This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
26 - 28 November 1993
by DON GOODHUE By the time we got to the road end on Friday night Wellington seemed like it was light years away. It was - the long haul to the Kaimanawas being only interrupted for the compulsory assault on the gastronomic establishments of Bulls. it was about 11.30 pm, but in the darkness we managed to find ourselves somewhere to crash for what was left of the night to catch up on a few zzzz's. Saturday morning was great. The sun was up, the weather fine and we all thought that the sight of the Fits blasting past while Wayne was still in the pit would be the last we would see of them. Alas (for the Fits), it was not to be. It took about two hours and the usual sweating and grunting to reach the bushline from where the views were spectacular. We all contemplated just how far it looked around Lake Taupo and agreed that it was far more sensible to be standing here looking at it than getting a sore rear end riding around it. From the bushline the going was great, with a good dry track and not to many bumps to climb. Around midday we found a nice spot near Umukarikari and stopped for lunch.
The going from Umukarikari to Waipakihi Hut was even better until the last downhill stretch to the hut. Unfortunately for the Fits, they had been caught in the act of lazing around (like the lower classes are sometimes prone to do). As we headed down the hill they were spotted hurriedly trying to get themselves into gear after spending an hour or so (we found out later) basking in the sun like lizards. By the time we got to the bottom of the hill they were really making like lizards and going flat out down the valley. - , We finally arrived at the hut at 200pm and quickly established that we had it all to ourselves. At about 3.00pm, it was decided that it would be a good idea to get dinner started, It started out as beef stew (with a few other things thrown in) but ended up as edible fire thanks to more than a little bit of Joseph's chilli and pepper. It was more than hot to eat, Andrew was made to sleep outside as a result, and you can imagine what the morning after the night before was like for those who had partaken. There was a lot of rumbling going on in the bunks that night but it surely wasn't earthquakes. If that wasn't enough, we also ended up with more cheese cake than you could shake a stick at. The chilli must have done the trick because the next morning we were all full of beans and on the way down.the Waipakihi River at 7.15 am. (Yes, we were only a Medium trip and it was early, but we had some distance .to cover before lunch). The river was generally easy going. Most of it wasn't tracked and you know how it gets when children play near water. After numerous river crossings and trying to keep dry ...... Andrew threw a rock. And then it was all on! The next two hours was a running battle - and you can imagine who the worst culprit was. But more was still to come. Things went rapidly down hill for the Fits when we came out of the bush into a clearing to find them just getting out their pits. They had been making like lizards again. How embarrassing to be caught getting out of the sack at 9.30am by a bunch of the lower class racing past at warp speed. Further down the valley we caught up to the Easys, slightly further advanced in getting out of the pit - they were packing up). Having headed off the Fits and settled down for lunch at the foot of the Urchin Track, it didn't seem fair the they should pass without a challenge. Billies were filled in preparation. What ensued was the mother-of-all water fights. Funny thing was - one person seemed immune to all of this. (Austin?)
After lunch we sweated and grunted some more and stopped at the top of the hill along with the Fits and a few other random trampers. Eventually there were about 20 people sitting on top of this hill, but all were safe - there was a considerable distance between Andrew and the nearest water! From there the rest of the way to the road was uneventful. A light drizzle fell for a while, but by the time we got to the road it had cleared up and the chilli was starting to catch up. And if you are wondering who Andrew is - his real name is Woody.