ALPINE CLUB

Grey River Argus, 21 September 1937, Page 8

ALPINE CLUB

NOTES AND COMMENTS. Once again rain has interfered with our schedule; but, to view it philosophically, one must really expect this, as we are now entering what is locally termed the “wet” season! In making this statement, we are, of course, well aware that certain pessimists consider that our rainy season begins on January Ist. and ends on December 31st.; however, this is not a treatise on the idiosyncrasies of the West Coast, climate, so we shall let the matter drop.

“ Kelly Range Hut: Plans in connection with the build- ■ ing of this hut are much further ■ ahead than we had anticipated, and : this week orders for the material i were placed. In view of this, it is ■ confidently expected that we shall be ■ able to start “packing” on .Sunday ( next. Arrangements have been made for the materials to be carted to Kelly Creek in the next few days, and , it only remains for us to do our bit by giving the Arthur’s Pass National Park Board the support we have promised them. Of course this early commencement of work in connection with the Keny Range Hut. will interfere seriously with our schedule of outings; but there is a compensation, in that Labour Day week-end will probably now be available for a club excursion, such as that which was held to the Fox Glacier last year. No doubt this is an opportune time to tell readers something of the geographical position of Kelly Range and the following particulars will no doubt be of interest:— Kelly Range begins as a spur at the confluence of the Taipo and Teremakau Rivers, this portion of tne range rising at a height of approximately 5,000 feet in Mount Rangitaipo, immediately behind the Perry Range Hotel at Jackson’s. From here, as one travels east, the range drops considerably in height, more especially at the source of Seven Mile Creek, but rises again towards the junction of Kelly Creek and the Otira River, to a height of approximately 3,500 feet. It is in this vicinity, on a high plateau, that the hut is to be erected. Now Kelly Range continues for some miles, in a south-easterly direction, towards the Taipo River, eventually culminating where Hunt’s Saddle intersects the Range between Hunt’s Creek and Kelly Creek. Still further east the Range, now known as Hunt’s Range, continues to the Main Divide and eventually becomes a high off-shot' ridge of Mount Carrington, which mountain lies close to the heads*of Rolleston River and Cascade Creek, in the west, and the Waimakariri River, in the east. In our next bulletin, we shall say more about the actual hut site and its access and it is also hoped that we will be able to write something of early explorations in the Kelly Rangel district.