This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
28-30 April Remember the weekend of 28-30 April? The beginning of the rains, the weekend when it rained continually, Wellington Airport was closed and you all sat inside feeling rather smug. Well that weekend, that very weekend, four of us {all hardy types) were out in the wilds proving something to ourselves. We were proving that we had fortitude, that we had determination and -hat we had commitment! We needed commitment that weekend!
We now all know that no obstacle is insurmountable - we should do, we met most of them! We survived the gas chamber in the back of Pilot's ute, we survived the journey up the access road which was a rather good imitation of a Barry Crump 4WD advertisement, and we survived the dark!
Yes the rain was not a problem. It was only drizzle and could not dampen our buoyant spirits. The wind on the tops was strong, but it could not deter us in our purpose, But the darkness at night - that total and absolute darkness hitherto unknown to one of our party (whom I shall not embarrass by naming), that darkness was intolerable,
The first solution was to place a torch outside to immitate a street light. But, alay and alack, it was too dim, The next solution was to place a torch by the bedside against the mattress so as to give that diffused reassuring 'nightlight' effect which we all like so much. But the other three found it teo bright. So the torch went out. We then tolerated an extended commentary from the 'street light lover' on how yery, very dark it was, until, finally, that person fell asleep.
But it was only to be a temporary reprieve. That night, about three hours later, the other three witnessed a nightmare of proportions none of us had seen before. A body throwing itself violently across a bunk, defending itself unashamedly, courageously and very verbally against a hidden enemy! It was a -ruly spectacular side show! We reassured the ‘street light lover' that Alpha Hut had not heen invaded by Martians, that Princess Anne still loved horses and that the sun would again rise in the Bast. With such reassurances, the troubled one was soon once again asleep. .
By contrast the rest of the trip, the peaceful jaunt out along the flooded Marchant Ridge - yes ridges can flood given enough rain, and the ‘journey back to civilisation', all of this was routine - almost dull.
In concluding, could we suggest that all ‘street light lovers' who venture out into the hills take with them a full moon, a walkman radio with lots of flashing lights and a lamppost with a light attached, if that's what it takes. My nerves are unlikely to survive a repeat performance of the one we had that weekend!
The party: Mark Randal (Leader by default), Rosalind Young, Andrew Chisholm and Roger Bolam (Scribe)
P.S. This report was seen and approved by the 'street light lover'!