8 .

CAMPS AND TRAMPS

AFTER-DEGREE CAMP - 1950 GREAT BARRIER ISLAND. Nov. 13 t h - 23rd.

W i t h exams f o r g o t t e n end a c l e a r sky above, some t h i r t y - f i v e cheer­f u l s o u l s p i l e d t h e i r p a c k s , "nog", p l a n t - p r e s s e s and p ersons on board the Coromel at 7.30 on Monday, November 1 3 t h . (The y a c h t - Ngaru IT w i t h a crew of f i v e had l e f t t h e p r e v i o u s day, t o go v i s Kawau.) How­ever, the good weather p r o s p e c t s d i d not l a s t . H a r d l y had t h e boat l e f t • the harbour when t h e sky c l o u d e d , t h e r a i n f e l l , t h e sea heaved, the boat r o l l e d , and s e v e r a l n o - l o n g e r - c h e e r f u l s o u l s were p r o m p t l y s e a - s i c k . Those who weren't, weren't f a r from i t . Laments became a u d i b l e ; l u n c h unmentionable; l a n d e x t r e m e l y d e s i r a b l e . By the t i m e t h e boat a r r i v e d at i t ' s f i r s t p o r t o f c a l l , Tryphena, everybody was s o a k i n g wet, the m a j o r i t y were r a t h e r p a l e , and t h e weather was s l o w l y i m p r o v i n g . E v ery­one i s a l i t t l e h azy as t o t h e exact t i m e when the boat f i n a l l y chugged up Whangaparapara Harbour t o the wharf, where Field C l u b g r a t e f u l l y got i t s e l f out and s t r u g g l e d the r e m a i n i n g q u a r t e r m i l e UP t o a some­what d i l a p i d a t e d house, but a t l e a s t i t s t o o d on f i r m ground.

A f t e r a d i n n e r of sausages (not recommended as an a n t i d o t e f o r s e a s i c k n e s s ) everyone h a u l e d out s l e e p i n g gear and began t e s t i n g beds, f l o o r s and mother e a r t h ( t h e weather was now f i n e ) f o r t h e l e a s t uncom­f o r t a b l e p l a c e to s l e e p . T e n t s sprang UP l i k e mushrooms, a l l a v a i l a b l e mattresses had been bagged at s i g h t and s l e e p i n g bags l i t t e r e d e very room and t h e verandah. A s m a l l e r even more d i l a p i d a t e d house ( c h r i s t e n e d the "Garden, of Eden") about twenty y a r d s away was a l s o brought i n t o use. (Sounds crowded doesn't i t ? ) . A few f e e b l e a t t e m p t s at f i s h i n g on the wharf t h a t e v e n i n g brought no s u c c e s s and by m i d n i g h t the p l a c e was i n complete darkness and almost complete s i l e n c e .

Tuesday was f i n e but most peop l e seemed somewhat l e t h a r g i c . Two or t h r e e went rowing i n a "borrowed" b o a t , .small p a r t i e s wandered o f f around th e bays i n t h e h a r b o u r , e x p l o r i n g the bush o r v i s i t i n g the t r i g at the harbour e n t r a n c e , w h i l s t t h e more s e d e n t a r y element was honoured by a v i s i t from Ron L l o y d , an o l d F.G. member now a t the F o r e s t r y S t a t i o n a t P o r t F i t z r o y . A t about 5 p.m. the Ngaru I I and crew a r r i v e d r a t h e r I g n o m i n i o u s l y a f t e r on or two people a t l e a s t had c h e e r f u l l y woven e x c i t i n g s t o r i e s o f rugged r o c k s and b a t t e r e d b o d i e s . They were g i v e n a r o y a l welcome on t h e wharf, a b i g h e l p i n g a t d i n n e r , and f o r h a l f the n i g h t t h e r e s t o f t h e p a r t y were e n t e r t a i n e d w i t h t a l e s o f e x c i t i n g ad­v e n t u r e aboard th e Ngaru I I under Cap'n Sumich.

Wednesday a g a i n dawned f i n e and w i t h no l o n g e r any l e g i t i m a t e ex­cuse f o r l e t h a r g y many bods f r a n k l y a d m i t t e d t h e y were l a z y and d i d n o t h i n g t o prove i t . O t h e r s , f o r the most p a r t the same keen p e o p l e o f the p r e v i o u s day, c o n t i n u e d e x p l o r a t i o n s and c o l l e c t i o n s . The yacht remained t i e d t o t h e wharf and t h e crew remained on t h e yacht - e n t e r ­t a i n i n g v i s i t o r s . Swimming, s u n - b a t h i n g and f i s h i n g were p o p u l a r . However, w i t h d i n n e r o y e r , the n i g h t ' s r e v e l r y was I n t e r r u p t e d f o r a s e r i o u s d i s c u s s i o n on t h e immediate f u t u r e .

AS a r e s u l t , Thursday saw a g e n e r a l p a r t i n g o f the ways. A p a r t y of f o u r l e f t l i g h t - h e a d e d l y f o r Tryphena, t e n o t h e r s t u r n e d f a c e s and f e e t i n the o p p o s i t e d i r e c t i o n and s e t o f f f o r T°ort F i t z r o y (11 m i l e s ;' -away) w h i l e t h e y a c h t , crew, and two weak-kneed females l e f t f o r the same d e s t i n a t i o n but i n a more l e i s u r e l y f a s h i o n . Those r e m a i n i n g a t base camp went on v i s i t i n g l o c a l p o i n t s o f i n t e r e s t - t h e g r ^ v e v a r d , the o l d copper mine and the o l d l o g g i n g s i t e s - and, i n the e v e n i n g s , e x e r t i n g themselves s u f f i c i e n t l y t o s e t b a i t f o r c r a y f i s h and t o " s t r i p -t h e - w i l l o w " on t h e wharf.

On F r i d a y Les and K e i t h abandoned base camp f o r t h e e a s t e r n s i d e o f the i s l a n d . So, w i t h F i e l d C l u b b o o t - p r i n t s d i s f i g u r i n g the i s l a n d i n e v e r y d i r e c t i o n , and w h i l e base camp*-* went on p l a c i d l y c a t c h i n g c r a y f i s h and consuming t i n s o f p i n e a p p l e , A f t e r - D e g r e e went on. Two g i r l s r e t u r n e d from P o r t F i t z r o y w i t h o u t h a v i n g a t t e m p t e d Mt, Hobson.

