Day 10: Monday January 1 1934
The sand flies made most of the others evacuate their tents but the sleeping-bag seemed to protect me from their irritating invasions. The weather report said it was dull with a definite inclination to clear. Breakfast:- STEW, RICE, RAISINS, TEA.
We left in twos and threes and kept to the right side of the Poulter. Weather now clear and hot. Plenty of ducks in evidence. After we had been plodding an hour; limping on my part as my heel was still very sore, worse if anything we came upon a stream in which floated three ducks. Being short of grub, Ted decided he would add to our larder and grabbed the first one, handing it to Regl procured another, gave it to Avon, and then went after the third. Reg yelled to Huia, across the river. Huia made gestures, indicating the pulling off of the head, and Reg, in a burst of frenzy, swung the duck around his head and found the head in his hand, the body being 20 yds away. Avon beheaded his in similar fashion and Ted came back up the stream, tapping his duck on the head with a stick. Its neck was screwed and we tied them on our packs. Another hour saw us at a stream on the grassy left bank, plucking the ducks and investigating their inner workings. Soon after this we gave chase, like we had done the day before to wild sheep. Again they escaped though one lamb must have had a sore leg and another a headache. A mile or so further on we stopped for a snack of WHOLEMEAL BREAD, BULLY BEEF and TEA, singeing the ducks on the fire at the same time. The river bed had now grown to large proportions and it was later on in the afternoon that we passed and forded a fairly deep and swift stream, the East Poulter, coming in on the left. Past this we made up on to a flat table land 300 or 400 ft above the river with the idea of investigating the river. All we got was a long walk, as the bank, which was just one long cliff, ran back in a series of bights, around which we had to make. Down in the riverbed again we went another few miles to strike a part where the river, now wide and deep, cut into the bank. To progress, we had to climb along rocks for about ½ a mil, push through thick matagouri and wade up to our thighs. It was here that Ted in crossing a deep part slipped and took a header into the stream. He got up to slip again and rising he went down in a burst of laughter.
A fair distance on, on a level stretch, we stopped for a rest and it was then that we noticed the Minchin Hut, opposite on the bank of another stream coming in on the right. Sown we went and after a stiff crossing in water thigh deep made across the shingle and up through the matagouri on the opposite bank. And so we came upon the hut just as the sun was sinking over the western hills.
That night we had “high tea”. We would have had lamb and peas if we had caught it and had any peas but you will admit that after eating 2 plates of stew, 1/7 of 3 ducks, a big helping of a sort of steamed jam roly poly (Huia’s concoction) and 2 cups of cocoa, anyone would be full. After discussing the events of the day, we looked out at the wonderful clear moonlight night and then to bed to sleep in really well-mad comfortable bunks.
Mileage: 19