the right Spur. It'll teke all the fun _ of it for you and tell you it's a piege of Bake. if you take the spur up from the first forks (grid ref: 896 999° NZMS 1).. There were a few bits of venetian blind scattered at the start an@ then you're on your own, it's easy as long as you stick to the ridge top. ks Problems began on square knob. and much dense bush bashing, tree climbing, leg cutting- and general head scratching. were indulged in. On the way to Tawirikohukohu (I. haven't. seen Janine so miserable for.ages). ds We had a very dry lunch ane things got worse ané I feverously vidttevba how long we'd survive without water: it's very’ bad sucking ,toffees with no. salive, the troops started ‘fantasizing about cokes, mellow ‘yellows © and deep pools. We wanted a quick exit so we héaded southish to peak 3775'. Words fail. me, to, describe the vegetation on the way there, suffice to say we still can't laugh about it. Tf kept telling the clan this as what tramping is all about but Saey were past caring. fi: Once on 3375! we decided ona very direct route straight, down: a stream
bed: nothing could be as bad as what we'd been thru. [I decided we'd camp on the first good site we found, and .with that the troops dashed across the river ané found one} Next day was a gentle stroll past Avalanche Flats over Girdlestone Sadele with a leisurely lunch at South Ohau and dashing out down the Ohau to. arrive at the roadend at 3.38pm,. only to find the van parked back at the bridge and the Me@ium Trip % hour late, but never mind, after icecream at- Otaki the troops started to smile again. Bashers: (in the mountain sense of the word) sale Parsons (leader), Dave Evans (chief tree climber, Janine (I-hate bush bashing) Tooley, Prue {only one blister) Coakley, Peter Thorn, and Ross :(I made it this time) Wakelin.