S a t u r d a y dawned w i t h s i g n s of an a p p r o a c h i n g storm. Base camp wandered o v e r t o K a i t o k i and t h e r e mustered UP a c r i c k e t team t o p l a y the l o c a l r e s i d e n t s , a l l assembled i n K a i t o k i f o r p o l l i n g day. The game ended e a r l y - Great B a r r i e r cows must be m i l k e d a t a l l c o s t s -no-one knows who won, but i t was " l o t s o f f u n " .

9 .

Just about tea-time the yacht hove i n t o s i g h t , t h i s time w i t h three weak-kneed women on board, a l l unashamedly admitting that a f t e r the f i r s t attempt to f i n d ?*t. Hobson f a i l e d (as i t had done on the F r i d a y ) , they d i d n ' t p a r t i c u l a r l y want to climb i t anyway." Another keen tramper of the Mt.Hobson par t y returned that night on foot w i t h the news of success achieved. The r e s t o^ the party remained behind to recuperate and r e t u r n next day. F i n a l l y that n i g h t , the Tryphena party returned s m i l i n g v a c a n t l y and Doc. G. triumphantly s n o r t i n g p l a n t s of Fuchsia procumbens. A round t r i p to Tryphena, Oruawharo, K a i t o k i and back to Whangaparapara had not dampened t h e i r s p i r i t s .

The threatening storm a r r i v e d w i t h a vengeance on Sunday and a l l but one of the remaining t r a v e l l e r s returned. The party from Mt. Hobson a r r i v e d about mid-day and buried the k i t c h e n range under a. p i l e of wet sleeping bags, socks, boots, clothes and people. K e i t h returned from K a i t o k i l a t e r i n the afternoon, having l e f t L^s wandering o f f i n the d i r e c t i o n of Okupu.

The wet weather had l i t t l e e f f e c t on people's s p i r i t s . P r e s s i n g and cataloguing of specimens, s t o r y - t e l l i n g and card-playing provided ample amusement. Heather and Mary ventured out to s^e ''"r. Osborne and h i s wonderful s h e l l c o l l e c t i o n , not to mention h i s stamps, h i s l i b r a r y , h i s p a i n t i n g s and h i s "Angel" book. The c h i e f excitement of the day (or r a t h e r night) was i n chasing the Ngaru I I across the harbour whence i t had journeyed a f t e r breaking loose from, i t ' s anchor i n the gale.

Monday was as wet as Sunday had been. The sky was a. dismal grey and the harbour, inundated by t o r r e n t s of muddy water from the flooded streams, was a d i r t y y e l l o w . However, dampened s p i r i t s are e a s i l y remedied and F.C. e i t h e r adapted i t s e l f to circumstances and remained i n bed or d e f i e d circumstanc~s and went out. Doc. G., A i l s a an^ Ion l e f t per yacht to Tryphena, there to r e t u r n to Auckland on the Coromel, while the yacht brought back f r e s h s u p p l i e s of food (mainly sausages). Also that evening the l a s t wanderer returned home w i t h t a l e s of i s l a n d h o s p i t a l i t y , d e l i c i o u s meals and comfortable beds.

i , f t e r dinner F i e l d Club's l a c k of dramatic t a l e n t was exposed to an u n w i l l i n g audience i n the form of a monotonously inane play i n which H i t l e r , 3va Braun, two dopey d e t e c t i v e s , an e x c e l l e n t i m i t a t i o n of a c e r t a i n person known to many of us. an o g l i n g Heather, a bomb, end weird sound e f f e c t s (mainly g i g g l e s ) were so i n e x t r i c a b l y mingled that even the actors didn't know the p l o t . A f t e r the audience had been woken up, supper was served and a rowdy se s s i o n of dancing and singing took over.

In f i t f u l weather p a r t i e s dispersed i n d i f f e r e n t d i r e c t i o n s on Tuesday or d i d n ' t , according to the temperament of the p a r t i e s concerned. John Commons continued h i s c r a y f i s h i n g w i t h success, the outcome being consumed at a p a r t y i n the "Garden of Eden'' to which John, out of g r a t i t u d e , was i n v i t e d but f e l l asleep. That evening, a f t e r charades and a few w i l d dances, the p r e v a i l i n g atmosphere was that of g h o s t l i n e s s and s e v e r a l attempts were made to scare the w i t s out of people who didn't have any i n the f i r s t place.

Moans and groans heralded Wednesday morning as everyone was hauled out of "the sack" at 6 a.m.. to pack ready to r e t u r n home. The y a c h t i e s ' were st a v i n g behind u n t i l the weather was calmer and without exception the main p a r t y envied them. It was a rough t r i p . T?0r almost four hours the boat d i d everything short of t u r n i n g a complete somersault. Complexions turned green and people hung over the r a i l s i n a l l d i r e c t i o n s . "For a l l i t s dinginess Coromandel seemed l i k e heaven a f t e r the Coromel.

A f t e r a good meal and a r a t h e r uncomfortabl.•• s l e e p i n the hard-backed c h a i r s of the l o c a l p i c t u r e show there was a general race back to the boat to grab the most comfortable sleeping place, and w i t h 24 -people occupying one cabin i t was a. d i f f i c u l t problem. The l a s t comer had to be content w i t h the t a b l e - a r a t h e r precarious r e s t i n g place, and boding i l l f o r the person s l e e p i n g on the f l o o r beneath i f the former should prove too r e s t l e s s , However, a f t e r the usual quips everyone slowly f e l l asleep to the accompaniment of the t i d e receding and the night passed without mishap. Marion (on the t a b l e ) assures us she slept ' l i k e a l o g .

The l a s t l a p of the journey was comparatively calm and uneventful apart from amusing some of the non-Field Club passengers w i t h our spasmodic bouts of s i n g i n g .

10. Several days l a t e r the f i n a l episode of Aftf=r-Degree was recounted *

by various members of the yacht's crew who had not returned u n t i l Sunday. The account of these l a s t few days i s not very l u c ^ d , but out of the jumble of t a l l t a l e s the phrases " r i g - h u n t i n g , " "grouse time" and "McGeady's home-brew" t e l l us a l l we need to know.

- Mary Lokes.

NEW YEAR CAMP - SWANSON & BETHELLS. Dec, 29th-J?n. 2nd. I t was purely c o i n c i d e n t a l , of course, that h a l f the party chose

to leave the hut at Swanson soon a f t e r P r o f . 0. a r r i v e d . anyway, purely c o i n c i d e n t e l l y , at 3 p.m. they decided to make the round t r i p to Mokoroa F a l l s and B e t h e l l s . The r e s t of the party, composed apparently of the most sedentary types i n the U n i v e r s i t y , remained behind, and as f a r as the author has been able to a s c e r t a i n , a l l that they found the energy to do (apart from eating) was to have a treasure hunt, w i t h a p r i z e of best green (sun-mellowed) sausages, and to see the New Year i n by pl a y i n g a set of games commonly known as "Nuts i n May", "Oranges and Lem­ons", "Hide and Seek" (with a new t w i s t - c a r r i e d out i n complete dark­ness), "Midnight Feasts" and d i s c u s s i n g philosophy. Daytime a c t i v i t i e s , were n e g l i g i b l e .

