Te Puia Lodge, Kaweka Forest Park, Saturday and Sunday June 30 and July 1. Map: BJ37
The hut wardens at the Te Puia lodge have a lot to answer for. It all started with one of them suggesting that the theme this year be ‘Green’ or Irish. We all quickly concurred, and then worked out how we would get the appropriate costume together.
The wardens walked into Te Puia Lodge on Friday, and set up their quarters. They woke to a heavy frost on the lawn on Saturday. Other solstice trampers walked to the lodge on Saturday. The frost on the toi-toi makes it look quite spectacular on Kiwi Flat.
Les and Julia had also gone for a tramp on Friday, hoping to get to Makino Hut on Friday night, via Middle Hill Hut and Whetu. The wind on the tops defeated them, so they spent the night at Middle Hill Hut, where tea bags froze to the table inside the hut.
All parties met at Te Puia Lodge on Saturday late afternoon, and the festivities were held in the wardens’ quarters. Les had kindly agreed to be Santa, when promised that the girls would sit on his knee.
Having the solstice party separate from the main hut quarters was a stroke of genius, and we all had fun, especially Les.
On Sunday, although a tad cold, we bared our legs and crossed our fingers that the weather would warm up. It did, and we enjoyed the walk along the Mohaka, back to ‘The Gums’. It was a good weekend and we all enjoyed our walking.
Solstice trampers: Ted Angove and Paul Exeter (hut wardens), Jude Paton, Sue Martin, Simon Hill, Murray Goss, Les O’Shea, and reporter Julia Mackie
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