IN TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 78, 1 April 1922, Page 17

IN TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK.

A CHEAP HOLIDAY. j 1 P.;. ARTHUR I'AIUBUKN.i A little over eight hours' journey uov.il tile Main Trunk line lies the ideal holiday ground and change ot air for the dueller by the seaside. 1 refer to the Tongariro National Park, and having just returned from a fortnight's holiday there, this brief account is being written with a view of giving those who, so far, have not been fortunate enough to visit this wonderful region, sonic idea of the cost of the trip, and also what to expect there in the way of accommodation in the government huts. We left Auckland on a Sunday night by the 7.10 express, and arrived at Waimarino at 3.10 a.m. As we had made arrangements beforehand with one of the local carriers to cart our provisions, blankets, etc., to the Whakapapa hut. we were able to start off at 5 a.m., the carl giving our party of four a lift to the "turn-off"' six miles along the Wai-marino-Tokaanu road. There is only a rough cart track five miles iv length from the "turn-off" at the main road to the hut, so this part of the journey has to be done on foot. We arrived at !) a.m., and spent the rest of the morning making ourselves comlortable in the hut. The Whakapapa hut, or cottage, consists of three rooms, two of them with large fireplaces. There are eight sacking bunks in each of two of the rooms and six in the third, arranged steamer fashion, which are provided with mattresses stuffed with tussock grass. The following cooking utensils are in good order: 'I wo large iron kittles, two fry ing pans, camp oven, wire griller, also some billies, nut it is just as well not to count on these. There are aiso buckets and washing-up basins t__dc from benzine tins. A limpid streamlet, ten yards away, supplies the water, and there is firewood in abundance in the forest on either side. The sanitary arrangiments are very satisfactory. Our food supply consisted of bacon, oatmeal biscuits, tinned milk, tea, coffee, cocoa, honey, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, etc., also a hind quarter of mutton and a dozen loaves of bread, which were obtained from Raurimu. Arrangements can be made with one of the storekeepers at Raurimu to supply any food needed. As the nights are very cold, the altitude being 3,750 ft (we had ice in the buckets one morning I, it is advisable to take warm clothing, and several blankets. A hot water bottle is "both grateful and comforting" at tiraee. So far as equipment is concerned, it is necessary to have strong boots, studded with ice nails, and smoked glasses for the glacier on Ruapehu. Ladies will find riding breeches and puttees the most sensible dress for climbing. At least one of the party should carry a compass in case of mist obscuring the surroundings. There is plenty to see ana do for the non-climber. The silver-beech forests, clad with lichens and carpeted with a wealth of tr «iy coloured mosses, are alone worth \ i»e trip. About a mile from the hut, towards Hahungatahi, we saw three beautiful streams; the bed of one was white with silica, another red with iron, and the third was saffron in colour. There is also an opportunity for some original exploration, as the country between Ruapehu and Hahungatahi has hardly been touched. The day after our arrival we paid a visit to the two Tama lakes. This is a very easy day's trip, and is good training for the longer trips later. On Wednesday it rained most of the day. In the late afternoon there arrived a solitary visiter, a member cf the Capetown Alpine Club. As this gentleman wanted to elin'.'b Ruapehu next day. we made up our minds that we would attempt the ascent with him in tne early morning, wet or fine, and so Thursday morning saw us having breakfast at four o'clock. We left the hut at five, carrying lighted lanterns to show the way through the mist, and in half an hour's time we had passed through the forest. At the eno of an hour we had reached the scoria zone beyond the tussock land. By 5.30 we were in the gorges close to the foot of the glaciers, and here we halted for our second breakfast. The mountain n..ist. which had threatened to blot out our view at first, very obligingly rolled away as the sun rose tipOur next and last stage was up the Whakapapa Glacier. On the principle of "safety first," we were roped together in case we struck a snow-masked erev-=s*. In ascending this glacier it is best to keep to the left hand side, as there as Jewer crevasses there than on the right. Each of us had an ice axe, but these'were not really necessary, as the snow was soft and I not fro_en over, and the grade is easy. By noon we had reached the top. Here we saw a most interesting sight. Behind us was the steaming crater lake, with its ice cliffs, and in nont we looked down over a level sea of clouds, as far as the eye could see. Ihe clouds were like fleecy ocean rollers, and away to the west on the horizon we could see the summit of Egmont standing up like an island cut of the billows. We ate a hasty lunch on top and then retraced our steps, as the wind w-as strong and bitterly cold, and there was no shelter in siglu. The return journey took a little over three hours. Gur next climb was up Ngauruhoe, 'which was done in a dense log. We gambled on the chance of the fog lifting, and lost. Our impressions oi Ngauruhoe were a stiff climb and a strong smell of sulphur coming out of an enormous misty cavern at the top. We started our climb from the shoulder about a quarter of a mile west oi Tama, and made our descent down the I north-east side to the Mangatepopo. but I which we reached at li p.m., wet and j tired. The Mangatepopo hut is a two--1 roomed shanty with eight blinks and an j outside fireplace. Here we spent Moni day drying our clothes between showers. We arose at 1.30 a.m. on Tuesday, had j breakfast, and started at 3 a.m. under 1 the light of the full moon on our journey I over the lava flow in the valley, and then I up into the southern crater of Tonga- ! riro. We arrived there at 5.30 a.m. in time to see a gorious sight—the sun rising over a river of clouds running between us and the Kaimanawas. Here we sat under shelter from the keen wind for half an hour, watching tbe light effects over the ranges and on the red and yellow scoria at the top of Ngauruhoe. before proceeding to the Blue Lake. On arriving at the Blue I,aie we sought a sheltered gully on the north side, and had our real breakfast of fried bacon, hot buttered toast and tea. this bein<j cooked with the aid of a pocket primus and a "dixie." After breakfast we walked round to Te Mali, one of the aethr craters on Tongariro. The actual crater appeared dead, but steam was roaring from a large rift away to the east of it. The sulphur lagoons below Te Mari were dry. After lunch we visited tils

