This article was first published in the Tararua Tramper Volume 94, no 4, May 2024
Locating the Stanton Memorial Rock
5-7 April 2024
During a weekend trip to Tararua Lodge, Peter and Vivienne Radcliffe proposed a trip to find the Stanton Memorial Rock on Ruapehu. Peter had made a previous unsuccessful attempt to locate the memorial and was keen for a further effort, following careful examination of maps and available trip reports. They were joined by Alan Knowles and Muriel Christianson who were spending the weekend at the lodge.
Wilderness Magazine, 5 May 2016, provided the following information about the memorial: ‘In August 1931, 14 university students set out on a trip from the Chateau Tongariro in fine weather to climb Ruapehu. While the students were at the summit, they were struck by blizzard conditions. The students descended into Whakapapaiti Gorge instead of Whakapapa Valley. The party spent the night sheltering near a rock, and then split into three groups. Warwick Stanton and a companion set out to get help, but Warwick eventually succumbed to exhaustion. His body was later found many kilometres west of the Chateau. A memorial that marks this spot reads ‘In proud and affectionate memory of Warwick Stanton who passed this way in August 1931, aged 18 years. The others in the party, some of whom spent three nights on the mountain, all survived.’
The route we followed differed from that recommended by Wilderness Magazine, which commenced from Scoria Flat. As we were starting from Tararua Lodge, higher up Ruapehu, we followed the 1,750 m contour that took us past the former Downhill Ski Club Lodge, west across flattish terrain in and out of gullies and crossing one stream, until we intersected a cairned route that descended to the memorial at 1,560 m. We returned via the same route.
We enjoyed clear and wind-free weather throughout the trip.
- Party members
- Vivienne Radcliffe (leader), Muriel Christianson (scribe), Alan Knowles (scribe), Peter Radcliffe