THE RANGES

Otaki Mail, 1 March 1922, Page 4

THE RANGES

. + EXPERIENCES OF MR SMART’S PARTY. . ATTEMPTS TO CROSS ABANDONED. The party under the leadership 01 Mr D. Smart, returned to L.evin on Saturday, having iaiieu in its attempt to cross the Tararua ranges. Eketahuna was the ohjective, hut .the high hopes entertained when the party set out were not justified hy events. To - commence with, the motor vehicle that was to pick up the patty and convey it to the sawmill wai nearly an hour late. Sleepy-looking pilgrims sat yawning at their ga.e,, and eventually live were picked up. Messrs. U. Smart, F. Routiey, W.; tie Malmunclie and S- J. Gilbert, and a press representative.

Unfortunately Mr Maurice Huinei suffered an accident at the last iuj ment and was unable to make .thn trip. Thus the party was deprive of the one in .whom if had pinned it.? faith as guide, but Mr Smart was undeterred, and the explorers set ou; optimistically. Alighting at the rot:,.

a tent-fly, two slashers,' an axe an. a billy were distributed amoiig : t.. party, and thus accoutred, with .Mi Smart at the head, it struck' off into the ' wilderness. Derisive laugiU'.ir from some of the mill hands and persistent tooting of the steam whistle struck a jarring note of farewell, !v.i in the leafy beauty of the bush U'»cord was forgotten. Breakfast only was thought of, and a desire lighten one of the swags prompwu the thought as much as the calis '. i

the stomach. A halt was called, an J, generously refreshed, .the party t ;- sumed its way. Before noon a point was reached from where it was pje- ■ sible to survey the main ridge, am the first check was received. Short reconnaissances showed iminediat:", : that to proceed would land the pav'y in a steep gully and ft wilderness oi j supplejacks. On the other hand it ' was plain that a detour to the light would place the party on a "cleat >-A ridge from which the attack on ha main heights would be rendered comparatively easy. At least that was how it appeared, but the way was beset with gullies and impenetrable thickets of fern. It was not until night that the ridge was reached, and the party fell exhausted und?r the tent fly. The sharp change i'rjui comfortable mattresses to a bleak, hard hillside, kepi everyone Steeplers most of the night, and it .was with spirits somewhat subdued that tiie ascent was recommenced in the morning.' Marked changes in the vegetation were noticed as the altitude increased. Mountain totaras, the clue! feature in one belt, at length gave way to stunted trees - covered thick with ttioss.juicl -progress here was extraordinarily difficult. The party frequently had to hack its way, and as oiien was forced to move like Napoleons Grand Army—"on - u its stomach." On | the actual summit a magnificent view i was revealed. On the one hand was

J an expanse of smiling plains traversed by gleaming rivers; on the other I the grim fastnesses oi the Tararuas. ( Steep and forbidding, will) heavy fog rolling over their crests: these ranges of mighty hills are a magnificent and impressive spectacle that can hold one's attention indefinitely, but as a place to go. climbing about in, no! a thousand times no! In this respect they are singularly uninviting. Furthermore, they are guarded by miles oi scrub, so hard and so close that a man cannot force his way through it. •In fact, so unyielding is it, that the j pressman was able to lie comfortably I on the top of the growth and reflect, 1 on the magtiiiicenee ol the view and the difficulties that beset the way. The party reached the top and the beginning of the scrub shortly alter :> o'clock. Water was miles away, and if an attempt to cut through the scrub had been made it was probable that water could not have been obtained until the following night. Added to this it was wretchedly cold, with a keen wind blowing, and one of the party was ieeling the sirain of the strenuous exercise. A conference was held, and it was decided to abandon the attempt. The partycamped at the nearest water ami spent a trying night, owing to a high wind and frequent showers of rain. The following day a descent was made to a point near the road, and a good camp was pitched beside a clear stream. Much-needed ablutions were performed here, and members of the party who had lost their appetites refreshed themselves with quantities of coffee and other beverages. The experience is not uncommon of losing appetite for the first few days in Ihe bush, and at least three of the travellers were affected. MR ADKIN'S PARTY. .BAULKED BY THE WEATHER. Mr Adkin's party returned to Levin by car from Shannon yesterday afternoon, having _ also failed in | reaching Eketahuna. Besides Mr Adkin, those who made the attempt | were" Messrs. E. Lancaster, J. Pollock, "C. Martin and E. Clark. These five 1

( set out on Wednesday morning some (two hours alter Mr Smart's party and struck into tlie hills towards Mt. "Dim-

das. On the Thursday an ascent was > made without packs to a height ot ] about 3000 teet, and a track was blazi ed. A return to the point where the j packs had been left was made that S evening, and on the Friday morning the party returned with packs up J over the blazed trail. Here it was f seen that the weather was unpropitious lor surmounting the ridges ou the Eketahuna side, as they were covered well down with a rolling fog. In such conditions, with the range of visibility very limited, it was decided not to make . the effort, though Mr Adkin says the track was and would

f have been a comparatively easy one-, 1 The leatherwood scrub that has- / proved such a serious obstacle to other venturers was not encountered. and by virtue of this Mr Adkin con-

siders the route much preferable to any to the left. On deciding against the effort to reach Eketahuna, the party considered ihe opportunity was a good one for exploring the upper reaches ol the Mangahao, and accordingly a de scent was made to a point near its source*. From here the party proceeded down the -bed of the stream through magnificent scenery for about tB miles before reaching the - scene 01 the hydro-electric works. The following uay the explorers walked into Shannon and returned by car to Levin.