ACROSS THE TARARUAS.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 28 January 1920, Page 3

ACROSS THE TARARUAS.

T A PROM OTAKI TO GREYTOWN. 'i&RIEF RECORD OF INTERESTING I FACTS. 2» Seeing that so much interest ia just «fnow being centred in the mountain ' I track over the Tararua ranges, be- " tween Otaki and Greytown, we purpose ' giving a few details of steps taken at I various times jn connection with the ""■ formation of the track, and also to ? refer to some of the earlier trips across i the ranges. i It may be news to many to know ' ,' Si this matter of a mountain track Sheeting the Wairarapa with the i. m ~ Hnawaju is by no means a now one, id was discussed at great length . early a quarter of a century ago. In ■ ~c onsequence of the ventilation of the | '.matter in the Greytown "Standard" '.and the local newspaper, then styled "The West Coast Mail," considerable <public interest was created in the "matter in the latter part of the year i 1895, and early in December of that year public meetings were held in both Greytown and Otaki re the matter. At the Greytown meeting Mr Murray, C. 8., was deputed to proceed with a rough survey of a proposed track from '•'•Greytown to Otaki. ■■' The first public meeting held at /.Otaki re the track took place on 0 . December 13th, 1895, being convened , t ;'a- Messrs Geo. Mcßeath and Byron , r jLown. [ e lAs a ' result of these meetings a iciparty, comprising Messrs Murray. C.E., ie -lobman and Johausen, set out from . e . jreytowu for Otaki on January 31st, _S96. This party took ten days to 5 reach Otaki. On their return journey, after a rest, they set out to put up a " record trip, and travelled from the

Ls Otaki Gorgo to Woodside in one hour I ''/under three days—a very creditable j ; performance. The Otaki party left Otaki on Feb- , - ruary 11th, 1890. It comprised Messrs ! \ Jf. C. Jones (now resident at Tarad>~ -•-. iTArbert Walkley (Rongotea), A. nA. Clark { tfcV,j,' postmaster at Otaki. n . aow residing at Papatoetoe, iuckland) a J. Booth (residing at San FranO'ff "" ero s ' l -' ljc Otaki people at that time (I B to which hat divided in opinion as [ e | across the moY be the best ■ .route ,J Otaki to GroytOTHs. some favouring": [ t | of opinion that it wod others being ,1 ■ preferable to make for My. easier and lt f passing the Otaki Forks hrvn. On ; i made up the Otaki river, and JflKfir. Kery bad time there, as might be supy. tpoaed. After going some distance ud of the nver tkey camped for the first night, and DO xt day followed one of the spurs leituing to Table Top. On the 3 -way up the hill they met the Greytown t Party (referred to above) on its return (1 journey, and continued with them. c After reaching Mount Dennan. Messrs 0 {Booth and Jones returned home. They t mistook the track, and had a very bad e ) time getting down the steep slopes on sjthc western side of Table Top ridge to p. the Otaki river. Messrs Walkley and r Clark continued with the Greytown i i mamiy. They camped for the night near - 'Lfount Hector, anil then next day travelled as far as the Tauherenikuu • river, having a rather trying expori- ' once cu route. The following day they , reached Woodside at about 1 p.m.

Mr Murray reported at length on the •riossibilities of a track, and this report !:ras published in full in tho "West i Coast Mail" of February 23th, 1896. j At a subsequent meeting of the Otoki J Track Committee, held the same month, it was resolved: "That Otaki earnestly co-operates with Greytown ! Committee re the advisability of urg- ! ing the Governmbnt to send a surveyor to explore the country, and report on the proposal to construct a road from Otaki to Greytown, or failing that, town, to the most suitable one on the other side of the Tararua ranges." During the same year another part}*, comprising Messrs Llewellyn Smith (Government surveyor), A. Batien, Geo. Cooles, T. Ckappcll and N. Rasmusseii. went from Otaki to Woodside, ~ith tho object of reporting on the track. They met with bad weather, and tho trip took cine days. After tEis very little was done, the people being discouraged by the lack of support by the Government. However, on the Wairarapa sido interest was maintained, and considerable work was done to improve the track from time to time, and mountain huts were erected at the Tauherenikau valley, and more recently at Mount Alpha. Early in the year 1910 a party set out from Otaki to cross tho ranges, and with the object of ascertaining the best route from the Otaki side to Mt. Hector. This party comprised W. H. Field, Marris. Cummings ("Wellington), W. C. Nation (Levin), J. Munro Wil- . i-on, D. K. Mills, Walter and Gilbert udd, Frank Pcnn, B. Bockett, E. C. , .-■unn, A. McCheyne Murray, and Ray. •fhey went via what is known as Ray's . Ridge, bur, meeting had weather, had I a trying time. After camping the first . night near the top of the ridge, they . jSi?<3 on to Dennan nest morning, ; it a little later were faced -with a ; Vding rain and snowstorm, which _ Impelled them to reruni. lVne same year Messrs W. H. Field, (9.. B. C. Astpn and L. Phillips Iked from Kaitoke to Otaki Gorge 224 hours' actual walking time. , who record trip r across the Otaki- , in rown route, so far as we can ascer- j Iwas made by Messrs W. H. Field, ,

f&f\. C. Aeton, E, Atkinson and tain, ?enn, in March, 1932. This M.P., '* Mr A. McCheyne Murray's Franlct 5.25 a.m. on March 30th, and party the plains near Woodside just i cottajrjo'ejock the next night. Their Lreael&king time was 21 hours 20 before ivhiali must be considered factual wg that they carried fairly ;«ninutes, "

- (the energetic sec?heavy swagsSrsytovrn Track Comi Mfj Mark Mt-ty of Greytown rosi-retary'-Qf *k« to Otaki ! roittee") ia3 trip occnpv» — | dents crojsed"! Jfcjryis »• JannarV, jfl K | five mk

taken, several by botanists, of which we have uo record.

Now _ti»t the track is in fairly good order right through, men who are fit and used to hill climbing should have no difficulty in completing the whole journey in two big days, provided they are favoured with good.weather, while the journey can be done easily in three days by any average good walker in good health, uudcj favourable conditions. The huts at Tauherenikau Valley, Mount Alpha and on Table Top ridge offer suitable accommodation for any who wish to make the trip, but another hut near Mount Hector, and possibly yet another near Table Top or Mount Dennan, would be greatly appreciated and serve a mosf useful purpose, especially in bad weather.