TRAMPERS' PLAYGROUNDS

Evening Post, Issue 149, 20 December 1935, Page 17

TRAMPERS' PLAYGROUNDS

:; ' ''" (Continued?from previous vaze.) 4:I •Jf.' ii :;;ii' f.;/.,'i ;:. ;'. \ ,;•„;' ~.,. ,_. ■' [~■■" ' f ;,,.••,.. ..f ,?■ - ... , ' ■ .' ■'.''. Waingawa.Jrom which a blazed spur ftear the bridge stands the Upper Tau-deseends;to'l^e'turh-of-the river from herenikau Hut, a small, and nbne-too-its-:upperV gorge." •""At intervals down weat'hertight veteran,"which' from'the the'ni»rrow r!va'lley! are slip convenience of.-its location is still of faces necessitating frequent crossing 'of considerable use. ■■ ■ ' . . the river,froni'flat; to flat; .and'in flood ■ The^-p'ack track runs by way of a time wearisbme detours., ul .-,. series of flats on the eastern ': side, Grassy, lawn-like or park-like flats Paralleled by an, emergency.track; on are . particularly" characteristic of the the. western bank, to a ford midway four eastern rivers, all of which, emerg- down the valley, thence down the ■ing from'their upper gorges, turn south western, flank side.by flats and over and-run, for some distance in compara- a ■ considerable bluff to Smith's Creek, txv'elyopeh'valley's before breaking out A little. above this is the new.and through, the 'foothills/ South of Holds- 'commodious tramping hut which superworth • on;..the Waiohine lies > Totara sedes the small hut at Smith's Creek Flat,.,the. greatest of'these in its pre- itself. As this is within comfortable ■sent- form, the, totara,(a .wonderful reach from Kaitpke, it has become a stand,to judge "by the stumps that re^ VeryYcry Popular weekend resort, possessmaihJ having been felled,'the timber mS'the advantage of being in the heart floated out, andthe flat.used for,graz- of tne bush and at the same time open ing. Sayer's..Whare (which is privately and sunny. owned.),, towards the southern end, has The river turns eastward into its a, fair .claim' to be. the" most' beautiful natrow. lower gorge, but the. track spot in the whole range. The slab a? cends Smith's Creek and crosses the and shingle whare stands in a clump dlvide to the Pakuratahi Bridge, some of, pale, green, ribbonwood beyond two and a half miles beyond Kaitoke whpse stemsj the wide valley stretches Ration, on .the Rimutaka road, where upstream, and downstream narrows be^ il meets the Hector track and completes tween rocky.bluffs. ' - the circuit of the range.' Here the, connecting tracks to the PJJf brief aooollll^ necessarily leaves Tauher.enikau Valley takes off from out the'"any streams and spurs.which the! opposite bank, winding in and out are used. as f^es with only perhaps of gullies oh a rising grade round the l^. 10"'1 aT °\ the 4 bl?^ eried steep flanks of Cdrie: From the saddle A , e5 of an old "replace to.indicate a ' side-track :runs up on to Cone ' a -f a hur?an- eyes have ever seen them, somewhat incongruously-named plateau' ! m? y '* year, or five, or even giving an impressive view of Tararud y ? ears ago"- ' That. too, is one Peak: ih' iis full extent arid!of Hector Cha. m of In spite of track' to which it is connected by a track makln S and hut-building outbreaks, it along a. saw-toothed ridge. IS not yet exPl°ited and organised: beFrom : the saddle a devious pack track Kg bands^of 3'■JSrtS'Sj^ meanders into the head of the Tauhere- summer alike to diwnrPP thn^\>^" Si^if^" CTosf s, theGrf yt f own- BISSitSSI Otaki track where .descends, from and lighter of pack, in the fullness of Mt. Reeves to cross the river, where time. The ranges can accommodate an .imposing suspension bridge, now many times their numberlmd3Te ■washed .away, stood for many years, main inviolate

You. would -never have known the m^n when he stepped ashore, smooth, smiling, and kind. . I'The best man won!" cried Uncle Bill Veldt. "Where is he? ' Let me shake his hand!" and he searched for Grandfather Perseus,', but he wasn't anywhere to be found. "Where is he?" repeated Uncle Bill heartily. "I want to shake the man's hand." \ Heaven knows what further devilry he was planning. "Grandfather's gone," I said, coming forward, "but h° left this for you, with his- compliments," and I handed him the baling tin. Tie!- Bill Veldt threw the tin on the ground and jumped on it, and the tin lay there and leered at him; so he jumped on it again, but its leer was worse than ever. Then he picked It up and ran to the overhanging cliff with it in his arms, and threw it in, and the cliff gave way and he and the tin went down together. When he rose choking from the water the tin was floating around him, smiling diabolically. He ground his teeth, and spat at it, but the tin smiled on and on.

and dash themselves against their cage bars; our.thrush, knowing he was in safe harbour from the cruel storms, only showed distress when a stranger approached. .

"He soon fed himself, and to draw attention to the fact that his emptyfood tray wanted refilling, he dipped his beak.into it, looking up with intelligent eyes, which followed me as I prepared his favourite mixture of meal, chopped raisins, and brown bread crumbs. After meals, he cleaned his bill, daintily sipped some water, and took a little grit to aid digestion. "On New Year's Day the postman remarked, 'The rime be blowin' into steam, rain's comin'.' Next morning silver- drops spattered against the window panes. The time approached to part with our guest. "As he was the latter—not a prisoner—we opened the cage door one sunny morning. He perched on the top of the gate, spread his wings, and flew over the fields; and I thought of Piers Plowman's quaint verse:—

" 'Birds and beasts through winter thou them grievest, And after thou cendest. them somer, That is their sovereign jove.'"