Memorial Hut Mt Ruapehu - 10-12 August, 2012

Despite the coincidence of the Catholic Tramping Club also having a trip to Mt Ruapehu, leaving at the same time as we did, the boarding and departure of our 13 people went smoothly, as did Jo’s driving.
We picked up Margaret from Papakura en route. After a couple of comfort stops and driver change at Te Kuiti, there was time for a nap before being woken by the changed sound as the bus began the long grind up the mountain road.
This always gives me an adrenaline rush, remembering my first visit 30 years ago, dazed and tired, stepping out of the bus into a landscape of frozen snow, then crunching up an unseen and apparently endless track in the dark.
As usual the bus was carrying food and other supplies to restock the hut. We carried some up and left the rest for the morning. We all found bunks and quickly settled to sleep by 1 am. The hut was already warm, thanks to Chris, who had arrived earlier with his daughters and set everything up. In the morning he had a great breakfast ready for us – perfectly done toast, bacon rolls, scrambled eggs.

The day was fine with light winds. Three groups formed – skiers, trampers and would-be summiters. The trampers, led by Keith, crossed Te Herenga Ridge and meandered across undulating country, finally following a stream down to join the Round-the-Mountain track near Taranaki Falls, where we had lunch before carrying on to the village for coffee.

All opted to take the $10 minibus ride up the road, instead of the 6km road bash, except Mike who visited Silica Springs then walked up the road. Meanwhile the climbers had made good progress to beyond Dome Shelter when cloud closed in and whiteout conditions developed.
Believing that was it for the day, they started back down. After a while the weather cleared again, but they had descended so far that nobody felt like starting back up.
Back at the hut we read the Saturday paper, played table tennis and experimented with how many trampers it takes to change a light bulb – quite a few, it seems. Three to bring the long ladder in through the fire exit, for starters.
Two to position the ladder against a ceiling beam, at least two to extend it to correct length, one to find the bulbs, one to climb the ladder, one to switch the lights off and on – thought we had it nailed, until the discovery that the replacement bulbs were screw-in type but the fittings are bayonet type.

We were 19 for dinner with the arrival of Wendy and Carlo. Bhavani, who had been obliged by anxious relatives to cancel due to the Tongariro eruption, had nonetheless provided a tasty rice and vegetable dish. Indeed the four vegetarians were well catered for. Dinner preparation was a very cooperative affair with many people passing through the kitchen offering suggestions and help, and some reawakening their dormant domestic goddess skills.
For anybody who likes cooking, the hut’s well-equipped kitchen and wellstocked pantry, fridge and freezers are a delight. The absolute highlight though was Graeme’s stunning Zug Kirschtorte, a superb example of this Swiss regional speciality. The sooner this guy gives up his day job the better.

Rain set in overnight, but had eased by Sunday morning. An optimistic group of 8 set off westward, hoping to reach the Stanton Memorial in improved weather, but after an hour the rain had turned to snow and it was an easy decision to turn back.
Memorial Hut is looking years younger with new external paint, and the newly-tiled foyer not only looks good but is easy to clean. The lounge heaters and women’s showers are working better than I remember. I overheard part of an animated discussion about whether 7 minutes is long enough - not being sure what the topic was I reserved my opinion – later realized it referred to the controlled shower timing – what else?
With no sign of the forecast fine spells, there was general agreement on an early departure, delayed somewhat by having to wait for the huge pots of soup to cook, and the closing-down procedure (draining water etc), as nobody was booked in for the following week. Lee kindly offered to drive for Keith.
We were entertained for some time by the slabs of snow coming off the top of the bus, until water began leaking profusely through a side window. During the generous dinner stop at Te Kuiti I discovered an alternative to the boring place we usually go – an interesting new Indian takeaway just down the road. Jo’s drive was swift and uneventful apart from a hold up from some road works near Margaret’s place.

All in all a very pleasant weekend, reminding us what a magnificent asset Memorial Hut is, and how much we owe to Jim (custodian) and Margita (catering officer) for keeping it that way.
We were: Margaret Law, Lee McKay, Graeme Pollock, Mike Champion, Mike Hare, Michele and Hamish Dublon, Ian Scoltock, Kay Willcocks, Garry Williams, Jo Lowe, Star La Franco, Keith Ayton (leader), Jean Barton (scribe). Also Chris, Freya and Grace Burnett, Wendy and Carlo Bussen.