A WINTER ASCENT OF NGARUHOE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume L, Issue 8909, 25 October 1905, Page 6

A WINTER ASCENT OF NGARUHOE.

THRILLING EXPERIENCE.

A XIGHT IN A BLIZZARD. A tew weeks ago (writes the Wellington special of the Hawke's Bay Herald) I had a call from Mr S .Turner, a fellow of the Royal - Geographical Society of England, a .noted Alpine climber ana explorer, whose book, entitled "Siberia^' a record^ of travel, climbing and exploration, has just- been published by Fisher Unwin and favorably reviewed in the London press. _ Mr Turner went to Siberia on business, but, in the words of the London_Daily Telegraph, like a true-born Englishman be extended the occasion into one of travel and exploration. Mr_ Turner has also come to New Zealand on business, - but here also he is combining climbing with business; His first experience," however, has been of a somewhat unusual and thrilling nature. " __ Mr Turner left Wellington the other day for Auckland and Rotorua, intending to return overland to Wellington and make a winter ascent of the volcano of Ngaruhoe en route. I gave Mr Turner . what advice I could about the ascent of Ngaruhoe and" Ruapehu,' .'and heard " no~ more of him till a telephone message this" morning summoned me to a private hospital, where I found the" adventurous explorer lying in bed in a darkened room and suffering from snow blindness. _He was reluctant to be interviewed, but even-_ tually I persuaded him to tell me his story. After witnessing the wonders ' of the Eotorua .district, which greatly impressed Mm, Mr Turner crossed Lake Taupo, and made h& preparations for the__climb=- in the little village of Toka-nnu: -There he. failed to obtain a guide, " but determined, nevertheless, that he would make the first winter ascent of the volcano. Accordingly lie procured provisions and .left "in the coach for the half-way hut.. On the journey vp a roadman joined the coach", and Mr Turner interested -him in the climb and eventually persuaded him -to accompany him. He also persuaded a Maori boy to come with him as far as the mountain hut. It snowed all night, "and -the trio spent rather an uncomfortable night in the hut, which is minus a" chimney. In the morninEfit cleared, and Mr Turner obtained his first glimpse of the snow- " clad slopes of the volcanic cone. The hut is not m a good- position, and there is- a; considerable tramp befere the actual climb can be commenced. Mr~Turner, with the roadman, skirted the' foot of the mountain for some considerable distance in order to ' find an easy ridge^ but,- not finding one, ' decided to ascend by one of the snow t slopes. It is an axiom in mountaineer- ! ing that an easy climb can be^converted - into a difficult and even -dangerous one by severe weather conditions, and this is what happened in this .instance. . After 1 climbing Eome little distance the roadman, slipped and came whizzing down the slope, '. but was saved by Mr -Turner after he had fallen about 18ft. This^was enough for the roadman, and Mr Turner asked him to remain where he was, while he "made the ascent alone. The mountain was in~a very bad condition, and in one place there . was three hours' stop-cutting to be done in ha»d ice. Climbing in a spiral- route, however, Mr Turner reached the summit of the mountain in safety, and took a number of photographs. A strong wind had go* up,_ahd, ■while he was photographing, his hat," with the indispensible snow goggles attached, was blown away down the mo-nit-ain slopes. The fumes from the crater, and the driving powdery snow gave hima bad time, and the almost blinding efare had the inevitable result of t-eliing en his eyes. Under these circumtsanoes, the descent was a trying one, but it was accomplished in safety, and the footrof.'the snow slopes was reached at about 4 p.nl. - By this time, the roadman had takenhis departure, and Mr Turner V«^an to battle his way back across the .long dreary waste snow to the mountain Info- Th« snow, which was frozen in the linorriiny,, • and had made easy walking. —was now softened by the sun, and it was a case of sinking up to the hips at almost every step. Under these trying curcumstances an easier route was sought, but it wus found impossible to get_back be f 4>re nightfall. Tired and hungry, and partially bunded by the snow glare and drift, tile intrepid climber continued his journey ,i« search of the little mountain hut. lie tried one way and then another without success. Midnight found ar blizzard raging but still he struggled .on. Two or three times he fell down exhausted and at about 4 o'clock _his mind -began to -wander a little under the constant strain and fatigue. He climbed to the top of a small lull, and, finding there a -small- cave about 15ft in circumference, ancl 3ft high, he crawled into it, took off his boots, wrung the water out of his "socks, and putting his feet back into them and then into his 1 knapsack, he lay down to sleep. He dozed for about an hour, and thetT woke up_ 6hiverinc just as day was Leginning to dawn beyond the wooded slopes of the Kaiinama iitTiva ranges. He witnessed aglorious sunrise, and then he knew -lie was safe. Having taken a compass -bearing of the half-way hut on the main coach Tond, ho now made for that direction, and even ; tually found himself at -the hut:- At about 5 o'clock on Sunday afternoon, he Teached his destination. - , ~ With the exception of one or two short epelJs, and the hour in the cave, he had been on the go "for 53 hours, without food save for half a dozen buscuits that ho had taken with him on leaving the mountain hut on Saturday morning. _ There can bo no doubt that his indomitable pluck and his endurance pulled him through. "For the next few days he suffered terribly from snow blindness .- The journey from Waiouru to' Taihape had to be made on horseback, the roadß being too bad foar coaching. „ He -reached Wellington. »nd, on consulting a leading oculist, was ordered to a private hospital. Mr Turner is now convalescent. - One would have thought that- he had had enough of mountaineering for the time being, but he is already- planning an expedition to Mount Cook. During his" stay m New Zealand he may give two or three lectures on his Siberian experiences, and he has also_ arranged to -lecture in Australia under the auspices of the Melbourne and Brisbane Geographical" Societies. -

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