Newsletter Term 2 - 2014

Canterbury University

Tramping Club

CUTC Weekly Meetings: Wednesdays 7:30pm, Kirkwood KF07

Contents

Captain’s Log

TWALK 2014

Memories of TWALK 2012 – Lake Coleridge

Freshers 2014 – Scotties Hut

Snowcraft #1

Cocktail Party

FMC Photo Competition Results

How to Go Tramping with Tom Moore

Avoca Hut – the Tub has Landed!

LOST

Intentions Forms

GODZone Adventure Race

Ode to Strapping Tape

Southern Alps Traverse

Paparoa Ridge Traverse

Committee Contacts

Front cover photo: Dusky Track - Nixie Boddy Back cover photo: Pitching a steep snow cornice above Lyell Glacier, head of Rakaia - Alastair McDowell Editor: Alastair McDowell newsletter@cutc.org.nz Publisher: Canterbury University Tramping Club, c/o UCSA, PO Box 31-311, Christchurch, NZ Contributors: Kate Wootton, Sam Stephenson, Sharon Hornblow, Tania Seward, Chris Sillars, Hamish Cumming, Glen Baxter, Eva Rengia, Volker Nock, Matthew Falloon, Alastair McDowell, Euan Cox, Nixie Boddy, Tobi Wulff. The Canterbury University Tramping Club Magazine is published and distributed to club members four times per year. Subscription to the club is $20 per year. Contact membership@cutc.org.nz to join CUTC. The magazine invites contributions to the

publication by submitting articles, news,

reviews and photos to

newsletter@cutc.org.nz. Inclusion is at the

discretion of the editor. The entire contents

of the CUTC Magazine are © copyright and

may not be reproduced in any form, in

whole or part, without the express and

written permission of the publisher. The

publisher accepts no responsibility for the

contents and thoughts outlined by the

contributors. Apologies for any spelling

mistakes, grammatical errors or omission of

the names of contributors. Some format

changes were made to submitted content.

www.cutc.org.nz

Kate realising a longtime goal of climbing Mitre Peak in Fiordland; Sam enjoying the luxuries of fresh milk on Freshers

Hey hey tramps! Hope everyone had a great study break and got out on some great trips. With any luck some

great trips have gone away over the break and everyone’s not been stuck in town for too much of it!

What have you been doing this Easter break? We’ve been climbing beautiful Australian rock. If you’ve done

anything epic / got some great photos / stories or anything of interest and are keen to give a quick talk on your

efforts, let us know. At the very least post your trip photos on the CUTC Facebook page to inspire others to get

out too.

Last term went down swimmingly. Starting off with Freshers, much walking was done, a little beer was drunk

and even a few blisters were earned (I at least had bloody socks by the end of Sunday! -Kate). Bushcraft had to

be postponed due to weather, but we still managed to get a few day trips off into Arthurs Pass. The bathtub

finally made it to Avoca Hut and we teamed up with BIOSOC to work on building a trail at the field station in

Cass.

This term we’ll kick off in style with a cocktail party at a hut! Bring your dancing shoes and your best cocktail

recipes and come help celebrate Kate’s birthday. Later in the term we’ll also have Snowcraft 1, where you can

come learn essential basic mountaineering techniques, such as walking with crampons, using ice axes and self-

arresting. These will be invaluable for helping you get to spectacular places above the bush line this winter! On

that note, Penny Goddard is coming to talk to us about

avalanches at the first meeting back. She literally wrote the

book on avalanches in NZ, so definitely a talk worth coming to.

But best of all, this term we have TWALK!!! If you haven’t

signed up yet, go do it now. This is our biggest and best event

and one you don’t want to miss! The three best events of my

undergrad were all Twalks. Find yourself a team, come up with

an epic costume idea and get ready for 24hrs of running

around in a mystery location deciphering cryptic clues to find

small pieces of ice cream containers! If that doesn’t sound quite

like your cup of tea, helping out on the cooking team is as much

fun as running around, and then you’re always in the thick of

things. Talk to Sharon (twalk@cutc.org.nz) if you’re interested

in doing that.

