This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
By Lisa Glading
Our first challenge of the weekend presented itself before we even reached the roadend. Grinding our way up the hill towards the Rimutakas, the Duchess started missing and eventually lost all power. We gazed atits few controls and could find no answer, so Roger ran off to the nearest house to call for help. Help arrived in the form of a workmate from Kiwi Ranch. We stopped for fuel and: with Roger at the wheel again we were off to the Holdsworth roadend in the borrowed van - thanks Kiwi Ranch!!
The Friday night was drizzly and damp so we opted to bed-down in Holdsworth Lodge. Saturday dawned a beautiful moming and, no doubt inspired by it, some git got up at 6.30!! So we had a leisurely brekkie and with a short day in front of us, set off positively early. Some lovely views were glimpsed of the tops on the way up Gentle Annie before we splish-splashed our way down the other side to Totara Creek. The day began deteriorating and as we stamped along in the light rain, we had visions of the Waiohine rising rapidly. We crossed the swingbridge and travelled on to Totara Flats Hut, eagerly awaiting the stop as we hadn't yet had lunch. Although our plan had been to cross the river and spend the night onits eastern side, because it was swift and discoloured, the decision was made to defer the crossing. That left us with only one choice for the afternoon, considering the day was not worthy of sunbathing or swimming. So we sat and we ate and we talked and we gossiped and we ate and we sat and we ate .... Weall nowknow the inside goss on the Club and its colourful characters - you really should’ve been there?!
Dinner was huge and gourmet in the extreme, in keeping
with a Sue Walsh trip. We had pork in a delightful tomato-based garlic ginger sauce, served with a frightening amount of vegetables and a mountain of rice. The two cheesecakes which followed would have done most restaurants proud, topped with fruit they were worthy of a photo. We sat about after dinner, holding our swelling bellies and groaning, some more than others, eh Sue? And after alively game of 500 we retired to our pits, most of us opting for the tent flys in the lovely copse of trees down in front of the hut.
I awoke to Jonathan stalking about in his multi-coloured silk dressing gown and the day inspired me to get up swiftly. We psyched up over breakfast for the river crossing that would start our day. After a pep talk from our leader, we were off. I was in the first group of four across the Waiohine and I don’t mind saying we were brave and proficient (not to mention freezing!) There really is nothing like starting the day with a good crotch dunking!!? Our track up Mangatarere was better travel than we had expected and we made quick progress. It’s alovely track, and although there are no markers, thereis a definite foottrail and heaps of windfalls. We had a chilly lunch on the other side and then completed the steep descent to the creek (some of us slipping and sliding more than we were walking). Our weekend of indulgence ended with a gorgeous sun-soaked wait at the roadend and we dragged our satisfied selves into the Duchess for the trip home.
Punters: Sue, Sarah, Andrew, Duncan, Chris, Dave, James, and Lisa.