The B e t h e l l s p a r t y a f t e r f o l l o w i n g Scenic D r i v e f o r some way, studied the map and found that there was a short cut between where they were and • , where they were going. U n f o r t u n a t e l y the t r a c k d i v i d e d i n t o two, and then two again and so on u n t i l there were so many t r a c k s that they l o s t t r ack of the t r a c k . A f t e r 24 hours they f i n a l l y emerged onto Scenic Drive again, not 600 yards from where they had l e f t i t . A f t e r a night under a b e l t of t a l l pines the party pressed on, i n doubtful weather, to the F a l l s at Mokoroa and on again to B e t h e l l ' s by 5.30 p.m, where they pitched camp i n the s h e l t e r of a. wind-woven Pohutukawa grove. Through the courtesy of a l o c a l r e s i d e n t there was a ready supply of f r e s h water, and l a t e r he i n v i t e d the party to j o i n i n the New Year c e l e b r a t i o n s a r ­ound t h e i r b o n f i r e . As ambassadors of F.C. they endeavoured to teach the l o c a l r e s i d e n t s " S t r i p the Willow", w h i l e the l a t t e r r e t a l i a t e d with a dance of t h e i r own, and as the f i r e c o l l apsed f i n a l l y , sending up a r a i n of glowing sparks, the whole party sand Auld Lang Syne and F.C. walked slowly buck to the grove, where they wasted no time i n sacking up.

New Year's day was spent i n l e t h a r g i c e a t i n g , using the i n t e r m i s s i o n s to make p r a c t i c a l use of b o t a n i c a l and z o o l o g i c a l knowledge. The Phys­i o l o g i c a l e f f e c t of b o i l e d Tetragon!a t r i g y n a and of f r i e d mussels (Avena my t i l u s ) on the human stomach was g e n e r a l l y recorded to be pleasant. The day's meal f i n i s h e d o f f a t 6.30 p.m. and the party s a i d goodbye to t h e i r f r i e n d s on the cliff and headed home. H o n g a path s i l v e r e d with moonlight they made a f a s t yet pleasant tramp t o the Scenic Drive and sta r t e d down Home Track at 10 p.m. Unf o r t u n a t e l y , i n the semi-darkness the correct t u r n i n g was missed and although 10 minutes from t h e hut, they had no choice but to go back t o Scenic Drive and stagger down by road t o Swanson. A r r i v i n g there at midnight, the .trad?"tional ( f r e e ) swim at Redwood Park was indulged i n . At 1.30 a.m. they reached the hut, j u s t i n time to save most of the f o l k s there, who had been l i s t e n i n g t o one of Hank's t a l e s , from the h o r r i b l e f a t e of sleep.

- Rod B i e l e s k i .

NATIONAL PARK. Feb. 16th-24th. A small consignment of F i e l d Club, comprising seven p e r s o n s , seven

pecks, one tent and more than ample su p p l i e s of food tumbled out of the Wellington express at N a t i o n a l "^ark S t a t i o n at about 11.55 p.m. on a v e r y c o l d , c l e a r , F r i d a y n i g h t , and s l e e p i l y boarded the bus bearing them to t h e i r f i n a l d e s t i n a t i o n — a hut 6'4" x 6'3iV" f o r two g i r l s and. one t e n t • s i t e f o r f i v e boys, who, too weary to p i t c h the t e n t , passed the remainder of the night i n the cookhouse.

A memorable week's h o l i d a y f o l l o w e d , s t a r t i n g w i t h a l e i s u r e l y t r i p to the S i l i c a Springs, on the way back from which some observant person discovered the f l o u r i s h i n g signature of "John H. Davis J n r . , "Florida" scrawled across an A.A. s i g n i n defiance of a l l laws.

A s i x - m i l e tramp across the tussock on Sunday brought us to t h e Mangatepopo Hut from where, on Monday, we attacked the lower slopes of Ngaruahoe w i t h gusto but reached the top without i t . However, t h e awe-

11'. i n s p i r i n g s i g h t of the steaming, luminous-green c r a t e r was worth a climb twice as high, as was the magnificent view of the Park, and to t h i s day ' (and f o r e v e r a f t e r , she hones) Mary s t i l l proudly bears a very f a i n t , c a r e f u l l y guarded scar on her l e g as a souvenir of the time she l i t e r ­a l l y "put her foot i n i t " and caused a new fumarole.

Tuesday was a d r i z z l y , misty day, so we abandoned mountain climbing i n favour of l o o k i n g f o r the K e t e t a h i Hot Springs and f a i l e d to f i n d them Fine weather returned on Wednesday and t h i s time the summit of Tonga -r i r o was conquered, to be followed by a d i z z y succession of s i g h t s -views of Lakes Taupo and Roto-Aira, the Red C r a t e r ( a c t i v e ) , the Emerald Lakes, the Blue Lake and f i n a l l y the e l u s i v e K e t e t a h i Hot Springs. The weather was so c l e a r that from the slopes of Tongariro i n one d i r e c t i o n we could see Mt. ~Mgecum.be i n the Bay of P l e n t y and i n the other d i r e c ­t i o n T " t . Egmont i n Taranaki.

On Thursday we set o f f back to the Chateau by longer route, t a k i n g i n on the way the Tama Lakes and the Taranaki F a l l s and so on to an ample, n e v e r - t o - b e - r i v a l l e d , t e a .

F r i d a y saw the l a s t of our mountain climbing e f f o r t s and by lunch-time the splendid panorama from the top of Ruapehu l a y before our eyes. By F r i d a y night most of us were s u f f e r i n g not a l i t t l e from sunburn so our f i n a l day passed i n a l a z y f a s h i o n , e a t i n g , r e s t i n g , s t r o l l i n g , posing f o r the camera man of Neuline studios L t d . ( i n t e c h n i c o l o r ! ) and f i n a l l y , at midnight, boarding the t r a i n back to Auckland.

- Mary Lokes.

