Madeleine Hamilton – 27/07/01
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| The Dart Glacier |
A glimpse of the Matukituki The following day being fine, Jean Craigie, Ernie Smith and Stan Ombler left for the Base Camp, climbing Headlong en route. We left the hut other at 6.45 a.m., our party consisting of Murray McGeorge, Mary Talbot, Bill Talbot, David Rees-Jones, Alby Johnston, Aileen Stanton and we three girls. By 9.30 we were on the Dart Glacier surprised to see how large it was.
Through snow grass and patches of snow we reached Cascade Saddle, there to view with delight the lovely green Matukituki Valley some 3,000 feet directly below us – a flat grassy valley that at once caught our fancy and inspired us to go there. Here Murray showed us the route Ernie Smith had discovered from the Matuki to the Dart hut, avoiding of course the bluffs below us. It was a wonderful feat of route finding.
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| On Plunket Dome |
Clouds were swirling round, but we decided to go on as far as we could, as it was only 10.45 a.m. The Dome lay to the left of Cascade Saddle. The sou’west wind was quite a gale at times and we were glad of balaclavas and windjackets, and so on we went, till 12.30 saw us on the summit.
Our efforts were rewarded with a magnificent view, but to our disappointment thick clouds blotted out Mt Aspiring.
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By 1.30 we were back at the saddle where Jeanie had the billy boiling, and thus refreshed we bid au revoir to the Matuki and the friendly keas and set off down the valley again. Instead of going down the glacier we followed round the hillside and down beside the Dart River. The water was quite black with pulverised rock held in suspension – just like a swiftly flowing river of mud, with mud flats all round, and not at all like the glacier moraines we were accustomed to – masses of large boulders. By 6 p.m. we were back at the hut after a leisurely trip down the lower part of the valley admiring the mountain lilies in their pure white glory.
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| Back at base camp |
Back to the Friendly Rees On December 31st at 7.15 a.m. next day we took our leave of the others in the Dart Hut, and this time took the lower route and were on Snowy Creek saddle by noon. The weather was threatening and clouds hung on the tops ready to descend any minute. On the saddle we met the Bowmar brothers, who gave us a herculean piece of Chesdale cheese all round. We lost no time in descending to the Rees and by 3 p.m. we were boiling up in Shelter Rock hut. With some strength of will we decided to go on the Base Camp although it was raining and the Bowmars had told us to help ourselves to their stores, but we sped on, and by 5.30 were back at the Base Camp drinking a welcome cup of steaming coffee with Mary Sim. That night, New Year’s Eve, we slept thus: Madge and I in the food tent and Jeanie in Murray’s tent: we did not want to get both our tents wet in case we moved out.
Domestics With the weather still patchy we abandoned all idea of doing the Routeburn trip, or of climbing Earnslaw. During the night the Rees had risen some ten feet and was in high flood, so it was just as well we came right down to Base Camp the previous night. We spent the morning washing clothes, sorting food and gear, and making scones in an improvised camp oven – jolly good too. We had now decided to leave the next day and go down the valley to the Arthur’s Creek hut – about half way to the road. Surplus stores disposed of to the stayers-on, and everything packable packed we retired for the night to the "Municipal" tent, to be nearly eaten alive by sandflies. In the meantime Bill and Mary Talbot and Albie and David returned from the Dart, where the weather had been much worse than in the Rees – this seemed to be the general rule.
Scones again January 2nd Off we set down the valley, most of the campers escorting us to the 25 mile hut. We turned on the terrace and bid au revoir and took last photos. The two rivers, Devil’s Creek and Arthur’s Creek were quite high, but did not trouble us unduly. We met Murray McGeorge who told us that he and Doug Stewart had tried to cross the Rees that morning and, after losing Doug’s ice axe (and almost his false teeth) had turned back.
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| The 25 mile hut |
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| "Farewell! a word that must be, And hath been, a sound which makes us linger." – Byron |
After a boil up at the 25 mile hut we took leave of the remaining campers.
They returned to the base camp, and we went on to the Arthur’s Creek hut.
Barbara Jenkins had joined us, so we were eight with Bill and Mary’s party. By special request from Bill we had more scones, cooked this time in a proper camp over and a real community effort with Bill and Albie as chief stokers. The hut was spacious and cosy and we had a most comfortable night.
We become tourists again January 3rd Up at 6 and away by 8, we were on the march again – back over the lovely grassy flats and beech forest tracks, reaching the road about 10.15 a.m. A boil up at the roadside, and we changed into "longs" and waited for the bus for Paradise. We now became tourists of the first order – stopped to see "The Widow’s Tears" and all the rest of it – and arrived with voracious appetites at the boarding house. Strawberry shortcake and cream was the piece de resistance.
The bus took us to the Sheelite mine, and then back to Glenorchy, where the "Kelvin" awaited us. We picked up more people at Elfin Bay and waddled down the lake, arriving at Queenstown about 8 p.m. We slept that night on pine needles under some trees on Corinne and Jim Gilkison’s section. It was a clear night and we were glad of this hospitality as the town was just thronged with people – almost 1,000 at the camping ground alone. The shops were almost depleted of their goods and the restaurant where we had tea nearly drove us to drink. After waiting an hour for a few small sandwiches and pieces of toast we finally satisfied our hunger by cutting up our own bread and cheese and devouring that. And so to bed.
Steamer – Train – Bus 
On January 4 we parted ways. Jeanie, Murray, Roger and Alby to Dunedin, Mary and Bill to Christchurch, Madge and I to Riverton. At 8.30 a.m. we boarded T.S.S. Earnslaw. It was quite luxurious – lounge and dining saloon, deck – tourists, and how! Here we met Anne Stewart and her "new husband" as she introduced him. The time passed pleasantly and we reached Kingston about 11.30 a.m. A train journey to Lumsden, bus to Invercargill, and finally a bus to Riverton. In all some 130 miles. Mary and Arthur O’Callaghan met we two hoboes at the bus and quickly introduced us to the bathroom. We dined in luxury and slept contentedly in crisp sheets.
The next few days passed pleasantly eating and sleeping and resting and dabbling in the sea.
A note on the author Madeleine Hamilton was born Madeleine Pyne in 1913. For years she worked as secretary to the late Dr M. Bevan-Brown’s clinic for Medical Psychology and was a member of the New Zealand Psychotherapists and Counsellors Association. In the 1950s she joined the Child Welfare Department. After travelling to an international conference of the Business and Professional Women’s Club in Canada she remained there. She worked for sixteen years for government child welfare agencies in Canada and graduated from the University of Toronto with a master’s degree in Social Welfare. In 1970 she married Arnold Hurst Seager, her cousin, and returned to New Zealand. She undertook in-depth research into the life of her grandfather, Edward William Seager, the first superintendent of Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum in Christchurch. Madeleine completed the biography late in 1986 but died shortly before its publication.
Click here to read Three Girls Go Camping And Tramping In 1944-5 Part 1
