This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
By Michael Lightbourne This was a Labour Weekend trip that started early, at midday on Friday. It was a South Island trip and the normal sailing at 5.30 pm had been cancelled! Our only option was the early afternoon sailing. The other unusual feature was taking the bus on the boat, but our trip was using a hired van (which was also taken on the boat). We were taking it Easy this weekend, our intention to see the Mole Tops in the Nelson Lakes area. I helped our trip leader, the one and only John Hickey, with the navigation required to get to our road end in the middle of nowhere. After a very chilly night under the fly, the next morning dawned beautifully clear and sunny. The Medium party we shared the campsite with headed off to the Nadoo Range first (of course) and then we started on our track. The track was in good condition, and finding the pace a bit slow and full of enthusiasm I was eventually out in front on my own. The progression through the bush was typical and beautiful, watching the broad-leafed and tall beech trees slowly turn to moss-covered stunted trees higher up. And then suddenly the landscape changed drastically. I had found the Mole Saddle, it was all tussock, and offered fantastic views of all the hills and mountains in the surrounding area. A lot of them were covered in snow. My intention was to find the Mole Hut and have lunch there, but it was not immediately obvious so I just sat in the tussock. An independent party of two appeared and pointed out its location, down a valley a couple of hundred metres. While I was having lunch a kea swooped in to join me, with its bright colours showing under its wings. I had to duck, so close was its flight path to me! I offered the kea a peanut and a piece of celery, and though it showed some interest, it did not consume my offerings (turning down the celery I can understand). I had a long lunch and the others were nowhere to be seen, so I headed down to Mole Hut, a real trampers hut this one, with only 4 beds. I think it says the hut is derelict on the map, but I was told by the independent party that some work had been done on it, and it turned out to be fine. I then went back up the valley to join the others, Finally they appeared (apparently they had a one and a half hour lunch!! I know it was an Easy tramp but really). I pointed out where the hut was and they seemed quite keen
to get there. I got some sunblock from our well-equipped leader, and headed up the hill. There was some uncertaintyabout whether we were on the Mole Tops and the hill in the distance was Mt Watson, or if we were onthe Mole Saddle and it was the Mole Tops above the ridge. A close look at the map later revealed it was the latter. I stopped on a hill a little short of the ridge, because I knew we had two more days of tramping to do, but I was content. The Mole saddle is a really special place on a sunny day, it reminds me of that flat section just before Kime Hult.
I picked a short cut through the tussock towards the Hut, which was fun, found the track, stopped paying attention and walked into a great big hole on the track. My advice when tramping is if you don’t want to break any bones then don’t ever look up until you come to a stop! I then proceeded very carefully to the hut, the others were sitting outside. Inside the hut it says something like “welcome to the misty moletops hut” which I couldn't relate to until clouds rolled in from nowhere late afternoon. In fact it started raining, so we retreated to the safety of the Hut, and started preparing dinner. It's very interesting trying to fit a party of eight into a four bed hut and is not recommended. The first night we had a very satisfying curry. We then carefully arranged ourselves for a game of six-handed five-hundred, and John had a real workout explaining the game to at least three novices. After the game concluded, we had three sleeping on the lower level, three on the upper level and two on the floor. Trips during the night out of the hut became a greater mission than the days tramp up the hill to the hut.
Yes it was certainly the Misty Mole Tops when we got up on Sunday morning. I was prohibited by our wise trip leader from venturing ahead this time into the white-out conditions. But I was in no particular hurry to leave the hut today. We wandered out into the mist to find the Tiraumea track to Tiraumea Hut. We came to a high point on the saddle with a drop off in front of us that on another day would surely have offered a fantastic view, but it was not to be. In fact it was quite cold so we moved on, and dropped down into the bush. The track that day was not in great condition and it was long and quite hard going for some of the party. We finally saw the Hut which is in a beautiful setting on some open river flats. A bit like Totara Flats Hut in the Tararuas. It was good to sit down. This was a six bed hut, with much more generous floor space. We beat the Easy Medium party, who had come from Sabine Hut, and they set up flys next to the Hut. It was an interesting dinner that night, a sort of tomatoey curry, with mixed herbs. It seemed to be a John Hickey fusion specia!. But it tasted good anyway.
It was Monday morning and our mission was to get to Durville Hut, at the bottom of Lake Rotoroa. This was a much better track and we were at the Hut for lunch, and met a couple of the Easy Medium Party who weren't keen on the 42 river crossings the rest of their party were doing that day. The air was thick with sandflies around Durville Hut, and insect repellent was applied liberally. We got a boat ride across Lake Rotoroa and then it was the long drive back to Picton.
Nina leading the way on the Mole Saddle with John Hickey appearing out of the tussock. (Photo: Kate Robinson)
The trampers were: Clinton Hunter, Michael Lightbourne, Gail Shuttleworth, Karen Hodder, John Hickey, Nina Fischer, Kate Robinson and Hendrick.