EASTER CAMP - HUNUA. March 20th-24th. The headquarters of F.C.'s Easter Camp 1951 was Te Hapua, A.T.C.'s

hut at the head of the Moumoukai V a l l e y . The Hunua Ranges had not been v i s i t e d by F.C. since 1946 and t h e r e f o r e the country and vegetation was quite new to many of us. Te Hapua i s w e l l i n the ranges, where the vegetation i s more l e s s i n i t s o r i g i n a l s t a t e .

Our p a r t y of 23 was transported by bus from Papakura to the end of the road i n the Moumoukai V a l l e y , a r r i v i n g at the hut j u s t a f t e r mid-day. A f t e r lunch one p a r t y , having sampled the forbidden f r u i t of St. Paul's Orchard, followed the disused t r a m l i n e up the v a l l e y to the manganese mine. From a survey peak a good view of the Waikato a r e a south to P i r o n g i a was obtained and also north to the Manukau Harbour w i t h the c i t y on the s k y l i n e . The tea p a r t y remained at the hut and braved a swim i n a deep pool of the Mangatawhiri Stream below th e hut, presumably w i t h the idea of g e t t i n g clean, but mud and watercress were soon f l y i n g i n a l l d i r e c t i o n s and t h e i r o r i g i n a l noble purpose was de­feated. ( F e r t i l e Sphagnum w i t h abundant capsules was found by t h i s party i n a small swamp across the v a l l e y . )

The f o l l o w i n g morning the breakfast "party discovered to their horror that the bag of porridge was r e a l l y a bag of f l o u r , and we faced what none of us had experienced before, a "pogless" camp. The person most d r a s t i c a l l y a f f e c t e d by t h i s was Mr. Mirams who l a y on the ground in agony f o r s e v e r a l hours moaning "no nog no pog ...". About 10 a.m. the m a j o r i t y , s t i l l f i t i n s p i t e of the calamity, set o f f to f o l l o w the new graded t r a c k on the ridge behind the hut and f i n a l l y came to the 'Konini Stream where lunch was enjoyed. However, at the f i v e m i l e peg the t r a c k petered out and we were forced t o the conclusion that t h i s t r a c k d i d not l e a d to Kohukohunui. The remainder of the p a r t y , 7 s t a l ­warts, planned to go on an overnight t r i p to the coast and spent several hours t r y i n g to f i n d the beginning of t r a c k s shown on their maps, but un­f o r t u n a t e l y they were too obscure to be found. At l e n g t h i t was de­cided to f o l l o w the same t r a c k as the others i n a. belated attempt to reach the "1000 acre c l e a r i n g " . However, at about 3 p.m. they were met w i t h d e r i s i v e laughter by the day t r i p p e r s on t h e i r way back from the end of the t r a c k . A f t e r f u r t h e r hours spent i n t r y i n g to l o c a t e the d i r e c t i o n of the c l e a r i n g the "overnight t r i p p e r s " d e c i d e d that t h e y could do no b e t t e r than spend the night by the side of the Konini Stream This proved an i d e a l snot w i t h glow worms i n p r o f u s i o n on the bank, and bri g h t moonlight added an e e r i e touch to the n o c t u r n a l bush.

On Thursday those at base camp set out f o r the Mangatangi Forks, where the smaller K o n i n i j o i n s the Mangatangi Stream. The route passed

* Now Ph.D.

1 2 .

v i a the old Manganese mine and down Mead's graded t r a c k . Before lunch some hardy souls wet themselves ( i n t e n t i o n a l l y ) i n a deep pool j u s t be­low the F o r k s — t h e Mangatangi i s n o t o r i o u s l y f r i g i d ! Meanwhile those who s i at out, having abandoned the idea of going to the coast, went c o l l e c t i n g down the stream and even found time f o r reading from that t h r i l l i n g epic "The Knight of the Motor Launch." They a r r i v e d back at the hut at about 8 a.m. and e v e n t u a l l y r e t i r e d to the sack under the Eucalypts over the creek. The same par t y , having paid f o r seats f o r a F r i d a y night concert, had to r e t u r n by foot to Papakura the next day. This made a. pleasant trip by road but the o f f e r of a l i f t was not refused and so a l l managed to pass through the g r u e l l i n g Hunua Gorge on wheels.

Those remaining at the camp on F r i d a y aimed again at Kohukohunui, t h i s time under the able guidance of E r n i e St. P a u l . A f t e r i n i t i a l l y b u l l d o z i n g through the gorse and blackberry they climbed the- disused t r a c k on the ridge opposite the hut ( i . e . the t r a c k missed by the "• "coast" party) and so reached the main ridge l e a d i n g to the summit. Good time was made and a f i n e view from the peak proved the e f f o r t r e a l l y worthwhile (but i t i s d o u b t f u l i f the Great B a r r i e r was r e a l l y . v i s i b l e even wi t h the b i n o c u l a r s ) . A f t e r noting some i n t e r e s t i n g p l a n t s around the summit the party turned o f f by the. "Free Ice Cream Sign" and bush-crashed down a steep slope i n t o the Mangatawhiri Stream', and so "aqua-tramped" back t o the hut. The l a s t evening was w e l l spent consuming l a r g e mugs of steaming cocoa and enjoying a f i r s t c lass sing-song. Ne:rt day we were away e a r l y by bus to Papakura where some • joined Prof. Chapman's ecology p a r t y heading f o r Mercer, peat swamps and quadrats wh i l e the r e s t returned home.

Hunua camp w i l l be remembered as one of ^ i e l d Club's most succ­e s s f u l Easter t r i p s f o r i t s f i r s t - c l a s s weather, the i n t e r e s t i n g country covered and f o r the ascent, f i n a l l y , of Kohukohunui.

- June N e v i l l e and George Mason.

MAY CAMP - NATIONAL PARK. ROTORUA. 5th-12th "ay. Saturday morning, 5th , May, saw a very j o v i a l crowd, except f o r

a few rather bleary-eyed bods (Grad. B a l l the night b e f o r e ) , leave A.U.C. h a l f an hour behind schedule, due to Colwyn plus a P a r i s i a n model hat of 1 9 0 0 . * Our t r a n s p o r t was the s p r l n g l e s s Ardmore School of Engineering t r u c k , guided by an amiable d r i v e r . A f t e r approxim­a t e l y nine bumpy, dusty hours, we a r r i v e d at the Chateau at 6 p.m. to be greeted by the aroma of food being prepared by P r o f , and Mrs. •Chapman. On the way we had passed John and Hanno h i t c h - h i k i n g , but are proud to say they refused our o f f e r of a l i f t .

