This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
I had been told that one coula see Weilington from points along the Southern Crossing but from my previous experiences I doubted it. So when some friends suggested doing another Southern I thought - maybe this time After some early morning disorganisation the party of five left Otaki Forks car park at 0820 hours. cOff to Fields. to.see who we could cetch in bed. An-empty hut greeted us: vhose Kamatuas sure are early risers... $6 on to Kime with the cloud Lifting ~ but not enough — into the mist at — pennan. A short stop at Kime and back into the mist, over Hector anc.onto Aitkenson,. Here the mist thinned as we dropped below the cloud ané I discovered that it was true - Wellington is visible from the Southern. Alpha for lunch. At lpm all the bunk space was fully booked. . The twenty people we passed around the Dress Circle would not have been pleased. (Are mattresses that inviting?) ; After lunch a stroll out down the Marchant - but the short climb up to the Burn took its toll. However a shower on the Burn caused us to pick up the pace and we arrived at the shelter hut at 1715 hours. In the party: . a o a . Leo Homes, Janet Dobbie*, Warwick Hill, Russell Higham and Dave Whitaker. * With a time of 8-55 for a Southern would this be the fastest Southern by’a woman? (Carpark to Shelter or vice-versa).