Captain’s Log

Justin negotiating an avalanche prone slope above the Lyell Glacier, en route to Garden of Allah

On a similar note, if there’s anything you’d like to see at a meeting let us know. There are a few good short films

about adventurers and conservation efforts that we’ll have on at some point. If people are keen to do a bit more

learning we could arrange a basic first aid demonstration, camp stove building session or anything else you can

think of.

We finished the term with a photo competition for the FMC and had an impressive set of stunning photos

submitted. Our own photo competition will continue ‘til the end of this term, so get your camera out and send

us your photos! Our first set of T-shirts arrived before the break and we have two more designs ready for the

beginning of this term. Come pick one up at a meeting and proudly show you’re a member of the legendary

CUTC!

We’d quickly like to welcome our new committee members as well. Alastair and Victor have worked hard over

the break to put together this newsletter, Alex is our new Environmental officer, Alyce is joining Tania at the

treasurer’s table, and Jarren and Ben are our new general committee members.

Finally, another plug for trip reports! We’ve had a number over the last term which is awesome, but we always

want more! Get writing, even if they’re just short or mostly photos. Or get extravagant and write an epic

ballad! Check out what has been submitted so far at cutcnz.wordpress.com.

That’s all for now! See you in the hills…

Kate Wootton and Sam Stephenson

I hope all these epic storms have prepared you all for the epic that is TWALK. Not that this year’s TWALK will be stormy, just metaphorically so. Perhaps emotionally and spiritually, too. Anyway, I've been instructed to update you all with useful information, so…

Yes, we want you to enter as early as possible so we can avoid last minute kerfuffle and annoying our lovely sponsors with vast changes in numbers. No this will not mean places are super-limited a la Kepler Challenge, but we're hoping the more dedicated among you get in quick so we can figure out how we're going to feed 200 or 300 people…

With that out of the way, I hope you're all working on the best costumes ever (might pay to make them rain-proof given recent events) and are getting all excited and telling your friends about this event, and encouraging anyone who's on the fence to at least join the cook team! Talk to Matthew Falloon (the happy bearded chap).

For those of you who have expressed concern about flights to catch. We can all but guarantee we'll have you back in Christchurch by 4pm, hopefully earlier. If you have special transport

needs (e.g. you're from OUTC) and MUST bring your own vehicle please let me know numbers entered and how many are not taking the buses so we know for bookings.

Please check out the info, especially the Twalk rules (seriously, it's important everyone in your team knows what they're in for and personal safety requirements).

T-shirts are available to order from today until the end of next Friday (9th), see design above. BONUS: The default is black but it is possible to get other colours (navy, grey, red, weird-salmony-pink) if you ask me nicely. Sizing is 'mens/unisex' XS-XXXL and 'womens' XS-XXL. We've had to put early closure on orders due to change in printing this year. So if you want one please order and pay asap. We will order a few extras for any lovely volunteer cooks and hash-house helpers and any tardy entrants who really want one

Sharon

P.S. Good news this year if you're the type that requires sleep - there is heaps of space for tents and a HUGE woolshed this year

Team JAFAS descend the last ridge to the Hash house during TWALK 2012 - Lake Coleridge

TWALK 2012 – the Year of the Peregrine – Lake Coleridge

By Alastair McDowell

We had heard horror stories of blisters, accidental sleep-ins, midnight gut hurlers and more. Should we dare stray from the path of simply ‘walking’? Or could we, mere trampers, transcend to higher places, and attempt to ‘Twalk’?

Saturday morning, fifty teams in flourishing and hilarious costumes were deposited with maps on the road-side just over Porters Pass. Our first mission was to navigate ourselves to the Hash House nearby Lake Coleridge. Hash house... a special woolshed churning out an eternal supply of food thanks to some special volunteers. A constant flurry of food appeared... hot lasagne, fresh pizza, chunky soup, warm muffins, coffee, cereal, sandwiches... this was our main driving source as we collected the first 16 checkpoints hidden in boggy streams, under thick matagouri scrub, rocky outcrops on scree slopes, and generally in the most difficult and awkward locations. But our rewards were in the form of spectacular Canterbury scenery, new vistas appearing around each corner. On the dry scree tops the autumn sun was scorching, and after the opening fanfare of costumes wore off we soon found ourselves peeling off awkward

kid-sized helmets, James packed away his straw sack, and Helen itched at her face paint. Our self-inflicted inconvenience seemed insignifcant compared to carrying a giant paper-maché Donut on your shoulders as one pair impressively pulled off. Delicious.

