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Hotter than Hell - a summer tramp in Hokitika,January 81

Terry Patterson

Time check,Sunday January 18,place;Hokitika Post Office;question:what am I doing here? - First problem,I can see packs and other gears but as yet no familiar faces. Eventually other group members appear in the form of Mike,Lynette,Chris,Danny and Rob. We pass Lake Kaniere on our way to the roadend,and desert the comfort of the van somewhere up the Arahura River valley. My immediate for tramping is soon dispelled upon feeling the weight of my pack hit the shoulders. Can't think of anything excessive in my property,but then to a novice everything seems essential. Upon reaching the Cesspool we're all in need of water and a swim to cope with the warmth of the evening (fit for running I might have been but for tramping - no way). My first impression of the West Coast was how friendly the natives could be,including the black winged variety;hence the popularity of my tent which included mesh doors. Tea was courtesy the hot bread shop,followed by marshmellows toasted over an evening fire (thanks Rob).

Morning arrives (yes it's Monday),weather's brilliant yet again,and we move along the bulldozer track by the Arahura. A welcome lunch break is taken at a superb swimming hole which was surrounded by the most amazing boulders I have ever seen -some were the size of a garden shed. Refuelled and refreshed it's off towards the Trench soaking up the heat of the afternoon. Camp is struck on the banks of a stream running along the Trench and we spend several hours revelling in summer only being disturbed by our ever present winged friends.

Tuesday morning greets us by depositing some of that famous West Coast precipitation around. This naturally wasn't welcomed by me,as I found that a wet tent weighs twice as much as a dry one and extra weight was something I could well do without. This day had to be our most frustrating in terms of tramping. After carefully following the marked track through the bush we came to where the old track to Newton should have begun. After an hour of fruitless searching by all members bar me it was decided to turn back. At this stage the effects of the day's rain on party members was beginning to show,none being colder than yours truly. We headed back towards Olderog Creek but rising water prevented us travelling down,so we headed for a campsite in the bush.

We spent Wednesday at Lower Arahura Hut drying out and soaking up summer,which was enjoyed by all (especially me). That evening saw Danny's cooking ability appear, as he made a superb cake from next to nothing.

Having spent Wednesday piking,Thursday was perhaps the fullest day's tramping we had (at least while I was around). An early start saw us head up the Arahura for another track to Newton's Saddle. First problem - the footbridge was broken and the river was too gorgey to cross. Next problem was to locate the track from our new position upstream and this proved time consuming,but perseverence by the troops saw us arrive at Newton Hut for lunch. Following lunch it was off to tackle Newton Saddle and it was quite an effort (not sure how many times I said I couldn't go on). The travel up Newton Creek was slow and delayed by Danny's disappearing act. Having page 54decided to carry on without him we reached the saddle in stages,yours truly bringing up the rear. After taking in the views from the top it was quite an epic bomb off the side as we negotiated one or two bluffs on the way to the valley. For me travel was becoming increasingly painful as every step aggravated the raw skin on my back, cut up by the waistband. Still,we made it,thanks mostly to Mike's sprained ankle and Lynette's encouragement. To our surprise we found a hut in the valley,called Dunn's.

It was persisting down in large quantities on friday,and we spent the day relaxing in pit. After tea Chef Danny started making Rob some lunches. You see Rob got his TBs wet and consequently had no lunches to speak of. It was while Chef was attending to this matter that the stove exploded in a wall of flames. Our first reaction was to watch in amazement,then once the heat became too much a race for the door commenced. Well,once safely outside it occurred to Mike that if the hut went up, which it looked like doing,we'd have no gear. Panic stations as bodies raced in and out of the hut chucking gear left,right and middle. This was severely impeded by the packs obstructing the door but we got most things out. Eventually the fuel ran out thus did the fire and the hut survived. Once we extinguished the hot spots the cost of this little epic was counted. Physical injuries were slight;Mike burnt his fingers,as did Rob to a lesser degree and Danny gashed his foot. Mike's parka gone, socks for most people and Chris lost that bloody teeshirt - at last, Then yours truly, socks,putties,food,bowl etc,and the front cover of my pit. Great - if this is tramping you can stick it.

That night was a restless one spent double bunking in a charred hut.

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Saturday was fine and the decision was made to abort the trip and head out before anything else went wrong. Travel was easy paced and uneventful down Dunn's Falls Ck except for my introduction to stinging nettle - believe me it's no fun to sit in it It was over lunch in the Taipo that we decided to split;Mike and I were to head for Arthur's Pass,while the others were to continue the trip. This decision was practical given that Mike had no parka and couldn't hold anything,plus I had little food left for lunches or much gear.

Parting words were exchanged and Mike and I headed down the Taipo reaching Seven Mile Hut by mid afternoon. Tea was cooked by me of course,under Mike's direction. Sunday [unclear: c] around with us being slow to move away. The native cows tryed to outsmart us as we wandered through their patch but only succeeded in losing the battle. The hitching commenced at 1 - I bandaged Mike's hands up excessively,hoping he'd get a lift on sympathy,and headed off to the road. Some 3½ hours later and many miles of walking Mike turned up with a lift from a couple who kindly took us all the way to the motorcamp. Food was consumed in great quantities as we made up for the week's events.

I left Mike and Hoki on Monday afternoon thanking God I was still in one piece even if my gear wasn't,and headed for the safety of Christchurch and relatives to tell the story to.

Special thanks are due to Mike for dragging me along and Lynette for her patience and encouragement ,plus the troops for their presence. We were:Lynette Hartley (leader),Mike Sheridan,Chris Hardiman,Rob Hunter,Danny,and me.