2007-03-2-Holdsworth-Jumbo

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This article was first published in the Tararua Tramper Volume 79, no 3, April 2007 2007

Holdsworth — Jumbo; a trip for teenagers

2-4 March 2007

We arrived at Holdsworth Lodge under a full moon and went to bed after a few hands of cards and a bit of getting to know each other. We were all woken by a crazy smoke alarm that James eventually managed to stop.

The Gentle Annie track was an easy start on Saturday morning at 8:30 and a great view came quickly at Rocky Lookout, then later at Pig Flat. As we came out of the bush the cloud quickly enveloped us. The long lunch and card games at Powell Hut were enjoyable and eventually Paul got us going again.

We stopped only briefly at the Mt Holdsworth trig as the cloud was still surrounding us. Walking along the tops wasn't tricky apart from a bit of mud. My aluminium drink bottle was maimed by rocks and other objects at our stop right before Jumbo Hut.

We made it to the almost full hut at around 4pm and decided that 13 people over 10 mattresses wasn’t too bad. The night time view over the Wairarapa was beautiful with a full moon.

It was a cloudless, hot and sunny Sunday, so Paul, Judith, Rita, Simon, Josh, Russell, James and I decided to leave our packs at the hut and walk up to Angle Knob where we got a great panoramic view, with all of the Wairarapa to Kapiti Island. We arrived at Atiwhakatu Hut with sore knees. The riverside walk was not tiring but it was hot - the swim next to the car park was very refreshing.

Party members

Judith, Paul, Rita and Simon Maxim, Nora, Stu, Claire and Sarah Hutson, Jenny and Josh

Jackson, James Melville, Russell Archer and Ed Radcliffe (scribe)