Navigating on the 1:50 000 topographical map was difficult, even one contour line represented 20 metres in height change. Luckily, the good folks setting the T'Walk (pronounced "twork") had provided us with a set of incredibly useful cryptic clues. "Mucking around with mason" translated to a small muddy, rocky stream gulley in an otherwise featureless hillside. "Follow the bees from the door to the coleslaw" meant us to follow the fence posts from a farm-gate to a cabbage tree - we found the plastic token at the base of a fence post just after brutalising an innocent cabbage tree. Ironically, the clues only made complete sense after the clue was found, at the very least this made for a long slightly frustrated sigh at the cleverness of the setters. One of the highlights was surely the arising of the supermoon - a full fifteen percent closer - the glowing round slowly revealed itself from hiding beyond the

Craigieburn Range. Our shadows were tossed across the tussockland at the low moon angle, so bright that our head torches were mostly useless except for clue-searching. So we kept the moon as our guide as we carried on with the never-ending mission... into twelve hours of night. Fog had moved in behind the Peregrine shiner, this not only reduced visibility but forced me to extrapolate my mountain tops before I could take any compass bearings. It’s a hard time navigating in the dark, sleep-deprived eyes wander from the map to the back of my eyelids. Every so often an uneven step on the rough ground jolted me back into focus. As many as 16,17,18 hours of constant walking and jogging sent us into extreme bouts of fatigue, the relief and joy of every checkpoint that we discovered was all the more intense. As we

stumbled upon a huge green water tank we all laughed, and groaned - why? Searching far and wide for the "Incredible Hulk", our exhausted imaginations could only envision an abstractly shaped bush or tree...

It’s always a special experience, witnessing the slow arrival of dawn. Although fog delayed the 7am rise, it was

the same fog that kept us relatively warm all night stalking the fields. Sunday morning was a different story.

After a brief scoffing session of cold porridge and hot coffee

(anything tastes good after a hungry night), we emerged into a

glorious mid-morning arena.

With forty minutes on the clock to finish, we were cutting it fine to find the "Queen Flax" in one annoyingly flax-filled field. The moment that Helen heard her code word call - "let's go Scarlet", - everyone slid on a silent smile. Our 42nd control was bagged and the Hash house was soon in sight... It was with huge grins that we four slept on the pebbly yard waiting for the bus, baking in rich Canterbury sun.

FRESHERS 2014! Scotties Hut, St James Ranges

Winter has arrived and so has the snow! Don’t stick to the valleys –

climb up to the ridges and peaks! Snowcraft will empower you to step

above the bush-line and begin your love affair with mountaineering…

What will you learn? How to use crampons and ice axes, self-

arresting, avalanche awareness, climbing mountains!

Where? Mt Hutt skifield

When? May 25th 2014

“The higher you climb, the harder the wind blows”

Glen Baxter – CUTC Instructional Officer

SNOWCRAFT

It's that time of the year where I give being organised a go, so in the spirit of not been totally useless, we should all go and get drunk together in the bush somewhere! The theme is "Anything But Cups Cocktail Concoctions" where the aim is to bring the most ridiculous vessel you can imagine, and make delicious cocktails in it!

