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Tramping Club.

Commencing its operations only at the beginning of 1921, the Tramping Club has already become an institution recognised amongst the more venerable of the College Clubs. Freer than the Free Discussions Club, more gleeful than the Glee Club, and—shall we say it, draughtier than the Draughts Club, it has found a place in College life.

We cannot enter here either upon its aims or its merits. We must confine ourselves to the methods of our popular magazines, in the synopsis of their serial stories. You can begin here!

The first activities took place in the first and second terms of 1921, the Club having been formed in the early part of the first term of that year. These first efforts were unambitious and were indeed delicate preliminaries of what was to follow. They consisted of Saturday afternoon excursions and were naturally limited in extent; but proved in general quite sufficiently strenuous for those taking part and were by no means devoid of incident. In this way were visited Red Rocks, Kaukau, the Day's Bay Hills, and the Karori Hills. We also made an accidental descent on Johnsonville, owing to an unaccommodating fog. Here the whole party showed what they could do in the way of a sprint to catch the train which had been waiting for them since their advanceguard had appeared on the horizon.

In September the Club decided to undertake a three day expedition to the Orongorongo Valley, and an ascent of Mount Matthews. Some fifty students considered that this was what they required in the way of relaxation, and the party carrying their tooth brushes, their powder puffs, their safety razors, and their bully beef, crept inconspicuously through the town in various stages of neglige, and boarded the "Cobar," at 7.30, on a glorious Saturday morning.

Through lassitude and many delays it was late afternoon ere we descended the narrow and bushgirt valley of the Orongorongo, that stream so deserving of the sympathy of this generation in that it is both rapid and shallow. The following morning those more energetic, and not debarred by an unfortunate incident which had occurred in the burning of some boots, climbed Mount Matthews. The party returned to civilisation on the next day without loss of life.

On 24th of October, a stout band of twelve, undeterred by threatening weather conditions, attempted to cross the Tararuas from Woodside to Otaki. Alas! their ambitions were not destined to be realised. The weather turned to winter. From Alpha Hut the party returned to the Tauherenikau River into which several of them fell. After spending the night in the hut there, amidst rain, snow, and in a southerly gale, the party retraced its steps over Mount Reeves, and reached Woodside. Evening saw us in Wellington, no one greatly the worse.

Immediately after the examinations in November, ten of the same party, and two others crossed the Range from the Otaki side and descended to Kaitoke by a route from Mount Omega to Mount Marchant, which so far as can be ascertained had not been taken by any previous parties who haye crossed the ranges and which seems likely to prove the popular one of the future.

A second trip to the Orongorongo was undertaken on the 13th and 14th of May this year. On the second day the party split,—one half crossed the Mount Matthews Saddle, descending the Mukamuka and following the coast to Gollans Valley, the second half followed up the Orongorongo stream to the site of the new tunnel and dam, and after crossing the Wainui hill were hospitably entertained by Mr. Semple at his camp on the other end of the tunnel. They thence wended their weary way to Petone via the Wainui pipe tunnel.

On 3rd and 4th of June, a party from the Club, at the invitation of the Tararua Tramping Club joined with them in an expedition to Dobson's Mistake on Mount Marchant. The weather on the first day was cold and wet, but the second proved fine.

We would call attention of readers to the more detailed account of the Tararua trip which appears elsewhere in this issue.

The Club is deeply indebted to its President, Professor BoydWilson, for great assistance and enthusiasm on its behalf. He has been the prime mover in our most successful undertakings, and a tower of strength always.

The Club is anxious to gather to it all students—and particularly freshers— who are, or feel that they ought to be in the least interested in its doings. Drop a note to the Secretary saying you would like to join.

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