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The Spike: or, Victoria College Review, 1939

Tramping Club

page 70

Tramping Club

During the past year the Club has benefited from increased membership, most enjoyable trips having been the reward of enthusiasm and hard work. The main trips, including the Christmas trip to the Lewis Pass area and the Easter sun bathe on Kapiti, were well patronised and the Tararuas have attracted many. The Holdsworth ski-ing grounds brought recruits to the sport and the Club appreciates the splendid efforts of the Hutt Valley Tramping Club in the erection of the Ian Powell Hut. In the autumn the Cone Saddle—Waiohina track was re-opened, chiefly by the vacation efforts of two members, while others have assisted the working parties of various clubs.

Christmas Day. 1938, found the Club at Lewis Pass. By force of circumstances the base camp was made near Maruia Springs Hostel; nevertheless the more energetic the party gave a good account of themselves on Mts. Technical, Mueller and Trovatore. A trip up Cannibal Gorge to the Ada Pass gave tantalising views of the Spenser Mts. and the Waiau Park country. Hitch-hiking became to some a fine art, two of the more venturesome catching a glimpse of the Tasman from the pubs of Westport.

The most successful Tararua summer trip was the Crawford-Dorset Ridge-Mitre-Waingawa crossing. On this occasion a large party, favoured by good weather, stumbled into the Waiohina from a high camp on Nichols and eventually negotiated the perils of starvation and sun stroke to arrife at the Pines on time. Less fortunate was the attempted Maungahuka crossing, which, owing to the vagaries of the climate, degenerated into a laze at Kime and a zero visibility wind fight to Alpha and the Tauherenikau via Block XVI.

Easter was an ideal holiday feast on Kapiti. It has been rumoured that the 1700 ft. peak was ascended but we await confirmation of other manoeuvres.

The first snow trip to Arête with its hard bitten gang of optimists was rewarded by sandwiching a magnificent 8 a.m. panorama of peaks under record snow between almost continuous falls: the early morning snow plug, the frozen "greenhouse" tea, the snow flakes in the river were amply compensated for.

The eastern side of the ranges was blessed with good weather and gave skiiers on the two Holdsworth trips the chance to gain a little training. And now from National Park come advance reports of perfect weather, excellent snow conditions and plenty of skiing. We wonder how many have scorned the wiles of the boards for at least one day and trod the perilous heights.