IN THE MOUNTAINS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 730, 1 February 1910, Page 6

IN THE MOUNTAINS.

;. .exploring the tararuas, / Through the OtaM Gorge, and up'along. Eae's. Eidge,. -to the , top- of the Tararua Kanges, lies what is believed to be a fairly .easy , pack-track ' .over' : into ;the. Wairarapa. , Last Saturday, a- pioneer party,.consisting of-Messes. W: H. Field M.P., J). Mills,'W. and G. Judd, iu m! Murray; E.v-Dunn, E. , Bockett, 'and- H ■Rue, set out to follow the'line of. the ridge to Mount Hector, where, it had been^ arranged, a party; .from; Greytown,' S the Wairarapa, was to ineot them, i lho. Qtaki.party assembled, at Bo'ckett's, on the Friday .night, and next-morning despite the . warnings : of' the old hands at - Bockett's, • the ■ explorers"' decided to risk the weather, • which 'was coming up very thick and menacingly,., from the SOUtn. .- ;.;.'. .... ■:■■. .';.•• ■ .;,.. .-.■;•". -....

Eaes -.Bidge, with ; a ■ preliminary. ■ grade of ;1 in :3,. was • firsf: attacked; - and the party made steady; progress towards the heights. About 10,:o'clock,.therain, which had, ceased'when the journey began, came-onv again, and travelling bel.cume;. heavy,, damp,, and' dispiriting. ■But they _, pushed. :on -through : the torest, missing their way on ■ a divergent ridge :now, and then, h fo . recovering °t again, and steadily gaining the rise in the face of the roughest obstacles. - : About ,4.30.p.m tho.party halted/ cold ? , dam P>. ° n the hill Mace, and set about, getting .tea. No/ water was. to bl had, and the meal; was. a. very Spartan affair-bread,and, butter ..and janrcamD fire was started,'but it was a spiritless flicker, mostly smoke,,'which drifted and eddied into the improvised,tent. .All through the darkness., of. the , sopping night the explorers lay-in their rugs and ..shivered, waiting for the: dawn., About 5 ?i?'f on v, viF emerged , :from the timber-belt on to the/snow-line, and pushed. up . steadily to' .within about ,150 toet of the; summit A of Mount Dennan where, about 10 a.m., o halt was made forbreakfast, ■ after. they turned their faces homewards, via Judd's Eidge. :■• Mr. Field.proposes to.organise another expedition ya more favourable ■ weather and-.tp.utilise the.vote of .£SO which was : placed,on. the' Estimates for a rough survey of the route, in clearing a track up Eaes Eidge to Mount Hector; - ■■ "■ ■