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Kaimanawa Trip - Easter 1970 - V.U.W.T.C.

Sarah Maclean

The Kaimanawa trip was:-

Thursday night:- Fog on the desert road and the windscreen wipers not working even if you thumped the dashboard every few minutes. Finding three miserable gripers (Terry, Beth and Dave Cook) griping miserably by the river. They'd been waiting for six hours in the rain. A sleepy procession thru' sodden toi-toi, hanging limply - wet and tired just like us.

Arms and legs tripping over guys, guy ropes, trees and then into pits.

Friday morning:- River crossing practise - all day. Biggish rivers, middle-sized rivers and little sneaky ones that come up behind you and knock you off your feet.

River swimming practise for those who like swimming in fridges. Water-fights.

Pitching camp in the late afternoon. Stew - general yak session around the sock-roasting fire - nothing eventful.

Saturday:- Sun, tussock, more river-crossing. Pebbles in the boots all day (rocks in the back all night.)

Lunchtime: discussion on home-made explosions, from white-spirits to H-bombs.

Just before the camp site, very boggy bog. Down to the knees in mud, slurrrp-slush-curse-out again and lurch to a tussock. Keith, Dave Cook, Terry and Sarah back to look for Sandra, Liz, Rob and Kay who were coming on behind. Tiger-trip pace tussock-hopping.

Stew for those who stuck around the camp and curses from those who went up river, came back late and found empty billies. Sing-song, waiting for the moon to come up. Everyone getting to know each other a little better by now.

'Let's sleep out - it's a fine night.' Famous last words. Waking every few minutes in the coldness. Can I be bothered finding my socks? Ice in the billies next morning. Why didn't anyone tell me it's colder when you're not in a tent?

Sunday:- Dave and Hazel went up the Stob, Kay and Rob for a slow trip home, Sandra stayed at the camp. The rest of us lawyer bashed up a ridge. Chundering on the tops and then lunch and then people came down in small groups by different routes.

Sudden grey clouds, positively glowering we could just see Huey up there 'I'm gonna make it piss down, kids' (gloat gloat) so hurry; hurry; to get tents up.

No Rain.

Monday- A dull day. The tussocks looked stiff and jaded without the sun. Beth, Dave Beard, Hugh and Brin shot off soon after breakfast. The rest ofus ambled down the river later. Tramping yarns, swimming and rocks in Terry's pack were the main features of the day.

Camped about 1½ hours from the road by a stretch of very still water. Continuation of the 'how-to-make-a-good-stew' argument page 9as well as the 'with-cocoanut' is-better-than-any-other-instant-pud controversy.

Tuesday:- A quick trip to the road and then home, some hitching and some in the dare-devil luxury of Keith's car.

Party:- Keith Jones - Leader, Colin Jones, Hugh Barr, Dave Cook, Dave (Beard) Saville, Hazel and Dave, Rob and Kay, Brin Williman, Beth Tolley, Liz Suckling, Sandra Needham, Terry Pinfold, Sarah Maclean.