Swollen streams impede journey

Press, 27 November 1982, Page 3

Swollen streams impede journey

Ashburton reporter A party of young people and adults from Methven High School arrived home yesterday afternoon after swollen streams impeded their journey out from a hut in the Lake Stream area near the headwaters of the Rakaia River.. The 20 fourth-form boys, two parents, and two members of the Methven search and rescue team made their own way over several streams and were taken the rest' of the way by four-, wheel-drive vehicles. The party had gone into the area to camp on Tuesday as part of an outdoor education programme. Several days of rain raised the streams in the area and yesterday morning it was thought that the par'y’s trip out from the huts mifht have

to be postponed, the Ashburton police said. Eight' members of thb Methven search ant. rescue team went into, the area in four-wheel-drive vehicles yesterday in case the party’s four-wheel-drive bus could not ford the swollen streams.

The police said the rescuers would have sent food to the huts if the party had decided to wait for the streams to drop. An R.N.Z.A.F. helicopter also flew to ■ the area from Wigram but was not needed. The party left the hut early yesterday afternoon and crossed Bush Creek and Rocky Gorge Stream in their bus. The vehicle could not ford Lake Stream, however, and so the group crossed the stream on a foot bridge and were met at the other side by the rescue party. The party arrived at the high school about 3.40 p.m., only a short time after it was originally due back.