BUSH SCENES AND SNOW-CLAD PEAKS DELIGHT TRAMPERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18468, 21 May 1928, Page 11

BUSH SCENES AND SNOW-CLAD PEAKS DELIGHT TRAMPERS.

EXCURSIONISTS FIND OTIRA TRIP FULL OF BEAUTY AND INTEREST. The Railway Department ran its monthly excursion train to Otira yesterday, over 180 passengers making the trip. Brilliant sunshine and a cloudless sky made an ideal day for the excursion, and although clouds appeared in the afternoon, there has seldom been a better day for the trip. The clear visibility enabled the excursionists to obtain a beautiful view of the mountains and of the surrounding country. Of the 180 odd people, fully- 150 left the train at Arthur’s Pass and walked through the Otira Gorge. With every trip there is an increasing proportion of those who take the walk, which is now established as the feature of the excursions. Old ladies, children, and even a blind man, found the trip easy and enjoyable, the walkers finding no difficulty in travelling the ten or eleven miles in the five hours allowed. Everyone was attired suitably for the tramp, and several of the younger ladies created interest in an attractive sporting costume consisting of riding breeches, a jumper and boots. To the surprise—and disappointment —of many, no snow was encountered. The road was dry, and the only snow to be seen was that oil the tops of the mountains. At this time of the year Otira Gorge is almost at its best, the bush presenting a pretty scene. High towering cliffs rising sheer from the Waimakariri. the beautiful waterfalls, many of them hundreds of feet high, and the general beauty, made the trip a most enjoyable one. Many of the walkers were surprised to find themselves so soon at their destination, several of the younger and more active of the party covering the distance in a little over two hours. Those few who remained in the train for the whole journey found plenty of interest at Otira. In the afternoon a football match was played between an Otira team and a team from the Railway Locomotive Department. The Otira team proved the victors by 17 points to 6.