TARARUA TRAMPERS

Northern Advocate, 3 May 1933, Page 6

TARARUA TRAMPERS

PROLONGED PRIVATIONS STORY OF MISS WILLIAMS. HUNGRY PHILOSOPHERS.

IMAGINARY MENUS

(Special to “Northern Advocate.”' PALMERSTON N., This Day. Further sidelights on the experience of the par.ty of four Hampers who wore roaming in the Tararua ranger for about a fortnight were given at Palmerston North yesterday by Alias Morva Williams, one of the party. She was of opinion that they could have stayed out about a week longer, but by the end of that time they would have been in a bad state of collapse. However, she added, 'they could not have withstood further exposure on the snow line. , “When we rationed the food to eke out the few calories it had,” said Miss Williams, “they were infinitesimal. Had we had a good supply of food available, I could have perhaps told you something interesting about the scientific principles of rationing. But there is not much to be said about a spoonful of jam. “When we wont out, we were quite prepared to go into water up to our necks, but not after being without food for several days. Anybody will die from exposure, mainly through lack of food, without which the resistance is lowered. What took most out of us on the journey was the inability to maintain sufficient body temperatu re. “We thought a lot of food on the journey. In fact, our minds dwelt on a series of meals. We tried to give our bodies the idea that they were receiving a little sustenance each day, but we became a little tired of constant delusion. “The two days wo spent on the snow were the worst, I was fit all the time except for that period. We felt it severely, lying for two days in the

snow, frozen from the waist downwards. After being without food for a week, the two days’ climb to Mt. Hector took a great deal of .strength from ns. Undoubtedly I will go tramping again. This experience will not deter me. ’ ’ Miss Williams added that if Mr O’Keefe’s frozen leg had not thawed out after four or five days, the Hampers’ position on this occasion would have- been far more serious.

SEARCHERS RETURNING. ONE BADLY DISABLED. (Per Press Association. —Copyright.) WELLINGTON, This Day. A member of one of the Wellington search parties, Mr H. McNaught, who returned from the Tararua ranges on Monday night, is in hospital with an injured foot. The party with which Mr McNaught travelled had an extremely strenuous time, being in the ranges since last Friday. Mr McNaught discovered on Monday morning that he could not put on one of his boots, owing to a. swollen foot. The party then decided to return to Palcuratahi, where they heard for the first time that the missing trampers were safe. Many trampers who were engaged in searching have returned to Wellington.

SEVERE CRITICS. “ERROR UPON ERROR.” EXPENSE AND INCONVENIENCE. Severe criticism of the judgment of the party of four Hampers who were missing in the Tararua Ranges for a fortnight has been passed by tbe President of the Federated Mountain Club of New Zealand, Mr. F. W. Vosscler, in a letter to the Wellington “Evening Post.” After pointing out that, after the party was six days overdue, between 100 and 200 persons became actively associated with the search, Mr. Vosseler said: “Many have responded to this work, with actual loss in wages, as well as incurring costs and considerable inconvenience. At least two searchers are suffering in consequence — one in hospital. “Those best able to judge recognise that the lost party committed one error of judgment after the other, and did not display the degree of experience one should have before attempting such a journey. It was realised by the organisers of the search, mainly on account of the laji.se of time, that, barring serious accident, the lost party had most likely selected the very worst route they could have done, and had elected to come down the Waiohineili. For tins reason a party of searchers were constantly at Sayers’ Hut, on Totara Flats, to render help in the j likely event of the missing people reaching there. This party no doubt kept a fire going most, of the time in tbe hut, which is not at all difficult to locate, oven from the opjmsitc side of (ho river.

Indeed, with five or.six other parties searching the locality, it is very difficult to understand how the missing people were able to escape detection. It appears from accounts that they wore aide to get fires going, and it would seem that they had overlooked the fact that a big smoke by day and a good blaze by night is a valuable asset to searchers.

It Is quite 1 possible Ilia I some oJ the

searchers may have eomo upon vamps ■of tlie missing people, ami why they left no diroetions there as to the time they were vacating it, or what their intentions were, is beyond comprehension.

‘ 1 When first in difficulty at Broken Axe Pinnacle, it is hard to understand why they did not. seek shelter on the leeward side of the range. Had they, by intelligent use of compasses and maps, sought a route down the Mangaterera, or, better still, a route to the Waingawa (which is one of the easiest rivers in Now Zealand to negotiate) and which perhaps should have been known to them, they could have saved themselves considerable suffering, and others anxiety, time and expense. The present episode will provide a very good lesson for all Hampers, and it is to be hoped that it will not bring into disrepute one of the finest and healthiest recreations there is.”

In other quarters there is criticism of the Hampers’ assertion, ‘ 1 we were not lost,” and the question is asked: “How many days overdue must a party be before it is considered as Most’?”

DR. SUTCH REPLIES. PARTY VERY GRATEFUL. PURPOSE OP EXCURSION. RIVERS UNFORDABLE. (Per Press Association. —Conyrlght.) PALMERSTON N., This Day. A statement issued by Dr. W. B. Sutch, ou behalf of the four Tararua Hampers, says that an hour after arrival at Mastcrton an explanation and appreciation from the Hampers was written out. This seems either t'o have been delayed in the post or summarily condensed, so that it was nor recognisable as an official statement from the party. In view of this, and because several inexact, misleading, and even false reports, appeared in some daily papers, says Dr. Sutch, the' Hampers wish to make clear their point of view. The purpose of the tramp was to cross from Te Mata wai to the Holdsworth Hut, to see whether it would be possible to make a winter crossing. In other than winter conditions this was not a difficult trip. Trained Hampers several times had done it in a. one-day stretch'. “We took the risk of having to spend one night in the bush,” he continued, “ but as we started out between three and four o’clock in the morning, the contingency was rather remote. When the storm struck us we were within three hours of Mt. Holdsworth.” After detailing the equipment for the tramp and the experience of the party, Dr. Sutch continues that two things were done contrary to tramping rules. The first was to sidle round the Tararua Pinnacles instead of going

over them, and the second was to leave the tops for the bush. The first action was due to velocity of the wind, which was too great for the party to stick to the ridge. Blizzard and Torrents. Similarly, to leave the top was the only thing to do in the blizzard which was raging for some days. To work through the bush in the general direction of the main ridge was preferable to dying on the tops. The party was confined to the area on the oast side of the main range, with the main range as the base of a, triangle, the other two sides being the rivers Waiohine and Waiohine-iti, both of which wore raging torrents and could not be forded. Therefore they were trapped, and the only hope was to get across the main ridge to Hector and Otaki. For six days they attempted to get to the ridge, through sleet and snow. Knowing that search parties would be out, they wanted to make every attempt to relieve anxiety,-but when the party had been almost starved for eight or nine days, and two were suffering from exposure and cold, and another had his feet black with frostbite, it was decided that perhaps it would be better to follow the river out, especially as they could not be located in bush without difficulty by a search party. They were very lucky to cross the Waiohine at this stage, and the last six days were occupied in getting along the cliff faces and through the edges of the bush bordering the river. It was unfortunate, said Hr. Sutch, that the jocular remark, “we were not lost ’’ passed by the search party was given prominence in the public, comments. They could locate their position on the map, and, with food, they could have got out. The question was not whether they were lost, but whether they needed help. There was no doubt that they needed it, and they needed it- urgently. Concluding, Dr. Sntch - expressed thanks to all searchers, committees and helpers who assisted. Ho paid a tribute to,the efficient organisation, without overlapping, which was of the greatest importance. It means that in future there would bo far loss chances of death in the ranges.