This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
BY SUE WALSH
This is a true and factual account of the changed-from-schedule trip that went to Lake Dive (we decided to downgrade to a cruisey Easy trip), and all that occurred during the weekend, with nothing left out - from the Trip Leader's point of view. I guess the tone for the weekend was set on Friday night at the railway station when I had to take off my shoes and socks to count up to the correct number of people that were going on the trip. We eventually ascertained that the correct number were present barring two that had to be picked up. We set off in the Duchess, picking up the last two punters on the way and headed for the mountain. We arrived at Mt Taranaki about midnight. Once in the carpark we had to decide on sleeping arrangements. My comments of “anyone who snores can sleep in the shelter” wasn't meant to be taken seriously, but it was, as half the punters disappeared. The idea didn't quite work as two of the Fits left the back of the Duchess to get peace and quiet outside. I didn't notice the snoring, being sound asleep like a good trip leader should be. I was up bright and early in the morning harassing the others for their early morning grumps and denials that morning had arrived. The banished snorers famed up looking relatively normal, and I proceeded to show everyone how I would lose them on the inward journey
We were about to set off when I suddenly realised there was a lone pack propped by the side of the Duchess. It belonged to Jo who had made a last minute dash to the loo. I was accused of being too subtle in my means of losing people, but Harvey wasn't very forthcoming in saying the pack belonged to Jo....!. The weather was fine but cool and most of the punters were dressed very warmly. About half an hour down the track we had a major stoppage as people decided they were too hot and clothes were being peeled off faster than in a strio show (so I imagine). We got to Lake Dive Hut around 1.00ish, got a brew set up extremely quickly, had lunch and were soon slothed out in the sun. We were intending to go for a walk up towards Fantham's Peak but John was the only one who motivated himself. The rest of us decided to stay in the sun eating, talking and sleeping. We tried conducting a reading of Winnie the Pooh but after four people had read one chapter, the bulk of the people had disappeared for some reason, maybe it was too serious for them???
Dinner was a very hungry affair with all the food polished off in record time. Afterwards people meandered about Outside enjoying the extra hour of daylight. We ended up on the porch talking again, and this was when the stories really got going. Penny managed to embarrass herself over one topic (I strong!y deny that I snickered at the right time that planted ideas in people's heads), I didn't tell a story about a boozy champagne breakfast that I was involved in; Tony raised the question of why Cook named the mountain Egmont and did it relate to a female of varying proportions, and someone, who shall remain nameless, told us how divers keep warm when diving, so we now know to look out for divers twirling in the water. After we had all nearly fallen off the porch through laughter a few times we decided it was time for a brew and went inside to be entertained by Joy and her brother and sister-in-law who had come up for a visit. The family stories were interrupted when a possum warning went out. Two were seen in the outer bunkroom. Those concerned made a mad dash for the door, but the culprits had already escaped with some of Penny's lunch. A possum hunt started, but the creatures were too intelligent for us and got away. The excitement was too much for the group and people crashed soon afterwards. The morning started early when Joy and family got up to pop down to her parents’ place. We congregated on the porch again in the sunshine and Phil proceeded to entertain us with Muppet impersonations until another brew was ready. We set off around 10.30ish and made it back to the carpark in record time. Unfortunately we headed into rain and had lunch sitting in the back of the Duchess. We stayed there for the next hour or so with witticisms flying around. The arrival of the Fits turned the conversation and we headed for home at 3.00pm picking Joy up on the way (she had been very busy helping to make muffins, and they were delicious). If any of the punters disagree with aspects of this report, please direct queries to the scribe. The plucky punters were : Tony Stone, Joy Hooper, Andrew Stobo, Philip Simon, Robert Matheson, Harvey Abercrombie, Jo McCracken, Andrew McColgan, John Hoffeins, Jill Hutson, Syd McBean, Penny Harrison, Sue Walsh (Trip Leader/Scribe).
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