By Natalie Stewart, 13 January 2024
Gingers only tramp 13th Jan - 14th Jan 2024
The "Gingers Only Tramp" had some rules:
1. Be a natural redhead.
2. Dye your hair ginger.
3. Wear a ginger wig for a whole day beforehand (with photographic proof).
4. Fight two gingers and win.
5. Special admission if you drive an orange car.
We had many sign up, but none ended up fighting. We had four genuine gingers—myself (Natalie), Kate, Ira, and Charlotte. Two of the non-genuine participants, Tommy and Lochalainn, decided to wear ginger wigs, while Vic got special admission since she drove an orange car.
The trip started with a literal bang. To set the scene: we had the four real gingers in my car, and the others in Vic’s orange car. Everything was going smoothly; we had picked up pies from Fix Federation and were just starting down the road off Masterton Highway when Ira suggested we listen to Taylor Swift’s 10-minute version of "All Too Well." As we passed Vic’s car, I thought they must have pulled over to pee, which seemed odd since we were so close to the end of the road and the beginning of the hike.
Then Kate and Ira started yelling, "NO, THEY’VE CRASHED! YOU NEED TO TURN AROUND!" I turned at about 60 km/h, nearly crashing into a fence, and pulled up to find a shocked Vic on the phone with the police. Tommy and Lochalainn were surprisingly calm.
The police showed up to find us in ginger wigs and an orange car. We explained that we were part of the "Gingers Only Tramp" group. They found it hilarious, took some photos, and decided it was best if Kate and Vic head back to Masterton in the tow truck while the rest of us continued with the tramp.
Since we had lost some time, we realized we might not make it to the originally planned Orange Hut at Cow Creek. It was lucky though as a group of four others heading to the same hut passed us, so we decided to stay at the Blue Range Hut, which was thankfully empty.
The rest of the night was filled with ginger-themed activities: posing with Kate’s bag of carrots, juggling fruits, and lots of card games. I’d love to do this tramp again, as there are so many gingers in the club, and I think we can get more participants and make it to the Orange Hut next time. Thanks again to Kate and Ira for their idea—this tramp was so much fun, despite the hiccups. RIP Vic’s family orange car ❤️
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Natalie Stewart