It'll be an easy 3 hour walk in to Lake Daniell in the Lewis Pass region. We will leave Christchurch at 9:30am from the UCSA car park on Saturday May 10th. The hut there has around 24 bunks, but If you have a tent then bring it, as I have no idea how many poor unsuspecting members of the public will be there to have their peaceful weekend plans cluster-f*#ked by our shenanigans. BYO cocktail ingredients and food for a pot luck, winners will be judged by how magnificent and impractical their vessels are. Bring the usual overnight kit and remember that Winter is Coming so either pack something warm or compensate with copious amounts of hard liquor and spooning. Tables and people will be traversed, dignity will most probably take a back seat, you will meet a bunch of awesome guys and gals, there will be music and most importantly; you will have a good time! Look forward to seeing all you beautiful people there! Cheers! Gandalf, your friendly but slightly inept Social Wizard a.k.a. Christoofar Sillars

Anything But Cups Cocktail Concoctions

FMC Photo Competition Results Above the Bushline

Stormy Sunrise above Lewis Pass - Tobi Wulff

Delta Sunset - Alastair McDowell

Below the Bushline

May there be just enough clouds in your life to create a glorious sunset - Nixie Boddy

Ladder of Light - Aaron Chinnery-Brown

Hut and Camp Life

Three Men in a Tub – Kate Wootton

Camp at McCoy - Alastair McDowell

Outdoor Landscape

Sunset on Mason Bay - Tobi Wulff

Orion - Kate Wootton

Historic

Potts Hut Corrugated Iron - Volker Nock

Native Flora or Fauna

Sexy and I know it! - Nixie Boddy Mueller Keas – Hamish Cumming

How to go tramping with Tom Moore – Journey to the Tarn Col

By Tania Seward

1. Decide to go on trip at the last minute

2. Arrive at Edwards Valley to find river in flood.

3. Drive to Hawdon Valley instead

4. Cross flooded rivers in valiant attempt to reach Hawdon Hut

5. Arrive at Hawdon Hut. Unpack 2 dozen beer, 4 litres of wine and two bottles of whisky.

6. Ignore concerned looks from other trampers about vast quantity of alcohol taken to hut.

7. Meet A Bumwhacker Called Harriet (long story.)

8. Drag sorry carcass up to Tarn Col to look at the view.

9. Tarn Col view mostly obscured by cloud. Do the can-can dance instead.

10. Halfway back to Hawdon Hut, break out into an acapella version of Bohemian Rhapsody.

11. Play Uno at hut, while drinking wine.

12. Play Spoons at hut, while drinking whiskey.

13. Head back downriver to cars. Laugh and frolic in placid rivers that were a raging torrent two days earlier.

14. Agree that it was a pretty awesome three day tramp, and if you didn't come, you totally missed out.

Avoca Hut – the Bathtub has Landed

After three long years of waiting, the bath tub has

finally been laid to rest at its rightful home, CUTC’s

very own club shelter – Avoca Hut.

Three parties consisting of over 25 trampers set

out on the difficult journey to Avoca from Klondyke

taking various routes: a medium route along Bealey

Spur and down Jordan Saddle; a hard route party

climbed the chossy Gizeh Col and descended much

moraine into the head of the valley.

While the trampers battled the terrain, a fleet of

three 4WDs captained by current Hut Officer Ethan

Lancaster drove up the long gravels of the Avoca to

the previous resting place of the bathtub, where previous groups of CUTC folk had valiantly carried

the 200kg cast iron tub. Despite a broken axle and extremely rough driving conditions, the tub was

deposited at the base of the final section of track to Avoca

early in the afternoon. The Jordan Saddle party arrived at

this point to help haul, heave, drag, push and carry the

bathing device the remaining 500m towards the beckoning

hut.

Volker Nock, former CUTC Hut Officer, was seen crying as the

tub was finally lowered onto the hallowed grounds of the

club’s sturdy four-man, a long-time dream finally realised.

Many other upgrades were also installed at the hut, including

an improved drain. The hut’s condition is now the best it has

seen in years, ready and waiting for the oncoming winter

barrage of trampers, hunters and remote hut appreciators.

