Participants: 300+ crazies from the CUTC, OUTC, AUTC and beyond
Dates: May 17th – May 18th 2014
Author: Sharon Hornblow
Photos: Kate Wootton and Euan Cox
According to most competitors, T’Walk the 48th was moonlit, marvellous and full of just the right combination of matagouri and bog. The only “complaint” this year was that it all went a little too quickly for the Rubber Ducky Hunters – winners of 72/72 points with over an hour to spare. We’re not sure when this sort of thing last occurred, but the routesetters were just glad to know that all the controls were in place where they were left 2 weeks previously.
The compulsory leg 1 took teams from a start line at Lake Camp across the very scrubby Northern flank of Mt Harper, around lake Emma, and to the woolshed at Hakatere. Hash-house cooks were rushed off their feet as most teams cleared the 15km in under 4 hours, with record volumes of pumpkin soup being required for 300 entrants this year. Some ready to eat meals provided by our sponsors helped keep everyone satisfied while waiting for the traditional seemingly endless supply of lasagnes. Subsequent legs took advantage of the heights and gnarly ridges of Barrosa and Possession, and the midnight disorientation caused by rolling glacial moraines south of the Te Araroa trail. A very clear weekend provided brilliant views across the lumpy flats from Mt Taylor to Mt D’Archiac and we were gifted with a bit of a NW in the wee hours to warm things up a bit and clear the fog for maximum moon navigation.
Overall things went very smoothly for this biggest annual CUTC event, facing record numbers yet again. However, things couldn’t have gone nearly so well if it weren’t for the deep generosity of the Mt Possession Station landowners. They not only tolerated, but welcomed the invasion, and didn’t mind us blowing the fuse to the electric fences with all our 6am lasagne efforts. Our sponsors, R&R Sport and MTR Foods also deserve a hand for providing an array of well received prizes and delicious ready to eat meals which really came in handy during the evening’s rushes and for people looking for something filling to take with which wasn’t a piece of fruit.
This year was notably different to most in the past decade, with checkpoints being generally “flawless, but not too easy” and most competitors found that if you’re “in the right area, you could generally find them without too much difficulty or randomness”… great compliments for an event sometimes renowned for frustrating the hell out of everyone sometimes for no reward. As far as I know, most new to rogaining loved it, so expect plenty of new faces at future events this year!
Thanks for another great T’Walk
