This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
And We'll Take The Low Road... And We'll Be In Totara Flats Before You... “
Well it didn’t start out that way ... Friday night at the rail ... word came that our leader would be late - and so would the Duchess. They finally arrived and punters squeezed themselves into both the Duchess and Allan’s car. Seems like the trip into Walls Whare in Allan’s car was more eventful... when Sue, Wayne, Ferrida, and Jeanine finally arrived, it was with many tales of woe, and Strict instructions to Allan not to let the engine stop!
Saturday morning. We awake to FINE WEATHER! The Fits, eager to find Neill Forks, leave their leader still packing (though he probably caught them up at the bridge).
We leave the Easys still eating breakfast and head towards Cone Saddle for alate morning tea. Close on our heels are four guys from Masterton - who are heading for Neill Forks until they hear that eight Fits are way ahead of them. We hear mutters of Cone and Tutuwai. Discussion takes place about the pros and cons of keeping to our planned routed over Cone and down the other side. Finally, injuries that a couple of the punters have, split the group into High Roaders and Low Roaders. The High Roaders will hoof it over the top and the Low Roaders will check out the Saddle Track.
The High Roaders
I should have known when t hit the pit that trouble would come in threes. Still, trouble Number Three was more fun than the first two put together.
Cone is a small clearing, flat and boggy, with a couple of pretty tans and no obvious cone. Cone Ridge heads north towards the Waiohine River’s upper gorge. The track along this ridge was hard to find at first, then it got vague. It disappeared soon after.
We had been warned this track was deceptively slow. Three hours and four km after leaving Cone we agreed.
The track was never marked or obvious, and the first trouble came when the ridge flattened out. The forest - was stunted trees covered in deep green moss. False spurs dropped out left and right, but the main ridge was also dropping, and taking a wrong spur would have been easy. After more than anhour of pig tracks, climbing trees, dead ends, and compass traverses we noticed we were slightly off the ridge, travelling parallel. A quick check on the highest part of the ridge found the track.
Cone Ridge track is marked north from Neill Forks track junction. We moved onat a good pace, chasing the last of the light. The track became steeper as we descended towards the river. As the light went, we debated getting torches out but decided to keep our night vision and momentum, so lamps stayed packed. Within ten minutes everyone had fallen at least once, and the lamps were on.
The descent was steep and slippery with the track hidden under flax and cutty grass. We continued dropping, often on our bums, and tried to avoid taking the very quick route to the bottom. Markers were hard to find in the night, and we stayed on the track by feel.
We sounded like a family of pigs grunting and slipping down the last, steepest, darkest section of the track. Jomentioned I had gone too far left. [had one foot ona trunk and one foot on air, solwas pleased she spoke up.
Wayne Stevens went ahead at his own pace from here. He was gravity assisted, carrying two packs after knee troubles forced load redistribution. We met Wayne and Sue outside Totara Flats hut just after 7:00 pm.
The Low Roaders
Sue, Rob, and Kara set off down the Saddle Track, keeping in mind the Mastertonians advice to watch the track carefully in its upper section. We find we have little difficulty in keeping to the track - there’s so much DoC string, it’s unbelievable . We follow string (markers sometimes scarce) - most ofit trailing along behind Rob.
It’s a cruisey trip down to the river. We take the opportunity to rock hop up as far as the big slip, where we find a large group of Easys, MINUS their leader, about to slug it out over the big slip. They've sped a bit too far ahead it seems). Back tracking, we take the Easys via the river. Their leader has just climbed the slip hoping to meet them, but is spied joining the rear of the line as we do some water line bouldering an VERY erodible rock.
A heavy shower washes some of the mud. away as we make for the hut. Sue, Rob, and Kara settle down to wait for the High Roaders. Wayne rushes in and out just after 7:00 pm, and it's not long before the rest of the High Roaders are reging us with tales of wondrous map skills,
Sue and Rob concoct a gourmet’s delight, which is so filling there’s dessert left over! (We donate the last of the dessert to three gannets from Masterton). The High Roaders Trouble Three woke me at 10:30 pm. When someone yells “fire!” in a hut, move quickly. Gas cookers, foam mattresses, and synthetic fabrics mean hut fires are more dangerous now than ever before. I was up-and out of there fast.
I noticed on the way out that the building was not burming down. Encouraged by this, I went back inside to see everybody standing looking at a candle holder fizzing away, burning up used matches and melted wax trapped in the bottom.
The hut warden was on the radio by now, calling for help and a Nato air strike on four channels and several languages.
The crowd gasped as the fire was extinguished with a damp woollen sock. They were even more admiring of Woody in green undies, bravely unscrewing the candle holder. Photos are apparently available.
The Low Roaders
Fire out, we all head back to our pits - with the windows wide open.
Sunday morning - the Mediums leave en masse for a cruisey walk down the river, enjoying the warm weather as far as the Saddle Track. Jo keeps eyeing the Grade 1 rapids (memories of Wanganui). From the Saddle Track it’s a race for the bridge and aftemoon tea at Walls Whare.
Punters: Sue: Walsh (leader), Jo Thomson, Woody McColgan, Ferrida Curwood Martin Craig (scribe), Michael Gilbert Jeanine Langvik, Wayne Stevens, Robert Fox, and Kara Lipski (scribe).