SCOUT NOTES

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 3447, 19 November 1932, Page 6

SCOUT NOTES

(By Campfire.) Last week-end the patrol leaders and seconds held an unofficial weekend camp on Mr. Davenport’s farm at Koropupu. Starting on cycles shortly after 1.30 p.m. on Saturday we set out for Mr. Matthew’s farm, doing the trip in about and hour and three-quai’ters. After a short rest we started our tramp across country to the camping ground on Mr. Davenport’s place—a distance of about two miles. Carrying our packs .and various bundles it was hard going, and it seemed as though we would never get there. However, all in good time we reached our destination and the billy was quickly boiled. After the trip a drink was most acceptable. We then set to work to build our bivouac. For this we made use of a huge projecting rock. A tent fly was hung down each side of the rock, thus forming a kind of big room which proved to be better than a tent. The campfire was lit in front of our bivouac and our evening meal prepared. Later in the evening we went through cave No. 1, which was quite handy. This cave proved most interesting, though it was not extra large. While in the cave we held a short sing-song. Duets by the Joseph brothers were greatly appreciated by the rest of the party. After leaving the cave we fished in the stream, returning at about 9.30 for supper; 10 pm. saw lights out. Our bivouac, by the way, was electrically lit, thanks to our electrician. On Sunday morning we were all up by 5.30, and after an early breakfast we packed up some of our gear and made back to Mr. Mathhew’s. Here we visited “The Moa Cave,” as we have named it, because of a moa’s skeleton which some of us discovered in August. We gathered a few of the bones to bring back before leaving the cave. After fitting some of the bones together we decided that the moa must have stood eleven feet high. The thigh bone measures over a yard in length. From this cave we made back to camp for lunch. After lunch we had a short rest and then set off down-stream for the glow-worm cave; the scenery on this trip is something wonderful. The glow-worm cave is a glorious sight. We could faintly see each other and the surface of the water by the light of the glow-worms. There are also some wonderful stalictites in this cave. There is also a large lake which is supposed to be full of eels, so we spent some time fishing, but with no luck.

Once more back at camp we prepared our last meal, packed up, and cleaned up the camp site, and then leisurely filled in out time till about ten to seven, when we began to wander off to Mr. Matthew’s, where we picked up our bikes and set off for home, doing the trip in 55 minutes. One boy having to return on Sunday morning' did the trip in 45 minutes. The moa’s thigh bone is to be hung in our hut in memory of the trip. The names of all attending camp will be carved upon it.