This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
by the "Ladies Social Committee" PINUS CONTORTUS: A despised gnarled species and the raison d’etre for our expedition. It has miraculous regeneration ability - many of us bore witness to the amazingly sudden appearance of a whole row of saplings at our very feet, where minutes before there was barren earth. This was an attitudinal turning point. Anything that invidious might deserve to be respected, but must be totally eliminated. As an alternative to writing out four sets of 100 lines declaring "we will never bunch again" and "we understand we are not on a holiday" and humbly sending them to DOC with copies to the Waikato Tramping Club, the "Ladies Social Committee" (a title bestowed upon us by the DOC representatives) chose collective penance on Monday 25 March and Tuesday 9 April in the Backbencher. During this painful penance we reflected on the weekend’s events. The following is our recollection of that weekend. Friday: The trip to Ruapehu was largely uneventful barring the odd outburst of charades, the ritual baring of souls and the discovery of long lost, or more aptly, missed, friendships (Ilse and Austin discovered that they had been invited to the same parties by a mutual friend several times over the last two years). We arrived at the Girl Guides Hut by midnight. Alas, we were not alone, the BMW convention (i.e. a handful of motorcyclists), and alcohol, had well and truly settled in.
Saturday: As tradition would have it, it was late to bed and early to rise. A welcome opportunity to return the deeds of the BMW convention who drank and chatted (loudly!!) for many hours the night before. Those travelling up to the mountain on the Waikato bus had to emotionally cope with disparaging remarks about our beloved "Duchess". Upon reaching our destination, Tom and Tim our poc guides issued us with our weapons (loppers and secateurs). It must have been a strange sight as we lined up ready for battle. Sarah was the envy of everyone when she was promoted to "chief cook" and allowed to.lie in the sun for the rest of the afternoon - giving her crutches:a rest. Saturday Night: Once again, following tradition; pre-dinner, daduringdinner and post-dinner drinks augmented our gourmet BBQ. The merriment continued into the early hours, long after the Waikatos had retired to bed. Sunday: Nobody appreciated Anita’s early morning wake-up call at 7am except for Austin who had urgent matters to attend to even earlier! By now pulling out pine trees had lost its novelty value. our days efforts ended with instructions to remain assembled until all loppers and secateurs were present and accounted for. Lunch, complete with food fight, was a welcome interlude in an otherwise uneventful day. After-thoughts: After some hours (and one blister) of penance in the Backbencher, these matters are still to be resolved - Was Howard a father figure? or is he really just a kid at heart? Where did Austin learn her Spanish? and what does "Donde esta el Bordello really mean? and what is the going rate for...? Has Harry replaced Brian Johnston as "Chief Club Photographer" or was it really Brian with a wig? How far does gossip really travel on a still day? Are poms cheap or is Corbans Hallmark Rich Ruby Port ($8.75 a bottle) really popular in England? and who really did drink Clare’s port? How many drinks did Bev really mix in 5 hours? and who really did have the "fluffiest" drinks...? (According to Andrew’, Ilse’s Bacardi and Coke was definitely a hot contender for this prize). Was Lyndsay really an Army General in a past life...? * Quote of the weekend: "I drink beer ‘cos its only got four letters. Sugge a ints for discussion at the next committee meeting: That in order to avoid possible chaos and the inevitable confusion, trip leaders should be responsible for ensuring that their trip lists include no more than one Aaron. That approval be granted for the installation of a stereo in the back of the "Duchess".
Finally, on behalf of all those who attended the Pine Tree Pulling weekend, the "Ladies Social Committee" would like to extend thanks to Anita for organising the weekend so well and for ensuring a steady supply of chocolate to keep us going.