Ketatahi Hot Springs and Blowhole where we had the luxury of a hot spout bath, the view from here, looking over Lakes Kotoaira and Taupo. must be seen to he appreciated. Words cannot do it justice. n.e mixture of hot mud and water h hjch flous away from the blowhole j, - al _ ,„ ;,.. , (lir ;, f lhe beSt cure& tc mall-in in ti: thermal regions I here ,- a in,,. roomed hut below -J_e spnng--. but some brainless visitors have .--mashed up th e bunks for firewood.

From the blowhole we skirted the western flanks of the mountain back to the hut. pa-sing near Hie source of the Wanganui Hirer a- we did so, and arriving at, ii p.m.. very weary after our -itecn-hon; day. Next day we returned in a hailstorm to the Whakapapa Hut, passing a herd of wild horses on the way. As the equinoctial gales had apparently set in we packed up on Ftidaj" and caught the 10.30 p.m. express atWaimarino, reaching Auckland at G. 30 a.m. Our expenses per capita were: — Train fare, .-econd-class return £2 S 4 Booking fee 0 0 !> Hut for 11 nights at 2/6 17 6 Transportation to and Irom bin 1 0 l> Provisions l 5 0 £o 10 7 In round figures, say £0. We had food for two more davo left. The charge for the use of the hut is 2/6 per night, and 20/ per week for a. tent site, with no restrictions as to the size of the tent. Thus the man who pitches a 10 x li tent pays the same, as tne one who pitches a marquee for 40 people. In the case of tents it would M more sensible and fairer to charge 5/ per head per week. About eleven miles of tracks have been cut in the Park by the Government, and those who UaC them should nox, object to paying a small fee towards their construction and upkeep. Besides the cottage at Whakapapa there is also additional accommodation there under canvas, and another hut is in the course of erection. With a good road from the hut to the main road, which would bring it within 30 minutes of Waiinarino by motor, a decent accommodation house —not too elaborate —and a golf course, for which the soil and situation are very suitable, combined with a little judicious advertising, the Park would in time rival and even eclipse Rotorua as a sanatorium and holiday resort. So far as climbing the mountains is concerned, anybody with a grain of commonsense and a. compass can do so in safety. There are reference maps in the huts, and any information required will be readily given by Mr. Mead in response to a letter addressed to the Caretaker, Tongariro National Park, Waimarino, to whom all applications for space at the huts should be made.