THE TARARUAS.

Otaki Mail, 2 November 1923, Page 4

THE TARARUAS.

— 4 alpha in an easy day. new TRACK COMPLETED. j Few cities have the unspoiled wilds ; of nature so readily accessible as Wellington. Chief amongst these are the j Tararuas, rich in the silent mystery of . the moss-gilded forest path, the mounting trail with delicate vignettes that widen to magnificent panoramas from the peaks, now brought within easy distance of the city by the new Kaitolcc —Omega track, completed on Sat- • urdav bv the Tararua Tramping Club, j Alpha Hut, the central point of the ■ most interesting portion of the range, | situated where parties who may lose, their way in the mists on the open ■ ridges leading to Mt. Hector need it 1 most, has just been enlarged by the | club to, double its capacity, and can now take parties of <lO or more. Alpha , has already been reached by a party includiiig ladies in 7-1 hours from Kaitoke. Many people have for years made the trip across the ranges from Woodside to Otaki over Mt. Hector, but the route had a drawback to Wellington parties in the fact that it took two days to reach the Alpha Hut. It also involved the crossing of tho Tauherenikau River, subject to sudden floods, which render it impassable, and there are several severe climbs, including Mt. Reeves (3669 ft), the advantage of which is subsequently lost. Mountain weather is hard to foretell, and by the time the party reached Alpha it was frequently weatherbound there, Recognising those difficulties, and convinced that there must be a bettor and more direct route nearer Welling-

ton, an enthusiastic member of the Tararua Tramping Club made several exploratory trips on the main ridge leading in from Kaitoke, over Mt. . Marchant. The first step was the cutting of a track to Dobson's Mistake from the spurs at Kaitoke, and the building of a log cabin, known as the Dobson hut, two hours and a half easy walking from Kaitoke railway station. The cutting and blazing of a welldefined track from the Dobson hut to the' Omega summit was finished last week, and a further contract has been let. for a graded track from Omega to Hell’s Gate Saddle, connecting Omega and Alpha, that will save 300 ft of climb, joining- the WoodsideOtaki horse track at Hell’s Gates. The new truck is bound to become ! popular, ft has been covered from Alpha to Kaitoke in live hours, and a good walker used to bush travel should make the up journey in six hours Except for the narrow blazed trail the forest is as it was a century ago. There are no severe climbs. Mt. k Marchant (3406 ft) is skirted well up, " but the track drops only slightly again , before reaching Omega. There art f numerous small ups and downs in tho main ridge, but the height gained is ( ‘on the main retained. Leaving the t main road at the new concrete bridge over the Pukuratahi River, half an hour’s walk from Kaitoke, the lowest point in a saddle to tire right of bluffs overlooking the Pukuratahi River is crossed, and the hills on the righthand side are then skirted until reach- ! ing the second of two similar clumps of bush in a grassed valley. Passing below a raupo swamp to the right of the second clump, a track through titree leads up a spar to a bare summit where a turn to the left, is made until the blazed trail is struck. After that it is hard to miss, except at Dobson’s hut where the big ridge note points the way. With the aid of a Government subsidy the Tararua Tramping Club has ' i completely remodelled Alpha hut., ! j which now measures 10ft by --4 ft, comI pared with the old 10ft by 12ft hut. i The iron had to be packed m trorn Woodside. All the timber was got on * the spot, and it was with the greatest ! difficulty that straight poles were hewn j out. Nothing over six feet long, oi suitable thickness, was found straight ) enought to use. The trees are all so j warped by winds and tortured by frosts that it was necessary to utilise a In [ inch tree to secure a straight ridge pole 6by 4 inches. Many of the short- | er timbers were carried the better | part of a mile from where they were ; felled. Mr. A. Gibbs, a member of the I club, who was in charge of the improvements to the hut and of cutting the \ track, has made a solid job of the lit i tings. The bunk platforms and the j flooring of the hut consists of_ three- ’ inch axe-squared planks, likewise the table. There is a sixfoot fireplace, with room for more than one party, to J cook at a time. At one end there is ■ a seven-foot bunk, to hold four tall men. below that two bunks, 10ft wide, and benches beside the tablo that can serve as bunks, while a 10ft wade bunk at the other end leaves room for another 10ft bunk above it. The hut can easily accommodate 30 people, and is comfortable enough to make a stay , of several days a pleasure. _ Various excursions may be made, including. Mount Hector (5010 ft), and-the high level vegetation is in itself an interesting study, while the views in all direct- i ions are magnificent.