The temperature at the Chateau soon prove,! that we needed a l l our' w o o l l i e s , and a good s t o r e of carbonettes. That n i g h t , a f t e r fln ex­c e l l e n t feed, we had a general preview of work ahead from P r o f , and then r e t i r e d to bed ( i n one hut to be e n t e r t a i n e d by "Winnie the Pooh n). Toffee as usual moaned about the c o l d , so we kept him quiet by making him get up i n the night and stoke the f i r e . By the end of the t r i p quite a few had colds and n e a r l y everyone e l s e had, or were s t i l l having, V i r u s t o n g a r i r o e n s i s .

Work commenced on Sunday morning i n the tussock country, a f t e r a good breakfast and burnt porridge. Here specimens were c o l l e c t e d f e v e r i s h l y and many long L a t i n names l e a r n t . Our entomologist was pleased w i t h h i s day's catch, and everybody had p l e n t y of pressing (of plants) to do that n i g h t . People i n the Hotel must have thought us quite mad, w i t h John running around w i t h a wind recorder, Rex digging holes ( l o o k i n g f o r pumice, I t h i n k ) , others t a k i n g r e l a t i v e humidity readings, and the r e s t throwing hats or s t i c k s around f o r the t a k i n g of random? quadrats. +

Monday was spent i n the,beech f o r e s t and ended i n a walk to S i l i c a Springs. Here we a l l l e a r n t at l e a s t one p l a n t , Coprosma f o e t i d i s s i m a .

Tuesday was the groat day f o r most of us. We woke, at l e a s t a * i*"r. Mackadam a r r i v e d even l a t e r , per T a x i . - Ed. + The author (when Rex didn't have the spade) amused himself l o o k i n g

f o r worms—without any success. - Ed.

1 3 .

few e a r l y bods d i d , to a b e a u t i f u l sunrise, t i n t i n g snow-covered Ngauruhoe a d e l i c a t e r i n k , forming a b e a u t i f u l p i c t u r e against the c l e a r deer blue sky. We were going UP Ruapehu, so, with burnt porridge under our b e l t s we s t a r t e d o f f f o r S a l t Hut. Hero we had lunch, and then the afternoon was our own. A party went u^ Ruapehu to the G l a c i e r tongue and enjoyed many snow-fights and tobogganings down the i c y slopes, on or o f f a sugar bag.

That night we were fortunate i n having P r o f e s s o r Ford of Cambridge U n i v e r s i t y (who was t r a v e l l i n g through the North I s l a n d w i t h Doc. G.) 7 to give us a very i n t e r e s t i n g and informative t a l k on the p r a c t i c a l as­pect of genetical research. To t h i s t a l k we were asked t o t u r n out i n respectable c l o t h e s . Toffee even had a t i e , but s p o i l t the e f f e c t by ; combining i t w i t h a four days growth and a b a l a c l a v a . j.

Wednesday dawned another c l e a r day and the Tama Lakes, our objective f o r the day, came up to a l l our expectations.

Thursday we were up and away e a r l y to the State "Forest a t Waiotapu where we were t h e i r guests u n t i l Saturday. We were each housed i n a separate u n i t , very comfortable, and FED (often the g i r l s hod to g i v e up half-way through t h e i r second course). N.B.-Here was the only time we had unburnt p o r r i d g e ,

During the day we were conducted around parts of the f o r e s t , to the nursery, the m i l l and up Rainbow Mountain. On Thursday evening we had a t a b l e - t e n n i s championship, w i t h John M. the champion of Waiotapu State Forest and Des R. runner-up. "Friday night saw Roto rue I l o o k i n g r a t h e r shocked as a. crowd of ragged persons stormed i n t o the p i c t u r e t h e a t r e , m i l k - b a r s and p i e - c a r t s of the town.

Leaving e a r l y Saturday morning w i t h l a r g e presses, h u r r i e d l y packed packs, t i r e d looks of the pranksters and annoyed looks of those who were disturbed from t h e i r n i g h t ' s slumbers, we set o f f f o r the State F o r e s t r y Labs, at Waka. A f t e r a f i s h - a n d - c h i p lunch i n Rotorua, we l e f t f o r A u c k l a n d at 12.30.

- Gordon Grandison.

MAY - HUNUA. 18th-20th "ay. A v a l i a n t p a r t y of 7 made a dash back i n t o the t h i c k of the Hunuas

to save face a f t e r our f a i l u r e to roach the top of Kohukohunui during F a s t e r . This time we t r i e d our a t t a c k from the c o a s t a l s i d e and l e f t on F r i d a y evening by bus f o r Kawakawa Bay. This we reached at about 7.30 p.m. and a f t e r a l i t t l e roaming around f o r information from the l o c a l s we set o f f over the h i l l s towards Orere i n the moonlight. On the way we passed through a r a t h e r good patch of bush unconscious of the f a c t that t h i s was one place that Nothofagus truncate (hard beech) i s to be found. A f t e r a couple of hours we came down i n t o a very pleasant v a l l e y on the other side of which we could see the f o o t - h i l l s of the Hunuas and behind these the ridge we were to climb the next day. At the house of Mr. Herb. Cashmere who, w i t h h i s son, farms t h i s v a l l e y , we were made very welcome and discussed plans f o r the morrow. F i n a l l y at about 10 p.m. we sacked up beside the creek i n a patch of b u s h — s t i l l bathed i n moonlight.

In s p i t e of a rushed breakfast we d i d not manage a very e a r l y start-we never do—and Mr. Cashmere had already set o f f i n the d i r e c t i o n we were to f o l l o w . He greeted us w i t h a cheery "Good afternoon!" Mr. Cashmore has a road through h i s property that leads d i r e c t l y to the ridge' between Kohukohunui c l e a r i n g and the Manganese mine, and we had made up our minds that t h i s was by f a r the quickest way to our goal. The road passes beside the creek t h r u ' patches of bush l e f t by Mr. Cashmere's fa t h e r w i t h f o r e s i g h t r a r e l y met w i t h i n New Zealand pioneers. A l t o ­gether the v a l l e y I s w e l l worth a v i s i t . The end of the road i s oppos­i t e a l e a d i n g ridge at r i g h t angles to the main Kohukohunui ridge and by f o l l o w i n g the goat t r a c k s along the c r e s t of t h i s ridge i t i s a matter of an hour or so to reach the b r i d l e - t r a c k between the Manganese Mine and Kohukohunui. The bush i s r a t h e r scrappy though of intense i n t e r e s t w i t h Ramarama quite common, and f r e q u e n t l y Microlaena avenacea (also a <j creek-side grass!) forms dense communities—these may have been induced by the r o o t i n g of nigs which with goats have great i n f l u e n c e en the v e g e t a t i o n * . Towards the main r i d g e , however, the bush becomes t a l l e r

* See account of Hunua. Vegetation, p, 2 7 .

and of greater m a t u r i t y w i t h l a r g e t r e e s , KoheKoh^ being common. We had lunch on the b r i d l e t r a c k and then a l l except Heather, who f e l t more l i k e a r e s t , made a h u r r i e d job of the 5 miles to and from the t r i g . Here at the edge of the c l e a r i n g we had th-- ' t h r i l l of disc o v e r ­ing several small plants of the mountain C o r d y l i n e (C. i n d i v i s a ) — v e r y n e a r l y overlooking them as d i d the Faster party even though some of the p l a n t s are r i g h t beside the t r a c k .

