This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
12 - 13 April 1997
The afternoon’s tramping proved night with time for a little star I more strenuous than the morning
[: was a lovely star-studded gazing prompted by Pat Duffy before setting off for our camping spot down by the riverside. Our secluded and very level campsite was expertly chosen by those who already knew the terrain. The next morning Hazel Roberts, our Camp Mother, settled for that last cup of tea before urging on the Mediums to aim for Mitre Flats Hut for lunch. Following the Waingawa River our pace was quite leisurely and the sun made a timely appearance as we munched through our lunch provisions at the hut. The Easy group joined us with quite a splash of an entrance by Woody!
he bus trip to the Ruahines I was characterised by enter- _ tainment. Initially this was supplied by the Bus Hostess dressed in a gorgeous pink ensemble. Later, Roger (bus driver) kept us all entertained by making Wayne run for the bus every time he opened and closed the numerous gates we had to drive through. Triplex Hut was a very civilised 10minute walk from the roadend. After a pleasant night’s sleep in the hut on thick foam mattresses, the group set off about 10am for Sunrise Hut. We meandered up the track, pausing for photos and to identify the flora and fauna. The wind and rain picked up the higher we rose. Sunrise Hut bewith a straight choice between the up and down steep bits over numerous slips, streams and gullies, or wading through the rocky, mossy bits of the riverbed. We tried both options but neither route proved helpful for those of us with the wobbly knees and aching feet. Our second campsite was again well situated next to the river. As the vegetarians amongst us proved to be the faster walkers (what do they put in those mung beans?) they had camped a little further ahead so unfortunately we did not get to sample Chris’s vegetarian extravaganza.
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