By Neve Hopman , 25 April 2024
It was a Wednesday night, Neve (freshly returned from overseas) and Ira (freshly convinced he didn’t need to go to uni for the next few days), had no car and no plan, but one mighty dream.
As Jack and co prepped for their hut bagging spree with spreadsheets and designation, Neve and Ira snooped and spied, trying to devise a way, not to bag huts, but to bag hut baggers. This is a lot more logistically challenging than originally thought, especially without a car, so they thought they’d settle for an overnighter hijacking a Roaring Stag mish instead.
When Thursday came around Jack proposed an alternative, someone had dropped out of the McGregor mish, and so they had a destination, and with the help of the Roaring Stag crew, a ride too.
Just like that, Neve and Ira were off to bag Atiwhakatu, Jumbo, and McGregor Biv, and they were off to a great start, reaching Atiwhakatu and Jumbo in record time after keeping Thomson pace, they were unfortunately however, greeted at the tops with some rather unfortunate wind. McGregor Biv is not far from Jumbo, but it’s all tops and ridge travel to get there, not ideal. No matter, Neve and Ira were fuelled by the power of the bush boyfriends (see pics) they’d collected along the way, and felt the wind couldn’t be THAT bad right? Right guys?? Wrong. They made it to Jumbo peak by the skin on their teeth and decided the Biv could be a morning mish, maybe then they’d be able to stand up without fear of being blown to Oz.
They returned to Jumbo, where everyone they’d told what they were planning waited knowingly and were tucked up in bed by 9pm to rest up for take 2.
Take 2 was no more successful than take 1, the wind seemed to have got even stronger overnight. They waited hopefully all morning waiting for it to die but by lunchtime they had no choice but to slide down the mountain ashamed. McGregor did not want to be bagged, but in theory, maybe that’s ok because really it’s a Biv not a hut and it was supposed to be bag all the HUTS in the Tararuas so it doesn’t even count as a failed mish right guys?? Right???