Near 4 p.m. we hoi s t e d UP our packs and s t a r t e d o f f on the home­ward journey which promised to be a j o l l y long one. From the Mangan­ese Mine road we took the t r a c k down the ridge d i r e c t l y to Te Hapua. Now we found we had been w i t h i n a few yards of the entrance to the tr a c k so vainly sought i n our f i r s t attempt at f a s t e r .

Tea i n the f a s t dwindling l i g h t of evening and sub^enuently i n the dark before the moon rose was a long drawn out a f f a i r — t h e stew was kicked over ( a f t e r dark) and was barely salvaged, the remains being r e ­i n f o r c e d from an a l l too l a r g e (and heavy) food supply. At l p s t we set o f f about 8.30 p.m. towards Papakura. We had hoped to spend the night w i t h Tramping Club at the B i b l e Class Camp, Hunua, but t h i s was some 15 miles o f f and we r e a l i s e d we could only cover a l i t t l e of t h i s . The moon rose and kept Our s p i r i t s up as we trudged along and even t u a l l y we amazed ourselves by reaching Camp Adai r o n l y a mile or so up the Hunua Stream from T.C. Thi° we d i d at midnight, foot-sore and weary, and collapsed on the grass beside the stream to sleep...... Tomorrow was dreaded—about 10 miles of hard rough road to Papakura!

We made a very l a t e s t a r t a f t e r 3 hours of pan-cake cooking. Down the stream to the Hunua f a l l s was O.K. but here the only crossing place (on the b r i n k of the f a l l s ) was flooded and a b i t f o r b i d d i n g . We made i t , however,—Jane j u s t rescued from a d i p by Hanno and Heather being thrown across a f t e r p r a c t i s i n g the a r t on her pack. T.C. re a r ­guard were j u s t c l e a r i n g up before departing ( i n cars!) so we l e f t them to i t and s t a r t e d plodding. We a r r i v e d at Papakura i n time to catch the 6.15 bus, vowing never to tramp with f u l l packs from Te Hapua to Papakura again. Not that the t r i p wasn't r e a l l y g o o d — o f course i t was.

- Colwyn Trevarthen.

MAY - SWANSON-O'NUKU. 16th-20th "ay. A f t e r a l e i s u r e l y two days at Swanson a party of four l e f t e a r l y

F r i d a y afternoon f o r O'nuku to a r r i v e i n time f o r t e a , at which time Mary, George and Sum were j u s t s e t t i n g o f f from the Waitakere s t a t i o n on a wearying journey, missing the t u r n - o f f f o r O'nuku and flo u n d e r i n g on along a bull-dozed mud-pie of a road f o r a couple of m i l e s before even r e a l i s i n g they were l o s t . s t r u g g l i n g back again i n an endeavour to reach another hut passed on the way, where they determined to break i n and spend the n i g h t , the t u r n - o f f was found without any difficulty and the three f i n a l l y staggered i n t o O'nuku j u s t on 11.30 p.m. to a d e l i c i o u s meal, accompanied by a dinner session on the grf,maph^ne, and a most welcome sleep.

A f t e r breakfast on Saturday Los and C a r r i c k set o f f back f o r home and swot while Hank joined the remainder of the party to make the t r i p to Anawhata. They hadn't gone more than a m i l e when Mary shame­fa c e d l y admitted that a f t e r the previous night's experience she was a l ­most too s t i f f t o move and so returned to the hut and played the grama-phone a l l day so as t o drown the: sound of the mice and r a t s running around, while the r e s t made the t r i p to Anawhata, lunched and returned by the Anawhata road, Sum being waylaved by a couple of Gorgeous G i r l s at Auckland Tramping Club hut and a r r i v i n g f o r tea. at about 8.30 p.m

On Sunday morning, a f t e r a l a t e b reakfast, the party set o f f v i a Cutty Grass Track to Scenic D r i v e , there to t r y t h e i r hand at h i t c h ­h i k i n g home, Auckland's t r a n s p o r t system being i n i t ' s most t y p i c a l s t a t e — n o c o a l f o r t r a i n s and the buses on s t r i k e . Ian, Rewi and Mary set o f f i n one d i r e c t i o n , George and Sum i n the other. Both p a r t i e s ended up g e t t i n g l i f t s i n the opposite d i r e c t i o n to which they s t a r t e d walking, George and Sum ev e n t u a l l y reaching town about 5 p.m. a f t e r two l i f t s , Ian and Mary, and f u r t h e r on the two Gorgeous G i r l s (much to Sum's annoyance) being c a r r i e d almost to t h e i r f r ^ n t doors, and Re w i — a s k Rewi.

- Mary Lokes.

15. i MIDTERM - ANAW^ATA.,,, 5th-8th J u l y .

("Nice place you've got here!") When nine of us l e f t by t r u c k i n the dark at 6 a.m. on Thursday

n i g h t , another four were nearing Anawhata fr<̂ m. Whatipu, where they had spent Wednesday night sl e e p i n g (?) i n a cave. That we were s e t t l e d i n the hut by 9 p.m. was due l a r g e l y to a speedy t r i p and the nocturnal overlooking of two "Trespassers...." notice---. The hut was la r g e and roomy, with a good range, and we decided to overlook the accumulated sand and vermin pressure u n t i l the morning. By now, two important needs were competing f o r dominance-r-food and music. Food we had bought w i t h us, but we had not expected to f i n d a gramophone, complete with records. The i n g e n u i t y of s e v e r a l m usical engineers combined to produce an instrument where the record was spun by a t w i r l i n g f i n g e r o f f - c e n t r e , instead of a s p r i n g ; the needle was held i n with l a r g o blobs of candle wax and a natch s t i c k , and the tone arm was kept f i x e d to the speaker with a f i r m but gentle hand. The f o u r trampers a r r i v e d at about 10 p.m. to hear one of the f i r s t s u c c e s s e s — a soprano a r i a from "The Barber of S e v i l l e . " The v e r s a t i l i t y of the instrument was demonstrated on a record of "The Distler and His Wog", which proved e q u a l l y pleasant forwards or backwards, f a s t or slow, and with one needle or two. P e t e r Dawson, played f a s t enough to sound l i k e Donald Duck,,, provided e a r l y F r i d a y morning's l u l l ­aby. . ' . '•'

