ONEPU SCOUTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 260, 20 January 1941, Page 5

ONEPU SCOUTS

WEEK-END CAMP

JUT. TARAWERA TRIP

A week-end canip was held recently, when a party of 14 scouts, from the Onepu troop, took the opportunity of climbing INlt. Tarawera. The camp was pitched along the :side of the Tarawera river, about four miles from the mountain.

During the first day, the weather turned wet, and it was a case of -staying indoors, and making the best x>f it. At daybreak on the Monday morning, a start was made to scale the mountain, and with an experienced guide, together with the lifeline at the head,, the party headed for the river Crossing, and from there the track was picked up leading to the mountain. A, halt was 'called at the loot, on account of mist and rain obscuring the sum- 1 mit, and a fire was lit to pass away "the time. The "all clear" signal

'was given some twenty mfnutes later, and the climb began in earnest. The "trig" was reached at 9 a.m., after a four hours* journey. At this stage, a heavy, cold shower was

experienced, and, unfortunately, it was not long before we had to retrace our steps homeward.

'Out of a totajt of seven craters, two of them were passed on the way up, the others being beyond the trig. Looking down into these • chasms it needs little imagination to realise the force and fury stored up in the bowels of the earth and released during the eruption of 1886. On the way homeward a halt was made where the river flows out of the Tarawera lake. The last day in camp Avas spent in visiting Fenton's n>ll which is situated some 2000 feet above sea level. Here the Diesel tractor with bulldozer w y as seen haulfhg the logs '■out of the bush. A camp fire Avas lit at night, and various shadow plays enacted behind one of the tents. Thanks are due to all those people Avho helped •with the transport and others Avho came along to the camp Avith a dinner of foAvls, duff, and cakes, after the rain fearing that Ave had all been Avashed aAvay.