However, among the joy that Avoca received, one poor tramper in the medium group was dealt a very

rough ordeal. During the Bealey Spur ascent, she unfortunately found a pace too fast for the slower

division, and too slow for the faster group. She was not officially assigned to either group, and thus

neither group noticed her absence. Upon reaching the

Jordan-Avoca junction, she was a long way in between

the two groups. Without a map, she took a gamble on

which direction to turn to Avoca Hut – unfortunately

turning downstream took her further and further from

the party. Later that evening Ethan and Enda led a

search party for the missing tramper. Enda returned

from Jordan saddle at 2am, exhausted and empty

handed. Ethan forged on downvalley, found the Basin

Hut book signed, but empty. The lost tramper was found

safe the following morning at the Avoca road end. The fleet of 4WDs making their way up the stony Avoca river valley

Chris Sillars, leader of the CUTC Royal Workout, shows his strength while hauling the bath tub up the final section of steep track to the hut

Avoca Hut now proud owner of a cast-iron bath tub

How to avoid it and What to do if it happens

to you.

By Kate Wootton

Getting lost on a trip, on your own or with the group, can be a frightening and potentially dangerous experience. It is therefore a good idea to avoid it! This is far from a comprehensive manual on how to stay safe in the outdoors (see the committee and come on our instructional trips if you’d like some more resources on that!) but here are a few useful tips. 1. Know where you’re going First of all, it is essential that the leader at least knows where you’re headed! Take a map, familiarise yourself with it, and refer to it while on the trip especially if the trail is not well marked or you’re not on a trail! Ideally everyone on the trip should know where you’re going. Take a look at the map at home before you leave so you know what to expect. Print off your own map or ask to look at the map while on the trip - it’s not unheard of to make mistakes in navigation, so the more people who are informed as to where you are, the easier it is to stay on track. 2. Stay together This is super important, particularly if you’re less experienced or not certain of where you’re going and don’t have a map! Stay in sight and hearing distance of someone who knows where they’re going. Don’t be shy, let others know if they are going too fast. Similarly, keep an eye on people behind yourself who might be falling behind. This is especially important in difficult terrain such as dense bush or narrow stream beds. Have a conversation about where you are going and where you will stop to take breaks along the way, for instance if you are all meeting at a hut for lunch. If someone charges off ahead of everyone it can be hard to tell if they are just ahead of you or lost. Take a whistle - if you get lost it’ll make much more noise than you can by yelling. A torch is also an invaluable thing to have, even if it’s just a day trip. 3. Stop, think, survive and thrive! If you get lost, stop and consider your situation before bashing around in circles and getting more lost and

exhausted. If you decide to move, leave signs so searches can find you or you can find your own way back to

that spot. Bend ferns over on themselves, use sticks or rocks to make arrows indicating your direction, stick

food wrappers on branches (the one time it’s okay to litter!). Stay with your pack. This contains everything you

have access to for survival and you may find you want it a few hours after leaving it behind when it gets dark

and cold. If you’re in a group, don’t split up. Use your whistle to call for help, or flash your torch if it’s dark and

you can hear searchers. If you’re in the forest, try shaking a tree to catch attention, especially if you hear a

helicopter. A bright jacket/tent fly/pack liner laid out in an open area is also very visible from the air and will

help you be spotted. It’s often best to stay put rather than getting yourself more lost. Consider the conditions

and environment. Is it going to get dark soon? You might end up spending a night out and should consider

finding/building shelter. Is it cold or raining? You’re definitely going to want shelter. Are you safe where you

are from things like avalanches or rising rivers? You may want to relocate to a safer area.

4. Don’t Assume Don’t make assumptions and blindy stick to them. Don't assume you are on the right ridge line and simply continue on merrily. Don’t assume that someone is just 5 minutes behind you, that you can make the hut before that storm hits… Continually review your situation. A degree of on the spot consideration (map, compass, simple common sense) can keep people from getting lost in the first place.

LOST

INTENTIONS FORMS – PLAN – PREPARE - SURVIVE The Purpose of an intentions form is to assist Search and Rescue (SAR) to locate a missing person or persons who may be injured or just lost somewhere in the bush. A well filled out intentions form could mean the difference between finding someone in time or not. The club runs an intentions system known as BASE which operates on the club website (http://www.cutc.org.nz/baseform.php). Other organisations also run intention form systems and you may even want to just leave them with someone you know and who will act on them if you become overdue. A good example of an intentions form:

Party: Podric Payne 025 333 5555

Olenna Redwyne 025 296 7777

When: Leaving Thursday 23rd June 9am, back evening of the 27th 10pm.

