Easter 1967 in Tongariro National Park

(or how to keep warm with haricot beans)

The scheduled redenvous for the first night was Waihonu Hut - an easy 1½ hours from the [unclear: I]-mile peg on the Desert Road. page break Lesley and I reached it just before dark, Ross reached it just after dark, and Kevin reached to next morning, all wet thru', but with the vital supply of haricot beans,

The next two days were spent in eating, card-playing and other common wet-weather occupations such as looking outside at a thundering great herd of school-boys camped in the rain. On the third day a partial clearing in the skies induced us to sally forth to Tama Saddle. The extremely low temperature and wind was the cause of us getting there and having lunch at Lower Tama lake in under tow hours. To vary the return journey we forged across some tribuaries of the Waihenu Stream to a small patch of beech forest, which became known as the hundred aker wood',

The next day was perkikly, fine so we zoomed away to climd Te Heu Heu, wearing 301b day 'packs'. Four and a half hours later, after many oohs and aahs at the progressively better views, hotter heat, higher altitude we staggered onto the summit of Te Heu Heu. Sapristi? Magnifiquue! The clation of those present was at an all time high, mainly due to the quite unique and panoramic view', but also because we were seven miles from the nearsett known haricot bean. (Dear reader - if you are wondering about all the slinging of at harieot beans, here is an stempt to explain it: Kevin bought a great dollop of them because they were tasteless, odourless, cheap, full of protein which heats you up in your sleeping bag after you have eaten them, y' Eec) and thu suitable for making a great choking tasteless odurless bloating stew with Nuf sed). Ennyweigh, after having lunch we burbled of and had a look at Dome Shelter and the Crater Lake which were swarming with peasants. At the close of day (at 50 p. m.) we left them and arrived back at Waihonu at 7 in full moon.

The next day was perfikly fine and so we zoomed into the Waihonu Stream an chundered very slowly and sweatily up Ngaurahoe, until we reached the saddle between Kathrine's Head and Ngaurahoe, whee we had lunch with the bluebottle flios, Then Kevin, me and Tigga zoomed up the mountain (slip slide, chug, sweat, grind 'Gosh it gets cold [unclear: a] here dozn't it?' wet no snow' Chuck rocks into the crater chunder chunder - 'Gosh what a stink')

Zoom back down to Ross in five minutes from the crater. Zoom vigorously into South Crater - move up ridge to Red Crater (rumble hiss steam)

Tramp tramp trudge bumble down to Ketatahi Hut and then spring gracefully into hot creek delicious soak. Totter back to hut at dark just in time for a very over salted stew - [unclear: yotch a] gimmewortafast - and so the bed - snore snore, stretch, what a mighty dawn wow splediforusi!

Another fine day. Casually amble away at nine o'clock look at thermal activity (hubble numble hiss steam roar scald page break cheke - gasp; reareat). Chunder down to highway, birds [unclear: a] singing. Thumb down car in two minutes and ride all way [unclear: a] home.

Party: Peter Radcliffe, Lasley Bagnall, Kevin Pearce, Ross Gooder.

P. K. R.