This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
Masters Shelter - Aranga Hut - Sentry Box Hut, 5-7 July Friday night saw two cars full of keen trampers speed out of wet and miserable Wellington towards the Northern Ruahines. By the time we reached the roadend, the sky was clear and starry. We crossed some muddy fields before we got to Masters Shelter, where we camped for the night. Saturday started with a steep climb into the clouds, but it gradually cleared as we gained elevation and made our way into the beech forest, which was heavily lined with fresh snow. There was more and more snow as our party of “Snow-white and the seven dwarves” climbed further up, inspiring lots of good snowball fights. The picture perfect winter-wonder-landscape got to its best as we had lunch at the junction at the top of the hill, debating whether to go to No Mans or to Aranga Hut. (Somebody even mentioned something. about a dead dog.) Adding to the winter beauty was a spectacular
view of Mt. Ruapehu erupting, spewing out heaps of ash and steam.
After lunch we made tracks down to Aranga Hut, through quite open and flat country. I regretted not having my crosscountry skis with me, as this would have speeded up the trip considerably. But the hut was not far away, and we all enjoyed walking through the wonderful white stuff!
The sight of the interior of Aranga Hut proved to be less pleasurable, however. A grotty hovel, it had been a play-ground for a family of possums, and those without a tent instantly set to the task of cleaning it out. Pat’s killer instinct came in handy, as the family of three possums found hiding inside the hut were summarily executed, leaving a trail of blood around the hut. As night fell, the tiny hut seemed almost cosy, (although somewhat smoky, not to mention very windy and squeaky) and conversations of a high intellectual standard were had over dinner, John briefing us on the uses of bicycle clips, whilst Pat seemed to have his socks full.
Sunday was foggy and quite wet, and we woke up to a tent covered in snow. We headed south past Pohatuhaha Trig, singing about summer holidays, and turned down to Sentry Box Hut, a steep descent, sliding first in snow, then in mud. Lunch was had at the hut, before Dan, not feeling that the weekend had provided sufficient exercise, ran off to get one of the cars. He speedily returned, saving us from road-bashing, and we were quickly on our way home, save for a grease-stop in some rural town...(sorry they all look the same to me!)
Contributing to an excellent weekend in the snow were ... self-proclaimed Snow-white Prakash, and the seven dwarves: Sue (navigator), Pat (windy), Kerrily (merry), Dan (speedy), John (moviemaker), Wayne (sleepy) and Jeanine (scribe). -