This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
Lake Dive, Taramaki - 24 - 25 Angust by Linda Mann Trip Leader: Kara Lipski Co~leader: Tanya Loveard Trampers: Jez Prior, Sue Walsh, Janet Cussen, Francis Smith, Annette Cullen, Debbie Douglas, Joy Hooper, Phillip Hooper, Linda Mann (scribe). This trip could have been described as a "Club Med® for trampers. The combination of exercise, fresh air, good food, good company, time for relaxation and magnificent views of Mt Taranaki, made for a very enjoyable weekend. We had a smooth trip up from Wellington in the "Duchess", arriving at Dawson Falls, Taranaki, around midnight. Next morning at 9.30 we set off for Lake Dive Hut. We took the low track which was mainly flat and followed round the side of the mountain. The track was boggy in parts and there was quite thick snow in places. The weather, which had threatened to rain earlier, cleared to give us panoramic views of the Taranaki Plains on one side and those of Fanthams Peak (named after Fanny Fantham the first woman to climb it) on the other and some glimpses of the summit. .
Three hours later we arrived at Lake Dive Hut for lunch. Having made our destination the rest of the day was free to explore the surroundings, read or catch up on some sleep (interrupted however, by the sound of Jez doing Father Christmas impersonations on the roof). Dinner was looking like a non-event when the gas cooker ran out, but luckily the wood burner sufficed and the eagerly awaited vegetarian surprise finally eventuated - complimented by Janets “throw every thing in and see what happens" special sauce. A true professional, she’d even carried a chopping board in for the occasion. The next morning around 10.30 we headed back to Dawson Falls in a light drizzle arriving at 1.00 in time for lunch with those on the other trips. We began the 6 hour trip back to Wellington at 2 pm. The light entertainment was card games and a hilarious game of charades which raised a few questions in my mind about the sanity of some of my fellow trampers! My suspicions were further aroused when we stopped at Levin for some food and I had the rare displeasure of sampling a toothpaste sandwich - but that’s another story! In all it was a great trip. Thanks to those who organised it.