Where: Walking the St James track starting from the Cannibal Gorge end. We intent

to stay at the Ada Pass hut on the night of the 23rd, the Anne hut the next night.

We will proceed over the Anne Saddle to the Rokeby hut arriving there on the

evening of the 26th and finishing the trip at Boyle Village late on the 27th.

From reading this we could determine where the group was going in sufficient detail to start an effectively search for them. Any SAR operation will now know where to look for hut book entries and were they might be if no sign is found. Additionally it is good to add a note if there is something you want to do, climb a particular mountain, visit a particular hut and so on, that is somewhat off the intended track and you’re not sure if you'll have time to do it. That way if you the party does decide to take a slightly different route SAR will know of it as appose to having to guess where you've gone. You would be best noting which way you're going in hut books as appropriate.

Extra details that could be useful to add to a form - Car details: including where it or they will be parked with licence plate numbers. This is one of the first things looked for when starting a search, if there is a car still in a car park it's likely the party is still on the track, and a search should begin. - Details of what emergency gear you have: cell phones, GPS, Personal locator beacon or PLB (with registration number), Extra food, emergency shelter, tents, warm sleeping bags, waterproof solar charged satellite phone and so on. It's useful for searchers to know what you have, not just because it'll help you but what you have will influence your decision making process. Someone with a tent might stop in a random place to sleep if it gets dark while someone without might press on to a hut then believe is nearby and so on. - Medical issues. If someone requires medication SAR can bring that in if they know about it. Various conditions can effect a person’s perceptions and judgment as well and they would be good to know about. - Alternate Plans: It is good to include some thoughts on what you'll do if things are not as expected. You'll head down this valley if the saddle is too snowbound, you'll leave a note on the sign at the track junction if you decide to go a different way, if the river is too high you'll turn around and head back to the hut and so on. I hope this article helps those of you (which should be all of you) who use intentions forms when going out into the bush, especially those parties without PLB’s as it’ll likely be the only thing that will save you, fill them out better. Even though we hope never to need to make use of the information contained in an intentions form the possibility is always there, as several members of the club committee can attest to, that SAR will need to know where someone has gone either because they are in trouble or someone believes they are overdue. Being able to provide accurate information quickly to the right people in those situations is extremely important.

“Be Safe Out There”

Mathew Falloon - Gear Officer

The GODZone: 500 kilometres of non-stop adventure racing. Big mountains, long roads, fierce rivers, extreme sleep deprivation. On foot, bike, raft and kayak. It’s overwhelming. But the challenges that really make you scared are the only ones worth doing! I teamed up with Tim

Farrant and Elisha Nuttall from Christchurch and Emily Wilson from Wanaka - together we were Team Next Generation.

Top navigators and multi-sporters, I was in good hands - all I had to do was keep up. Race day, and the elusive course was

finally released: a giant loop starting & finishing in Kaikoura - 11 stages including climbing Tapuae-o-Uenuku, mountain

biking the Molesworth valley, rafting the Hurunui, rogaining the Cheviot coastline, and sea kayaking home…

Our team faltered near the start enduring an extra 2 hours of hike-a-bike up a steep hill. 17th place, we reeled in the competition traversing Tappy east-to-west and into 10th place down the 100-mile Molesworth ride. Cunningly, we carried kayak paddles over the 40km Glynn Wye mountain trek to gain a speed advantage down the 101km Hurunui river raft. However, bush-bashing with long paddles is highly discouraged. Fending off our rivals by beating the river dark zone, we fought out a stiff battle with GO Team for 7th place along the Kaikoura Coastline rogaine, the raging Waiau river plying us apart. This fifth night of barely no sleep, we quelled our sleep demons with endless surges of caffeine and guarana, but Tim still crashed into a road bridge on the MTB necessitating a quick powernap. Schools of dolphins followed our sea kayaks home around the Kaikoura Peninsula as we landed ashore for 8th place after 120 hours on the go and only 12 hours sleep. It's amazing what the body can do if you keep it fuelled and motivated. Soon after finishing we fell asleep and didn't wake up for a long time. GODZone Kaikoura - you beauty.

