page break

Winter Southern. (June, 1962)

Party: Ray Hoare(Leader), Helen Henderson, Phil Laird, Les McLaughlan, and Terry Waghorn.

Friday evening saw the snow-covered Tararuas tinged pink at sunset as five set out from the Institution on the hill. Train and taxi took us to Otaki Forks and the struggle up to Field's was as near perfect as such a climb could be, with a full moon and crisp stillness through which sounds of trains in The distance below carried gently.

At some unearthly hour we reached Fields which was lightly drifted with snow. An ice-axe had to be applied to the covering of ice on the water tank to make the water accessable. No time was wasted in gaining the warmth of sleeping bags and very soon only the famous Field's rats stirred.

In the morning Hughie greeted us hostilely - mist, wind, and general dampness. Primi and Optimi provided a hasty breakfast, cold clammy socks and boots were reluctantly donned, and off we pushed through the mist to Kime, where [unclear: where] thick ice had to be chopped away to gain entry. Inside a plastic bucket containing about a foot of water was frozen solid.

A brief rest here to thaw slightly before the main assault on the southern peaks. Hughie hurled it at us - snow, ice, and wind all day. At no stage was visibility better than fifty yards. Eventually Mount Alpha was reached and the wind dropped as we sidled just below the peak on the northern side. When we reached the bushline on Alpha, all was quiet and snow was falling gently, through the trees - Hughie had done his worst!

At Alpha Les provided a dash of brandy which, added to a hot cup of coffee, warmed us up more than the fireplace choked with snow was likely to! A group of T.T.C. types had arrived earlier from Kaitoke - called us mad when we arrived and chipped off frozen parkas, etc.. Shortly after, two young keen men arrived equipped with bows and arrows. Deer-shooters they explained........ I acted as chief-excess - food-disposer-of for the T.T.C.s who seemed to cook more rice and salmon than they could manage!

After a cool night, during which billies of water froze inside, Phil and I got up very early (9 a.m!) to greet a clear blue sky and brilliant sun (the sun always shines at Alpha). We climbed to the iron peg marking The summit of Alpha and were rewarded with an incredible view, to the north of endless snow-covered ridges, and to the south of the Wairarapa, Palliser Bay, Wellington Harbour, Kapiti Island and, hazy in the distance, the seaward Kaikouras, On the way down to the hut again for breakfast we met the T.T.C.s, plus Les, on their way to Kime in the most perfect conditions possible.

page break

The rest of us left Alpha, after a long breakfast, at about 11 a.m., singing selections from West Side Story and other shows. The Marchant Ridge was long but pleasant and evening saw us leave the Shelter Hut to return to the big city, full of that warm feeling of tiredness mingled with satisfaction.

T.J.W.