THE TARARUA FATALITY.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 6 February 1936, Page 5

THE TARARUA FATALITY.

Party Unable to Bring Back the Body.

Interment on Mountain Top.

Word of Mr. Wood’s tragic passing having been received on Monday evening from the remainder of the party of six of which he had been a member, the Levin-Waiopehu Tramping Club made immediate arrangements, and at four o’clock on Tuesday morning Messrs N. M. Thomson, G'. 11. Kerslake, A. Harvey, W. Ransom, R. Weld), J. Urquhart and Constable McCrca, set off from Levin in the hope of retrieving and bringing the body out. Leaving the (Pipe Bridge at five o’clock the party proceeded up the Waiopehu track, finding the going fairly dear as far as Palmer’s Camp, which they reached at 6.30 a.in. Water was obtainable and they breakfasted. Perhaps ten minutes beyond this point terrifically hard going was struck. The forest was found to be absolutely devasted, ninety per cent of the trees having fallen before the hurricane. The track was in consequence hopelessly blocked, and the Hampers, to proceed, were forced to clamber over the trunks of forest giants and through the boughs, climbing from five to thirty feet above the ground. Only occasionally could they scramble underneath the obstructions. Where possible they endeavoured to keep to the top of the ridge, but on many occasions were forced to detour down the slope. On the leeward side they once struck fairly easy travelling for fifteen minutes, but apart from this the going was indescribably difficult, and it was nothing short of sheer determination which made them continue. The site of the Waiopehu hut was eventually reached at 7.30 p.m. after hours travelling (a journey which usually occupies no more than hours), but practically- all sign of the building had disappeared. They camped here for the night. ■Setting off again at eight o’clock yesterday morning, the party at 9.30 found Mr. Wood’s body at a point 50 feet below the summit of Twin Peak, on the western slope and a few yards off the track, where he had been left by his comrades after his death. A survey of all other ridges and outlets was made, and it was eventually decided that for such a party r , it was utterly impossible to carry the body out. Hence a shallow grave was dug in the loose shale rock and lined with moss Mr. Wood was buried at exactly 11 o’clock, a short service be-

Having found the task of bringing out the body of Mr. Ralph Wood, the 29-year-old tramper, who succumbed to exhaustion and exposure upon the slopes of Twin Peak as a result of the terrific storm which swept the Tararuas on Sunday, absolutely impossible, the party from the Levin-Waiopehu Tramping Club, which journeyed into the mountains early on Tuesday morning, emerged shortly before 11 o’clock this morning, after a gruelling and heart-breaking battle through the stormwrecked forest. The party of seven were absolutely exhausted as a result of their experience, travel through the bush being wrought with almost insuperable difficulties.

ing conducted. The spot was marked ly a ring of rocks around the grave, at the head of which a wooden cross, hewn from leatherwood scrub, was erected. As a final tribute a bunch of wild mountain flowers was tied to the cross.

Feeling that they li:ul done all in Iheir power after these last sad rites, the party then returned to Waiopehu, at the summit of which peak they lunched. The hut site was again readied at 1.80 p.m., and they were shortly afterwards joined by a Man/i----watu Tramping Club party, consisting of Messrs L. Inglis (leader), L. Seymour. E. 'Chamberlain and V r . Zotof. Tliesc Avere informed of what had been done, and they fully agreed to the action taken.

At about 2.30 the entire party left the hut site, and after proceeding for half and hour down the ridge dropped down into the Ohau-iti valley. The going here was very rough, short steep banks rendering any hope of carrying a burden by this route out of the question. The party waded down the Ohau-iti river to eventually arrive at the grassy flats some ten minutes above the Ohau hut at 7.30 in the

OA’cning. Here camp Avas made, and leaving, again at eight o’clock this morning they passed the Ohau hut, which they found to be wrecked, two trees ha\-ing fallen through it, and followed the Ohau liver down, often wading through pools over four feet in depth. The Ohau track was, of course, completely blocked by fallen trees. However, some twenty' minutes from the bushJ.ne the track Avas found to be clear, and they eventually arrived at the pipe bridge at 10.43 a.m. They' were fortunate in meeting on the clearing a party- of nine further Hampers from Palmerston North, together with Constable Burrell, who had been A’isiting the locality- continuously-. The party- were then motored to Levin to arrive at 11 o'clock.

The weather throughout the Jong journey did not interfere with activities, although very heavy rain was' experienced last night. In addition to the lack of sleep, the party suffered severely in that no good drinking water was available until the river was reached at five o’clock last evening, and they had to have recourse to sucking mud-holes.