IN THE MOUNTAINS

Chronicle (Levin), 28 May 1946, Page 6

IN THE MOUNTAINS

TRAMPERS HAVE FINE TRIP LEVIN AND RUAHINE CLUBS Twenty members of the LevinWaiopehu Tramping Club left Levin at 8 p.m. on Sunday by car for a combined trip with the Ruahine Tramping Club, of Palmerston North,. in the vicinity of the Kahuterawa Stream at Linton. Tfie Levin trampers met the Ruahine party, together with seven members from Massey College, at No. 4 Line and motored three miles up the Kahuterawa Valley tnrough cleared country. The combined party of fifty then proceeded up the old road for about thirty minutes to a bridge, There the party left the road and commenced to climb up what was once an old mill track. After some bush the track came out into cleared country, with occasional patches of bush. At the end of an hour's going the top of the track was reached and the party emerged on the edge of a cleared basin, drained by the Kahuterawa Stream and its tributaries. After a boil-up and dinner .'the combined party took a tramp in the vicinity of the old mill and then returned to the lunch spot for afternoon tea. The return journey was then made by way of the cleared ridges running off the basin into the stream. One party descended by a cleared ridge and w^lded down. the river, while the others took a chosen spur and after travelling through some light bush reached the bridge at the same time as the river party. Here, after some snaps had been taken, the parties returned to the cars and after a change into dry clothes said "Au Revoir." " Before the war the Levin and Ruahine Clubs held many pleasant trips together and the renewal of combined' outings after a lapse of six years was- greatly appreciated. The hope was expressed fchat'in the near future the Ruahine Club would visit Levin for an outing. Topical Notes The present shorlage of moun;.tain guides in New Zealand, specially 'at the -Hermitage, was aj serious danger to tourists and might lead to some fatal accidents, according' to speakers at the annual meeting of the Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand, on Saturday. It was decided that the Government be asked to give effect to the ! llcensing of prof essional guides j thereby helping to give them a proper standing — something they did not have at tourist resorts atj present. The Levin-Waiopehu Tramping ; Club's monthly meeting takes place 1 in the Oddfellows' Hall to-night at 8 p.m. • When members of the Ruahine; Tramping Club reached their hut at 1 the Coppermines after a strenuous . climb recently, they were ais- j appointed to find that irresponsible • persons Liad severly damaged it. Some yedrs ago the orginal Coppermines hut was wrecked during j floods. A great deal of hard workj was required to get materials up to ; the site to rebuild it, but, the task! was accomplished and the 'club was j rightly proud of its new hut. On j arrival it was found that all the windows had been smashed in, the malthoid lining ripped off and in places had been set fire to, the chimneys dismantled and lying on the ground with bullet holes through them, and the table pulled down. Mr. N. M. Thomson, president of the Levin-Waiopehu Tramping Club, was elected to the executive committee of the Federated Mountain Clubs of. New Zealand at its annual meeting on Saturday.