F r i d a y proved sunny;.and- b r i g h t and gave many t h e i r f i r s t view of Anawhata w i t h i t s f i n e beach and overhanging k n o l l s behind. Tracks i n the sand showed t r i p s i n many d i r e c t i o n s on F r i d a y morning, but a l l l e d back i n time f o r a lunch of f r i e d sausages. In a w i l d wind, w i t h much spray f l y i n g , and the sun s h i n i n g , we roamed around the coast towards White's Beach. We turned back quite unconcernedly at the gap, .and l a t e r scaled s t r a i g h t UP the c l i f f , wandering e a s i l y home, spending plenty of time admiring Keyhole Rock, and of course, adding a few more photographs to the thousands that must e x i s t of i t . A b o t t l e over the dinner menu between s t e w i s t s and s t e a k i s t s ended i n a compromise, a j u i c y stew being accompanied by a sl a b of good steak. The gramophone and a new d i s c o v e r y — " T h e Two Black Crows i n Hades" were popular a f t e r tea — "Hello - Yes, t h i s i s Purgatory D e v i l speaking" soon becoming a camp-hold phrase. Games and songs accompanied by mouth organ, banjo and comb and Paper faded out about 11 p.m. when seeking UP on the Stenotaphrum (Buffalo Grass to you) proceeded, l e a v i n g a few card sharpers at work u n t i l 2 a.m.

Saturday was warm and b r i g h t — j u s t r i g h t f o r a tramp over to B e t h e l l s . The t r a c k over the headland separating Anawhata from B e t h e l l s gives some marvellous views. To see the waves along the coast i n f u l l s u n l i g h t from 650 feet i s one. of the best rewards of the West Coast. "A swim f o r a few before lunch, and a short, d i r t y game of f o o t b a l l on the sand a f t e r were not s u f f i c i e n t to t i r e us f o r our walk home, wi t h ,groups l e a v i n g i n several d i r e c t i o n s , some to the Shaggery, others to have a look at Erangi Point, others wandering indolently along the sands. A l l but the birdwatchers had returned to the hut by dark, to f i n d Karen and Rex had a r r i v e d , and that Rewi had payed us a short v i s i t on h i s motor-bike. The b i r d watchers necked t h e i r way over the h i l l s i n p i t c h dark, and burst i n as the "Umbo Lancers", f i v e minutes before tea was served. Around a b o n f i r e that night we "Stripped the Willow", played an odd game of A l i b i s , sang, and cooked various foods i n various Ways.

Breakfast i n bed was enjoyed by a l l but two (the w r i t e r s ) on Sunday morning, and reading from "And Now A l l T h i s " was s t i l l proceeding when a few, with some energy l e f t , set out to c o l l e c t a l a s t few bugs and take a l a s t few photographs. By k p.m. and a m i r a c l e we were packed UP, w i t h the hut cleaned and the gear on the road. Only a few extra photographs, and a s p r i g of S i d e r o x y l o n to be c o l l e c t e d prevented our l e a v i n g before 4.30 p.m. - John Edwards and Hanno Fa i r b u r n .

WADDING. 7th J u l y . Mid-term was a l s o the occasion of a wedding of great i n t e r e s t to

F i e l d Club---that of A l e x Corban and Gwen Jerram, two of the club's staunchest supporters. Those who managed to o b t a i n t r a n s p o r t to Gisborne f o r the wedding had a very enjoyable time and agreed that a. happier looking couple could not be seen. The Club extends i t s best wishes to Gwen and Alex f o r a long and happy married l i f e .

* "Though I have seer' b e t t e r . "

16.

SECOND TERM - SWANSON WEEKEND. 27-29th J u l y . Towards the end of the second t e r n a party of eight spent the

week-end at the Swanson hut f o r the purpose of v i s i t i n g the F a i r y F a l l s . -The t r i p was forever immortalised by the fabulous supper of F r i d a y n i g h t . The advance guard of f o u r who a r r i v e d on the 5.20 p.m. t r a i n , prepared c r a y f i s h and eggs, f r u i t salad and cream, savouries end coffee—who could dream of greater l u x u r y ! But the poor v a l i a n t f o u r had then to r e s t r a i n themselves f o r f i v e long hours u n t i l the Morepork brought the r e s t of the party. We t r i e d to f o r g e t our watering mouths by reading A u s t r a l i a n short s t o r i e s but i t wasn't much help. E v e n t u a l l y the others d i d turn up and we a l l " d i d ourselves f i n e " , t i l l we were only f i t f o r the sack.•

However, next day we j u s t i f i e d such opulent l i v i n g by a c t u a l l y reaching the F a i r y F a l l s , reputed to be t r i c k y to f i n d . I t Was a beaut­i f u l f i n e day and we set out e a r l y up to the f i l t e r s t a t i o n , down the Henderson V a l l e y road and up Dreamlands Road, passing on the way some very f i n e specimens of 01ea by the roadside, much longer than u s u a l l y seen i n the Waitakeres. F o r t u n a t e l y Honk knew j u s t the r i g h t place to t u r n i n across the paddocks and down to the stream. We had lunch there where the stream f o r k s , and then resigned ourselves to a m i l e -of aqua-tramping up the stream to the foot of the f a l l s . I t wasn't very easy ploughing along i n f a i r l y deep FRIGID water w i t h l a r g e s l i p p e r y boulders underfoot. However a l l discomforts were w e l l repaid by the beauty of the f a l l s as they tumble i n s o f t f l i c k e r i n g l a c y patterns down a rugged rock face. The whole s e t t i n g i s weird, s t r a n g e l y b e a u t i ­f u l and glowing green w i t h l i c h e n s and mosses. Fil m y ferns hang from each cranny and t r e e , f l u t t e r i n g s o f t l y . They are a p t l y named, these F a i r y F a l l s . We climbed back onto the road and trudged back f i l t e r s , entertained by two melodious bass voices. We are convinced

to the the owners should be i n I t a l y studying Grand Opera and not wasting t h e i r sweetness on the Waitakere a i r .

