Northern Crossing^*

Queen's Birthday weekend, 1964.

As an unofficial trip this scarcely warrants a mention in this august magazine. Those who disregarded the Chief Guide and Chairman were Andy Jackson, Alan Radcliffe, John Rhodes, Colin Smyth and Hugh Wilde. Ignoring dire warnings of impossible snow conditions and grave doubts of our ability not to get lost, we depatred by the usual route, public transport to Levin and taxi to the Pipe Bridge over the Ohau. From there the route crosses a farm (farmer friendly) and goes through bush for an hour along the side of the Ohau Valley, to Ohau Hut. It's then easytravelling up the river (about an hour above Ohau take the true left fork) for about three hours to South Ohau Hut, whose elasticity was tested by us and a large party of W.T. & M. C., both arriving about 1 a. m. The hut is easily seen in daylight but it is best to have precise directions for finding it at night of you don't know it.

Next morning we proceeded up the Yeates track, emerhing into the mist after about three hours through the bush, The weather was a bit grim considering none of us had been there before, but by the time we got onto Arete it cleared and gave us a [unclear: a] fine day to Dorset Ridge. There was no snow.

After the night in Dorset Ridge Hut, a foul old Forest Service hut which in summer attracts swarms of flies, we had intended to go along the ridge to Holdsworth, but in a cold southerly and a light snowfall made haste down the good track off Mitre to Mitre Flats hut, and so out to Masterton.

C.S.