MT. HOLDSWORTH.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8307, 10 December 1906, Page 5

MT. HOLDSWORTH.

THE SOHOOL-TEAOHERS' EXCURSION. The course of instruction to eohool teachers iu elementary agriculture, which has beea conducted in Masterton on Saturday mornincs during the last six months has now concluded for the year. It had been decided that the last meeting of the class should take the form of an excursion to Me. Holdawortb. Accordingly a party numbeing 36 and including, besides members of the class, several other Wairarapa teaohers, left MaHterton at 5.30 p.m., on Friday, and arrived shortly before dark at the camping ground on Mr Thompson's farm at the foot of fcbe ranges. Here the tents, erected earlier in the day by a fatigue party, were in readiness, and soon all were under canvas.

Early on Saturday morning the camp was astir and at 5 a.m. the ascent was commenced, Messrß Sutherland, Crown Lands Ranger, and 0. Bannister, acting as guides. The mountain track proved to be in muoh better order than anticipated. <n spite of the fact that the projected improvements had not commenced. The most serious obstacle was the Maunga*:erere Stream, through which the ooraoany, ladies included, waded with safety though not without discomfort. The party doped that a light bridge would before long be ereoted here, as the river speedily becomes a raging torrent after rain, and a party might easily be prevented from returning to camp by this stream.

The upper uamp about half-way np the mountain was reached about 9 a.m. Here severul ladies elected to stay behind, having already found suMofent soope for their olimbinglabilities, to soy nothing of the very interesting botanical specimens, including some very fine orchids. After a brief halt fur refreshments the rest of the party continued on its way up the mountain proper. The track was stil! well de fined, though considerably steeper than earlier In the journey. The limit of forest vegetation was the next halting place, and here the rugged mountain sides, till recently covered with snow, were found to'be olothed with beautiful and wondrous forms of plant life, which at once called forth expressions of delight. Foremost among these hotanioal treasures were the glorious yellow rauunonlus (buttercup), and the oelmisia (moumain daisy). The strongest and mosc energetic explorers, some 18 in number, now pushed on to the summir, leaving the others to admire the flora, and return at their leisure. The highest point of the mountain was gained at nuon, but glorious though the prosneot was from ft slightly lower elevation, the view from the topmost' point was marred by a dense mist, which was carried up the western slopes of the range by a Btrong gale. Shortly after 1 p.m. the descent was commenced, and though drizzling rain had by this time set in, good progress was made with the return journey, and shortly after 5 p.m. the vanguard of the expedition arrived in camp, the lasc stragglers making their appearance before 6 p.m., all i safw and sound. . '

Although the day was not by any means a perfect one, the outing was voted by one and all to have been a most enjoyable one, while from an educational point of view the trip, was invaluable.