This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
- well; it was meant to be an epic but it turned. out to be_a_scary little mystery story.... a. The-three of us, Mark "Lég Stretcher" Neeson, Dale "It's just a I dawdie” Parsons and Kirsty "I think I can make it" Woods had planned to zoom along Dundas Ridge and camp somewhere-down past Bannister that Saturday night. Little did we know that we were not the masters of © I . our own-fates. Life may be a stage but the players in this scene were merely the puppets of some greater force..... As I struggled up to Herepai and on to Ruapai in my expensive Austrian boots (I fancy myself as a fairly cosmopolitan type) I attempted to P capture a few-epic shots of mist, cloud, atmosphere and all those moody I things on my Russian camera. . When the gale force nor' wester blew my norsewear hat into my eyes I realised that nature doesn't have any I appreciation of art and culture. Mark bravely shouted "It's high time “we got off this-ridge and fast!" and I knew it was a matter of basic I survival. Pity, I'd hoped to publish a. photo-journal of this trip in time’ for Xmas ... "Moods on_the Tops" ... or something like that. °- _..« Never mind, I knew that the life and loves.left far below were far more important than fame and prestige. It’was_braver ta accept defeat now. I than to have no choice later..... : We made it down to Haukura Biv and had a quick bite sitting in the . scrub. After blazing a bloody trail through the leatherwood; we were . -—qlad-to.veach the bush, and finally the Ruamahanga. It was becoming clear that this epic was going to have to-be re-written, so we took control and re-wrote it into a playful comedy. As Mark,. still in the epic mode, pressed on ahead, we stripped off down to our boots and socks and jumped gleefully into the Ruamahanga. Refreshed and light hearted, we moved on down to Roaring Stag where we discovered a rather unlikely lot who'd established themselves there for the weekend. These weren't the characters you'd expect to see in a playful comedy so I was glad to move down to a pastoral spot where we could set up camp. After waking from a pleasant doze in the sun, it began to dawn on me that a more talented but unpredictable scriptwriter than ourselves was - beginning to take control of the scene. The realisation came slowly ~ -ag I smothered myself in kero to ward off those unexpected little pests. But-.... it really hit hard when after drinking a tasty cuppa, we discovered that Mark's primus, still hot from the brew, had been whipped from beneath our very noses! His frying pan had gone too! /2
LIVING SIMPLY All the gear you'll need from the mountains to the sea ‘. cok ws . =
2 Phoentx Centra, e ; Cable Car Lane, Lambton Guay
Christ! What was going on? It must have been that unruly lot up at the hut! or some ruthless deerstaliker:! ... surely? Hell! We hadn't even Had a chance to cook our dinner: A quick visit to the hut left the mystery unsolved. wg Whotd been following us? Did they see us "fit and healthy" bathing in the Ruamahanga" Were.they. going to return for a second strike?. Or... was there some kind of supernatural force at play here?- a we dian't- wait to find out but packed.up as quick as lightening and splashed our way downstream ‘til we came across the Easies camped © around a welcoming fire... What a relief: In my pit that ‘night, I gazed at the stars and broeded upon the meaning of life, Wasn't I moving into a more stable period of: my .. development? Couldn't I now begin te plan my future and take control of my. destiny as 4 mature and intelligent adult? Wasn't it possible to steer a straight path through Life without being blown off course by events like this? You obviously can't expect anything to work out as planned: How disillusioning to lose that innocent belief that.you have complete control over your environment, and your role in life: it's ail just a scary little mystery story’ As we walked out along the Ruamahanga that Sunday, f though of giving up on the phote-journal idea and instead considered writing a book on the effect of natural forces and ynexpected events on adult deveélop-~ ment in the 20th century ... "Pride and Passion: The Search for .. Maturity”... OF somethiny like that. It may even be possible to publish it before Xmas... sny takers? = = 7 Don't beat about the bush, © tramp on into the new mountain shop in'town.
e SLEEPING BAGS I Run by a tramper for trampers. pease e TENTS 7 TT} 8 ICE AXES « BOOTS @ ROPE > GORTEX AND FR baal BER ¢ CLIMBING : \ , ACCESSORIES
CLOTHING ie oe B @ POLYPRORYLENE @ RAINWEAR a fe Be Sp UNDERWEAR La eo hots . a MG td e ‘ ‘d aoe w PIG © BUSH SHIRTS ; : PS‘ Don't forget to Grand Arcade, Willis St. Wellington. Ph 735363 MENON YOUTE 3 , - club member
‘siae/3