This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
By Jon Parker
The trip started early with a quick wait at the Railway Station until the correct yard keys to let the Duchess out of her yard were located. Meanwhile, punters were able to compare ponchos and mark Mexican names onto their sombreros. Almost everyone had a sombrero. Lisa and Natasha flashed their drawn on moustaches. The group of 19 was a good mix of prospective punters and old hands.
The Duchess arrived and we were off to... Petone. A small power shortage necessitated repairs to the accelerator linkage. Matt’s excellence at wire stripping and Tony’s skills at roadside repairs soon had us underway again.
We arrived at the Waingawa River roadend in the dark and tramped in clear bright moonlight to our campsite.
The next day saw us at Mitre Flats Hut for lunch and a swim, and making camp at'some river flats further up the valley by 2pm. Several of the keener (ie fit) members of the party shot up to Mitre foralook. (The rest of us could see it from where we were standing).
odd tipple. A very pleasant time was had by all with some entertainment provided by the more enthusiastic hombres in the party.
‘Hey Presidenti, it’s been a while since we had one’ Two to three minutes later . . . ‘ts been a while... ’
A genuine Mexican meal followed which was hugely enjoyed by all.
Following dinner a bonfire was lit in the riverbed and we stood about under the starry sky. Several people slept out that night.
The next day dawned clear and hot. We returned back down the valley to the Duchess and home after a final swim in the river.
This was listed on the trip schedule as a Medium, however, Easy/Social would more accurately describe the pace. The theme idea behind the trip was excellent and made it all the more memorable. I look forward to the next one. Anyone for a bush ball? The_rest_of the afternoon was. spent_swimming_and sunbathing in the brilliant sunshine until someone got out the Tequila. As soon as this appeared, ‘El Presidenti’ (could this have been the trip leader?) began to encourage the other honchos and honcheses to partake in the
Honchos were Steve, Woody, Jo, Lisa, Natasha, Chris, Tod, Damian, Mike, Tony, Matt, Brian, Angela, Suzanne, Philip, Greg. Marcus & Vicky.