This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
by Darren Hammond
Most easy trips to Totara Flats take an ‘out and back’ route from Holdsworth or the Waiohine Gorge, but the Chief Guide was determined that we would have the chance to walk over new territory on the Sunday. So we were dropped off at the Waiohine Gorge, and set up camp while the Medium group drove onto the Holdsworth Road End, a challenging walk in the dark up to Jumbo Hut ahead of them. The Fit group were dropped off with us, and headed up to Cone Hut for the night. With many willing hands, and an experienced camper in Ray, we had the fly up in 5 minutes, and it was only 8.30, so Danniel started a brew. A cold night beckoned, and we were not to be disappointed, a thick layer of frost on the fly in the morning! Less expected though, was the nearby sound of chainsaws from the early hours of the morning, firewood thieves as best we can guess. We set off under sunny skies along the Lower Waiohine Track, after crossing the rather loose swingbridge at the gorge. That was a new experience to some of the group, who had not done much or any tramping in NZ, but everyone handled it pretty well. A relatively uneventful
morning, apart from finding a relatively new slip, as yet unmarked by DOC. So a short bit of bush-bashing ensued until we re-found the track. We stopped for lunch by the river just before the Flats, and while it was still sunny, the northwesterlies were picking up in strength. After a short wind-battered walk across Totara Flats, we got to the hut about 2, where 3 of the Fit group were waiting for us. An hour or so later, the remaining Fits arrived, followed not too much later by the Mediums. No-one else turned up, so WTMC had the run of the hut on Saturday night, where Victoria celebrated her birthday with candles on the custard and party balloons. In the afternoon, I had laid the fly out to dry, discovering the frost was still unmelted from the previous night, and I wondered how much extra weight in ice I had been carrying! Sunday was cooler, grey and windy, but it looked like we would stay dry. Before we headed off, much fun was had by all, popping the balloons from last night. The swingbridge after the hut was swaying considerably, Corwin was brave enough to stop to take a photo, but then got temporarily stuck, so no-one else hung about on the bridge after that. After a gentle walk through the bush, we re-grouped at the bottom of the climb up the Mount Holdsworth track. I had warned the newbies about this climb, and we all set off at our own pace up the hill. By the time we all got to the top, the Easy group, the Mediums, and the 3 Fits who had all taken this way back, had all joined up again. Near the top of the hill, I got cellphone reception, well enough to get a text from my mate with the score from the Bledisloe Cup the previous night. ABs 13-9, great stuff. It was cold and windy at the top of the hill, so we all headed straight down the Gentle Annie to Holdsworth Lodge. Where someone’s birthday party was about to begin, so once the guests started to arrive, it became a little too crowded inside, so we made our excuses, and went outside, where it was quite pleasant being sheltered from the strong cold northerly. The remaining 3 Fits soon arrived, and we set off back to Wellington. A fairly uneventful, but most enjoyable weekend, and the group of fairly inexperienced trampers coped very well with the challenges of tramping in the Tararuas in July. Punters were Ray, Danniel, Corwin, Magalie, Jill, Stephanie, and me. Thanks to Ray and Magalie for the photos, and for Glynn for driving the bus.
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