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(September, 1964)

Bush-Whacked with Steve Reid or, How a Day Trip Nearly Became a Weekend Trip.

We took the 9 o'clock train to Paekak. This was a mistake: trips in this area are likeley to run over time, and later in the day the extra daylight provided by an earlier start would have been appreciated.

Permission to cross his land was refused by the first farmer, so we moved further north towards McKay's Crossing scaled the bank above the road, and advanced in force towards the hills. On a Water Board road along the ridge-top, our band of felons was stopped by Water Board men in a Water Board Land-Rover; but after twenty minutes' negotiation we were allowed to continue. (Note: permits for this area are granted only for the months October - March inclusive). Our first sally into, the bush (near Titi, 2011ft.) was short-lived, for five minutes' expert following of deer and pig trails brought us back to the Water Board road.

Our destination was some ill-defined point on the Hutt Valley side of the hills; and the rest of the day was spent pursuing it through the bush with great determination but little accuracy. Steve found a ricge which led east, and this we followed. The country is not high (Mostly less than 2000 feet), but all the ridges are of much the same height and very heavily bushed, so that it's very hard to see where you are. One relatively open spot gave a view of the Rimutakas and Upper Hutt valley - in fact an ideal lunch place, which we came to five minutes after having lunched.

Before long our ridge stopped running east, and went north- south instead. Tom climbed a tree but could little, so with a couple of hours' daylight left we took to the nearest stream. The idea was now to keep going until we found either (a) a place to camp, or (b) was thought an unlikely prospect for that night, so with (a) in mind, Ross and Alan pursued and killed a goat and relieved it of both hind legs, which were to provide supper for the party. However the stream soon ran into a size able river, which the inadequate maps of the area suggested might be the West Akatarawa. This was progress, but darkness was closing in, and prospective camping-spots were again in mind. The party split up, keeping some sort of contact by shouts and whistles, until Alan found a logging road. This led us out to Campbells' Mill and so to the Akatarawa road. Some hitch-hiked; de Joux trans ported the rest to Upper Hutt, and most were home by eleven o'clock.

The party; Steve Reid (leader)

• Tom Clarkson
• John de Joux
• Roger Lookwood
• Kevin Pearce
• Alan Radcliffe
• John Rhodes
• Ross Shotton
• Don Treadwell

J.M.R.