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-	*BOOK REV-11'W	by Bill Gamble.
+===== Book Review - The Taratua Book. =====
-THE TARARITA.*BOOK.
-,,	 ....			.
+by Bill Gamble.
-I put down John Rundle's book with a keen sense of having wasted a good Tart of my youth.	Both of us grew up within sight of the Tararua Range - the forest park portion runs north from Wellington for about 80 km and forms part of the mountain spine of New Zealand's North Island. While
-just looked occasionally at the often snow-capped range (particularly its southern wall of 1600 peaks rising from near sea level and which blocks the head of the Hutt Valley about 45 km north of the capital city), John Rundle roamed it in all conditions and at all seasons to become the consummate
+I put down John Rundle's book with a keen sense of having wasted a good part of my youth. Both of us grew up within sight of the Tararua Range - the forest park portion runs north from Wellington for about 80 km and forms part of the mountain spine of New Zealand's North Island. While I just looked occasionally at the often snow-capped range (particularly its southern wall of 1600 peaks rising from near sea level and which blocks the head of the Hutt Valley about 45 km north of the capital city), John Rundle roamed it in all conditions and at all seasons to become the consummate tramper he is today. And probably one of the most knowledgeable and experienced persons on walking in the Tararua Range.
-tramper he is today. And probably one of the most knowledgeable and experienced persons on walking in the Tararua Range.
-The photographo, glenned from a collection 30 years in the making, are superb, in black and white as well as colour, and catch the essence of the Tararuas in all seasons. The results are not surprising for John Rundle has combined the ey,3 and skill of a commercial photographer and landscape artist with the capacity of a fit, adventuresome tramper to be in all sorts of improbable places regardless of the weather or time of year. My efforts to take photographs in bad weather seem quite inadequate alongside his. How does one find time to take pictures an a blizzard-swept ridge when every physical effort is turned to route-finding and to keeping oneself from being blown off the mountain? The photographs will draw me back to this book again and again; and, in due course, I will have to satisfy myself by returning to Wellington to walk the Tararuas and take my own
+The photographs, glenned from a collection 30 years in the making, are superb, in black and white as well as colour, and catch the essence of the Tararuas in all seasons. The results are not surprising for John Rundle has combined the eye and skill of a commercial photographer and landscape artist with the capacity of a fit, adventuresome tramper to be in all sorts of improbable places regardless of the weather or time of year. My efforts to take photographs in bad weather seem quite inadequate alongside his. How does one find time to take pictures on a blizzard-swept ridge when every physical effort is turned to route-finding and to keeping oneself from being blown off the mountain? The photographs will draw me back to this book again and again; and, in due course, I will have to satisfy myself by returning to Wellington to walk the Tararuas and take my own photographs.
-photographs.
-Yet, with this said, it is the text that has left the stronger
+Yet, with this said, it is the text that has left the stronger impression with me. I do not think that John Rundle writes as well as he photographs: but, oh my goodness, what a wealth of experience from which to draw his tramping tales. There is the simple recounting of a day walk alone on a brilliantly clear winter's Sunday, taking him from a crisp dawn at home in the Hutt Valley to the top of snow-covered Mt. Marchant on the south wall where he sat, primus purring away for a brew, while he surveyed hundreds of kilometres of the lower North Island in peace and quiet. And then in a steep plunge, descended a ridge to a familiar stream before returning to his car for the drive home at dusk.
-impression with me. I do not think that John Rundle writes as well as he photographs: but, oh my goodness, what a wealth of experience from which
-to draw his tramping tales. There is the simple recounting of a day walk alone on a brilliantly clear winter's Sunday, taking him from a crisp dawn
+In contrast stand exciting accounts of his party traversing Dress Circle Ridge and Mt Alpha in a full gale in winter, needing every bit of experience and phystcal strength to survive (and later learning that only a short distance away two other trampers were dying of exposure in the snow); and of his being called out on a search and rescue for a tramper with serious back injuries in the days before helicoptors - four days in freezing conditions, most of the daylight hours soaked in icy river water. The rescue party started out from Otaki Forks thus: "... then we were off, down the track from the road to the river which we found was running fairly high. We entered it in a line, holding on to each other's pack-straps, our torches revealing a small area of rolling brown water ahead of us. A lot of effort was needed to keep the line straight, so presenting the least area to the current. After one stumbling, anxious moment we were across, well and truly wet..." I felt that they were the ones who might have needed rescuing!
-at home in the Hutt Valley to the top of snow-covered Mt. Marchant on the
-south wall where he sat, primus purring away for a brew, while he surveyed
+Throughout all his accounts runs a strong thread of good information, a generous sharing of experiences, and the reasons why tramping has been such an important part of his life. John Rundle has strong opinions on many matters of interest to bushwalkers - preservation of wilderness, tracks, huts, gear etc. His advice hits home time and again, woven into good tramping stories.
-hundreds of kilometres of the lower North Island in peace and quiet. And
-then in a steep plunge, descended a ridge to a familiar stream before returning to his car for the drive home at dusk.
+In S.B.W. parlance, John Rundle is a tiger walker, but not only. In his own words: "I'm glad I have been physically capable of doing the toughest trips and of holding my own with the fittest. I am also fortunate in being able to laze my way around the hills, absorbing the scene, the sounds and colours, without the compulsion to go somewhere..."
-In contrast stand exciting accounts of his party traversing Dress Circle Ridge and. Mt Alpha in a full gale in winter, .needing every bit of experience and phystcal strength to survive (and later learning that only
-a short distance away two other trampers were dying of exposure in the snow);
-and of his being called out on a search and rescue for a tramper with seriaas back injuries in the days before helicoptors - four days in freezing conditions, most of the daylight hours soaked in icy river water. The rescue party
-started out from Otaki Forks thus: "... then we were off, down the track from
-the road to the river which we found was running fairly high. We entered. ' it in a line, holding on to each other's pack-straps, our torches revealing
-a small area of rolling brown water ahead of us. A lot of effort was needed to keep the line st:might, so presenting the least area to the current.
-THE SYDNEY BUSBWAIKER	March,
-After one stumbling,-anxiaus-moment-ue-tivere-AdroS's, well'aEd. truly wut..""
-I felt that they were the ones whomight have needed rescuing:
--
--Throughout all his accounts runs a strong thread of good informaj.lon,
-a, generous sharing of experiences, and the reasons why tramping has bcm such AP. imPortant part of his life. John Rundle has strong opinions on ma17 tatters of interest to.bushwalkers - preservation of wilderness, track, huts, gear etc. His advice hits home time and again, woven into good tramr-Lng stories.
-In S.B.W. parlance, John Rundle is a tiger walker, but not only. In
-his own words: "I'm glad I have been physically capable of doing the -oughest trips and of holding my own with the fittest. I am also fortunate in being able to laze my way around the hills, absorbing the scene, the sounds End colours, without the compulsion to go somewhere..."
 In short, a damn good book and an incitment to throw some gear in a pack and head for the Tararuas this weekend. If only it was not now so far away.
-THE TARARUA BOOK - by John Rundle.
-Millwood Press, Wellington, New Zealand.
+The Taurara Book - by John Rundle.\\
-pp, $NZ29.95
+Millwood Press, Wellington, New Zealand.\\
+pp, $NZ29.95\\
 ISBN 0-908582-45-5, published 1981.
+----
-xxxxxxxx
-Page 9	THE SYDNEY BUSHWALKER	March, 1982.
 XANANGRA FALLS.
 by Gordon Lee.