WORST DAY EVER EXPERIENCED ON ARTHUR’S PASS-OTIRA EXCURSION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18939, 9 December 1929, Page 7

WORST DAY EVER EXPERIENCED ON ARTHUR’S PASS-OTIRA EXCURSION.

Heavy Rain And Snow Spoil Holiday Trip To Mountains

Few of the excursionists who made the trip by rail to Arthur’s Pass and Otira yesterday would care to repeat the outing unless they could be reasonably sure of having better weather conditions. The counter-attraction—a trip to Timaru at a lower fare—no doubt accounted for the small number who visited Otira, the party being one of the smallest to do the trip for some time. There was something wrong, too, w’ith the weather report from the Pass, as the statement at Christchurch in the morning that it was “showery” was little warning for the bleak conditions that ruled practically all day on both sides of the tunnel. The only enjoyable portion of the trip was that between Springfield and Cass, where the brilliant sunshine of the plains was still ruling so that the snow T-topped foothills of the Alps, the scarred and treecovered canyons of the Waimakariri, and the frequent glimpses of deep valleys served to maintain the interest of the most blase traveller. Soon after leaving Cass, the train w r as greeted by a driving storm of rain and sleet and this continued for the rest of the trip until Cass -was again reached on the return trip. Conditions looked so bad from the Arthur’s Pass side that no one braved the walk over the divide. From Otira, however, a slight brightening in the .sombre outlook induced half a dozen hardy spirits to tramp back over the hill to Arthur’s Pass. Bad weather has been prevailing in the Gorge for the past month, and in consequence the road was not in as good order as usual. About half a mile up the actual gorge a big slip was en-

countered, needing fairly careful negotiating. Most of the creeks are now bridged, but in some cases it w-as not possible to cross them without walking through deep water, caused by the rain Heavy rain fell until the summit was reached, when it cleared for la short period, only to give place to a heavy fall of sleet and snow. The road along the summit gave ample evidence of the extent of the snowfall during the last two days. In some places it was three or four inches deep, although a track offered fairly easy walking. When the trampers were nearing the Arthur’s Pass township the snow ceased, and heavy rain again set in. For the people who stayed at Otira, the officials made conditions as comfortable as possible. A big fire was provided in the waiting-room, and this was much appreciated by the excursionists. Rain was still falling at the pass when the train departed. Mr P. Taylor, the railway official who has accompanied nearly every Otira excursion, stated last night that it was the worst day he had experienced there. “It is the first time I have not walked over the Pass since I started accompanying the excursions,” he said.