By Alastair McDowell

Strapping tape, O' strapping tape,

Today for you we celebrate.

Cuts and wounds you always fix,

To aches and pains it wraps and sticks.

Oh leucoplast, you hold steadfast,

Keeping all the good bits in.

All's well until it's time to tear,

The hair right from my skin.

Time and time again you're there,

Through summer winter spring and falls,

Great comfort from secure grip,

You keep the chaffing, from my balls.

Poem: Chris Sillars. Photos: Hamish Cumming.

Ode to Strapping Tape

Joy and suffering in the Nelson Lakes…

The Southern Alps form the long, mountainous backbone of the South Island stretching from St

Arnaud to Milford Sound. One particular section of the Alps has caught the imagination of many, with

so many possible route choices and hidden gems waiting to be unearthed. Offering one of the longest

stretches of untouched wilderness in the country, a transalpine journey from Arthurs Pass to Mt Cook

is real adventure, taken by the scruff of the neck.

The Waimakariri valley forms a natural ‘gateway to the Alps’, the perfect place to begin such a

journey. The progression from tussocky hillsides by the road-side to snow-capped peaks on the Main

Divide is a brilliant illustration of the contrast you experience as you stride over the river gravels,

until the mountains grow nearer, terrain steeper, until finally you straddle the spine herself. Tent

camp by Ariel Tarns on Harman Pass gave us a chance to observe the contrast of the opposing flanks

of the Alps on the first of many spectacular nights in the mountains. The notorious Kea welcomed us

warmly; some tent fly and one sock our donation to her

midnight meal.

A storm threatened as the Griffiths Stream fell away at our

feet, and Hokitika Saddle gifted us passage back into the

West Coast. From the top of this steep icy couloir we viewed,

with apprehension, the wild new territory for the following

days. Close downstream of the remote and rarely visited

Mungo hut, sulphur filled our nostrils – hot springs – if only

we could find more than a measly warm dribble. Post defeat

and fording the Brunswick, the stench returned and we

found the source – a boiling, steaming pit. Once soaking, the

rain hardly affected our mood.

The Bracken Snowfield is nestled in the

Adams Wilderness area, and is a coveted

destination for trans-alpine trampers. The

view of Mt Evans from Cave Camp is

irresistible, and urges you to meet her close

up from the 2000-metre snow plateau.

Nearby, Mt Whitcombe ramps up along an

inviting northeast ridge, before plunging a

sheer 1500 metres to the Ramsay glacier

moraines below; a face that attracts fear

and awe. Unsettled spring weather spoiled our dreams of ascending these majestic peaks, but in

consolation allowed us a calm twelve hours of mountainous travel in a misty atmosphere. As we

turned our attention to the more accessible red rock of Lauper Peak, avalanches thundered

continually through the fog, plunging down Whitcombe’s terrible flanks.

While resting under the shelter of Lyell Hut, one of the oldest original structures of the Southern Alps,

our satellite phone began to sing out a new and welcome tune: fine spells, light winds. This golden

forecast was an absolute blessing given our ambitious goal – to traverse the entire length of the

Gardens of Allah and Eden. The difficult access to the Gardens is one the reasons why these high

alpine snowfields are so elusive. The reward is a

magical place full of unique glacial terrain, above

which rise with scores of peaks. A narrow but

sufficient three days of fine weather forced us to

race over the plateau before the next storm rolled

in from the west.

As the snows of Eden wore thin to the west, our

final challenge reared before us: to climb the Great

Unknown We gained the peak as the threatening

westerlies of a new storm brewed, with just

enough time to descend into the hanging valley of

Elizabeth Creek. Redfield stream is not for the faint hearted – two kilometres as the crow flies became

a seven-hour struggle on thin, steep scree, with treacherous waterfalls and difficult down-climbing

through thick bush.

