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Tararua Crossing - Easter 1964

Mike Heenan (leader), Chris Little, Alan Radcliffe, Tim Johns, John Wells and Ian Leask left Wellington by train on Friday morning for Otaki, thence by taxi to Otaki Forks and lunch. The weather was fine and hot and the climb to Kime promised to be a hot one.

In a patch of grass just past Roaring Meg we found a Steve Reid lying down. Apparently he was waiting for us because he got up and joined the party.

By this, time it was early afternoon so we didn't get to Fields until 4 p. m. We stopped there for a drink and a rest. It was now cooler and we made good time up to Vossler, arriving there before six o'clock.

As we came over the brow of the hill we saw three people coming from the direction of Old Kime. We scrambled to the hut before them and claimed some bunk space which was just as well because there were 14 there already. Altogether there were 24 in the hut that night. Fairly crowded to say the least. The three we had just beaten said Old Kime was too overcrowded!!!

Saturday morning saw us off to a reasonably early start. Away from the hut by 9 a. m. (did he say early?!! Ed.) leaving behind a bunch of peasants mostly still in the pit. As we passed Old Kime we saw it really was crowded and felt thankful that we hadn't had to sleep in it. Its now a leaky stinking, old but with one wall partly kicked down.

The weather was fine with patches of mist which eventually cleared away when we got to Hector and some excellent views of the Manawatu, Wellington, Hutt Valley and Southern Wairarapa.

About 20 min down the Neill-Winchcombe ridge we surprised two deer feeding just off the ridge. They ran off down the side and we watched them until they were just little brown specks moving thru the snow-grass hundreds of feet below. Altogether we saw four deer on the Neill-Winchcombe and one about 10 min. from Totara Flats.

We stopped in the saddle between Winchcombe and Neill while someone went down and got two most welcome billies of water. Everybody was thirsty as there had been nothing to drink since Voosler. Lunch was eaten on Neill and it was so hot that some forewent the view for a little shade.

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After lunch we headed off down the ridge to Neill Forks - reached the hut in a little over two hours, not bad going for an unmarked ridge. about five minutes from the bottom we came upon a blazed track which took us down to the forks.

Just across the river was the hut, a magnificent new Forest Service one with six bunks with sponge rubber mattresses, fully lined, t & g flooring etc., etc.. A great sight after a hard day. The only flies in the ointment were the 4 people already there! Steve and I were the lucky ([unclear: . .?]) ones who slept in luxury the others slept on the floor.

An early start (really - don't these guys believe in sleep? Ed.) next morning got us to Hector Forks by 10 a. m. At one point Tim, John and Ian disdained to climb the bank and so got soaked swimming thru a large pool of freezing water.

Two more hours saw us to Totara Flats to find the hut beseiged by screaming hordes of Girl Guides and Boy Scouts. We decided to lunch a little way up Totara Creek. From there it was out to the road and at Bannister where we wee hoping for a lift.

There seemed a scarcity of cars so we started off down the road. At the first farm Mike rang for a taxi. Steve and I walked on (was that punishment for sleeping well? Ed.). We all met up again at Masterton Station and caught the rail car home together, a suitable end to an interesting trip in the Southern Tararua Ranges.

A.R.