Kahurangi National Park, Nelson, New Zealand. 12-18 March, 2003
The party assembled in
Nelson at a pub with the unlikely name The Honest Lawyer. Happily for some, the
promised Hash did not materialise and the members went straight to down-downs
and plans for the trip. Mad Mike and Verena, now long standing Nelson
residents, had kindly made all the necessary arrangements and supplied the
maps.
Next day we drove west
towards the Kahurangi National Park. This is a huge area of pristine native
forest which merges into tablelands of tussock grass surmounted by countless
rocky peaks. The well-graded gravel road rises to 3,000ft at Flora Saddle car
park so the first day's hike to the Salisbury hut, although long, had a gentle
gradient all the way. Our route through the forest was typical of New Zealand's
many walkways — beautifully constructed and well maintained. We observed
the usual fantails and bellbirds as well as the rare South Island robin.
Adjacent to the hut was a magnificent solar-powered eco-friendly chim with
electric lights and fans. Had it not been for its peculiar composting odour, it
would have been even more comfortable than the hut itself.
The following morning
saw a sharp deterioration in the weather. High winds and thick mist tested the
resolve of the whole party when they emerged from the forest to climb Gordon's
Pyramid (4,885ft). Most succeeded, and Mike, Andrew and myself pressed on as
planned, reaching the summit of Mt Arthur at 5,889ft some four hours later.
While the hut and Gordon's Pyramid remained wreathed in mist all day, on the
other side of the mountain the intrepid three were rewarded with brilliant
sunshine and fine views over Tasman Bay. After ten hours' hiking, the summit
party three got well strung out. Unknown to the others Andrew took a wrong
turning and found himself on an unscheduled tour of a limestone cave system.
With darkness approaching and the cooks anxious he finally appeared out of the
gloom quite unabashed and oblivious to our concerns.
Later, overheard
during philosophical discussion:
Q. Why does a married woman always take her husband's name?
A. Because she then knows whom she belongs to.
On the third day the
whole party crossed the rolling Arthur tablelands to Balloon Hut, passing a
weird patch of forest reminiscent of Fangorn where it was not difficult to
imagine an Ent quietly watching.
Dropping our heavy
loads at the hut, all continued to the summit of Mt Peel (5,427ft). By now the
weather was perfect with huge vistas in all directions. A solitary kea, the
cheeky Alpine parrot, followed our progress to the final cairn. Being Saturday
night, the hut was full.
Overheard in dark:
What's your name?
Second voice: Why do you want to know?
First voice: Sorry, but I like to know who I'm sleeping with.
Needless to say,
overcrowding did not prevent the Meths diehards from hogging the only table and
introducing our Kiwi neighbours to a noisy game of Scrabble a la Thuchila.
Next day on the long
walkout we came across a familiar sight in NZ's forest: a squad of rangers
laying traps for possums and other exotic mammals which in the course of a
century have all but exterminated the local fauna.
Back at the coast
camaderie among the participants was strong and everybody turned up for a game
of golf at the Tasman Club. This turned out to be more of an alpine grind than
a links course. We found the fairways steeper than the path to Salisbury hut.
The contest was won I believe by Eric, despite scandalising the natives with
his grotesque Scottish supporter outfit. The ladies were extremely successful
in finding lost balls but I suspect found more enjoyment in the spectacular
view over Tasman Bay to the Abel Tasman National Park.
Participants:
Mary Peters &
Jenny her friend, Andrew Harrison, Neil Styles, Eric Scott, Valerie Scott,
Verena Petzold, Mike Petzold, George Wallace, Val Wallace
Maps: Kahurangi National Park 1:150,000 and Cobb
1:50,000.
Click here for a report of last year's meet.
©
WDYFO, 2003