Twenty days into the expedition, we finally

emerged into civilization to restock supplies in

the small west coast town of Harihari. Now all

that remained was to pull off the elusive

Whataroa - Tasman crossing. Research on the

route uncovered few accounts of parties using the

Whataroa Saddle in the past decade, so we

staggered up the rugged tracks to Whymper Hut

with much trepidation. It was with massive relief

when we rapped from the saddle on a bomber piton and slings, and easily hopped the well-covered

schrund onto the Classen Névé of the east, and strode onto the Murchison.

Early dreams of ascending Mt Cook to top off the

traverse were put aside at Tasman Saddle Hut,

where we soaked up the ambience of the upper

Tasman, culminating in a rich red sunrise from

Hochstetter Dome. Ten hours down the long

glacier passed as snow turned to ice and finally

the dreaded moraines. We were adamant the

dozens of planes overhead were missing out.

Aoraki's glistening east face towered above us;

the traverse was at last complete.

We did not conquer the Alps. We did not pioneer any new routes in the Alps. Rather, we weaved our

way through its wilderness, treading softly so as not to destroy that which we can never create.

First round of thanks go to my three fantastic companions: Andy Thompson, Hamish Cumming, and

Justin Loiseau for joining me on this epic journey along the Alps. Cheers to Bruce Dando of Kokatahi

Choppers for ferrying in our food, and Wildside Backpackers for hosting us in Harihari. Finally a

massive thanks to FMC for their generous sponsorship of our Arthurs Pass - Mt Cook expedition. Get

in your own application for the next round!

Inspired by Kevin Dash and Trevor Johnston’s book ‘Touch the Wilderness’, myself and another

University of Canterbury Tramping Club member, Matt Hanson, set out in early March of this year to

attempt a N-S traverse of the Paparoa Range. As a keen tramper and geologist working primarily

between the Buller and Grey Rivers, these cloud covered tops had often caught my eye, and my

curiosity grew in noting the conspicuous absence of huts and tracks crossing through the heart of the

range – an oddity in a country renowned for its network of backcountry trails and shelters.

With the help of a Youth Expedition

Scholarship from the Federated Mountain

Clubs of New Zealand, we packed up our kit

and embarked from the Buckland Peak car

park on March 9th, and finding the ridge to be

tough going, began what was essentially a long

sidle from Westport to Greymouth. In fact, of

the 20 or so named peaks along the tops, we

summited only two. Instead of walking the

ridge, our route relied heavily on the alpine

basins and benches, alternating between and linking up the less-steep slopes of the east and west side

of the range. Forays below bush line also proved challenging, and animal trails, when found, were of

great help in avoiding obstacles, especially in low visibility.

Speaking of animals, we were not alone on our

walk. Each day we encountered dozens of

goats, whose stubborn snorting made their

presence known even in thick cloud. We also

heard Kiwi calls from several of the lower and

larger tarns we camped alongside. Further

south, there was also the occasional crash of a

startled stag.

Paparoa Range Traverse

By Nicholas Riordan

The northern and southern halves of the Paparoa Range proved to be distinct in many ways. The

north being built of granitic and gneissic buttresses and spires surrounding glacially carved cirques

falling away to incised U-shaped valleys. In contrast, the southern half is composed of softer

sandstone, coal, and conglomerate, which form gentler ridges regularly dipping below the bush line.

These more vegetated tops also show hints of previous human travellers – a few sawn limbs, a

weather station, and a handful of well-worn trig.

After 9 days of walking, we wandered out the Croesus Track, in need of a good feed and couple new

pairs of shorts. My favourite part of that day was the hitch back to Christchurch, where a young man

from Atarau picked me up, and when I mentioned where we’d been, said he knew a couple of fellas

who’d been up that way – yup, one of the authors of ‘Touch the Wilderness’ used to drive his school

bus. We had a good chuckle while cruising into the rain up and over the pass, saying farewell to the

West Coast and hoping we’d both be back soon.

…of the twenty or so named peaks along the tops,

we summited only two…

Committee Contacts 2014

Tania Seward

Canterbury University Tramping Club

c/o UCSA Room 123, James Hight Building, University Drive

Christchurch, New Zealand