Dinner that night was stew and lumpy custard (NOT burnt!]) from the l a v i s h splendour of the previous night's

,,—a f a l l repast but nevertheless

very welcome. Three of the party returned home to swot while mainder sprawled round a b l a z i n g f i r e i n our sacks and were (except the poor reader) before the f i r s t s t o r y was through

Sunday was a d i s g r a c e f u l l y l a z y day. Brunch no. 1 was 11.30 a.m. and Brunch no. 2 at 3 p.m. before a w i l d dash back to catch the afternoon bus home. - Karen Thomson.

the ro­l l asleep

served at to Swanson

AUGUST - PONUI ISLAND. 22-29th August. from Auckland, "^onui, or "Chamberlain's]' I s l a n d , d i r e c t i o n between Waiheke I s . and Kawakawa Bay. miles at i t s longest and 2 miles at i t s widest acres of l a n d , bought i n 1853 as a p o t e n t i a l

Twenty sea m i l e s l i e s i n a north-south I t i s ' approximately 5 p o i n t s , and has 4,373 sheep and c a t t l e run.

On Wednesday, 22nd, i n one of the harbour's best gales o the advance pa r t y of 4 l e f t f o r Ponui i n the not-so-good ship and a f t e r 3-%- hours lurched onto the somewhat s t e a d i e r wharf at Following the t r a c k to the c o a s t a l r i d g e , they headed f o r Mr. I a i n ' s homestead at the South End. On the r i d ^ o s pe l t e d w i t h r a i n and blown o f f the t r a c k by what Rod reckoned m.p.h." wind. I t blew him over twice. F i n a l l y , j u s t before

' the year, Baroona, North End.

F. Chamber-they were A l t e r n a t e l y

as a "60 5 p.m.,

they s l i d down, to the coast to be f i n a l l y washed up on the Chamberlains' back lawn. These kind people stared aghast at t h e i r wet and battered s t a t e , then f i l l e d them up w i t h t e a , scones and cake, and l e d them to the nearest beds,

Two Porouaki r a i n i n g , In s p i t e

l a t e r . the r e s t of the campers a r r i v e d on the Bay, midway down the west coast. I t was 9.30 p.m., and the f o u r miles of t r a c k before them was ankle deep of the advance party's i n s i s t e n c e that i t was absolute

go to so

Baroona at i t was

i n mud. l y unnec­

essary f o r Mr. Chamberlain to go to so much t r o u b l e , he took pity on that l u c k y l u c k y fourteen and met the Baroona w i t h h i s launch] Though the night was dark, 2 dinghies made the t r a n s f e r of people and packs without mishab. The b r i g h t phosphorescent l i g h t of the disturbed bay g r e a t l y i n t e r e s t e d the b i o l o g i s t s and a few wanted to see how much of a glow a l a r g e object would make i f i t s l i p p e d while climbing up the ladder

At Moturau Bay at the South End, a barge •provided the l a s t f i n i c k y mudless step onto dry sand. And to cap a l l , the newcombers found 3

1 7 .

g a l l o n s of hot soup w a i t i n g f o r them—soup which the advance party had accumulated f o r them f o r . 2 days. Their next and l a s t request that n i g h was to l i e down.

There were two huts. The one where a l l but the breakfast party were to sleep was ten minutes up the c e n t r a l v a l l e y . There were two routes to reach the cookhouse from the hut: one was 90$ mud, 10% water. To the disappointment of some of the advance party (now the breakfast p a r t y ) , d a y l i g h t d i s c l o s e d the other way.

Meals were much aided during the camp by our being allowed the use of a kerosene stove, being given m i l k twice a day, and by having our porridge cooked overnight i n the homestead oven. For these and many other kindnesses we have to thank the Chamberlains.

For the m a j o r i t y , the camp was short. The only f u l l day that we had together was Saturday. V i s i t e d i n t u r n were: a part of the bush v a l l e y s ; the western r i d g e s ; the maori pas on the eastern side of Moturau Bay; the tunnels of the i s l a n d ' s 2 gold mines; and then the t r i g (567 f e e t ) . Only the lower t h i r d of the i s l a n d was covered. Even at t h a t , we hadn't the time to do any more than touch parts of the coast and bush.

Sunday midday saw groups moving towards Porouaki f o r the boat, "̂ rom the ridge t r a c k over Oranga Bay, one can see the f i r s t v a l l e y s which were c u l t i v a t e d 98 years ago. One of the f i r s t t hings planted was a gorse hedge and they now cut the other side of i t at North "^nd. Everyone met at Porouaki i n f r o n t of the 94 year o l d homestead, hoping that "the other l o t " had brought more food than they. At 3.15 p.m. the f i v e who were to stay were l e f t on the beach waving to the overflowing dinghies as they p u l l e d away to the f e r r y . On the f e r r y , one can suppose that the usual rough-house passed the time u n t i l the boat docked at Auckland about 4 hours l a t e r .

Meanwhile, at Ponui, the remnants tramped back to camp by a new route along the west coast. When home, they ate h e a r t i l y and at length, and l i s t e n e d to a reading of part of the d i a r y of the f i r s t Chamberlain ever to come to New Zealand and "Ponui I s l a n d i n 1853.

Next morning, Monday, at 6.30 a.m. two of the party packed and at 8 a.m. l e f t f o r Auckland on the Chamberlain launch. A 2-hour journey i n b e a u t i f u l morning weather. The three l e f t behind i n v e s t i g a t e d other parts of the i s l a n d over the next two days, perhaps t h e i r pleasantest f i n d being the i s l a n d ' s g u l l i e s of k i n g f e r n . At 1.30 p.m. on Wednesday, these l a s t three l e f t from North End f o r the c i t y smoke.

While some botanising was done on the i s l a n d , and a p r e l i m i n a r y species l i s t was made, the e d i t o r s p r e f e r to leave t h i s u n t i l another t r i p can add to i t . They hope to p u b l i s h i t next year. However, i t was noted t h a t there were c e r t a i n elements of the vegetation of both the Hunua Ranges (e.g. Nothofagus truncata) and of the Coromandel Peninsula, (e.g. Pomaderris rugosa ) . I t i s a l s o hoped th a t a few comments on the i n t e r e s t i n g geology of the i s l a n d w i l l be published.

- Ian Nicholson.'

CONGRATULATIONS. To Vivienne Dellow on her appointment as J u n i o r L e c t u r e r i n the

Botany Department, V i c t o r i a U n i v e r s i t y College. To Ross Robbins on h i s appointment to a Lectureship i n the Botany

Department, U n i v e r s i t y College of the West I n d i e s , Jamaica, B.W.I, To Rex Mirams on the attainment of h i s Ph.D. degree ( U n i v e r s i t y of N.Z.)

A l l three are o l d members of F i e l d Club and the club extends i t s best wishes to them i n t h e i r f u t u r e careers.