Dear Diary - Easter 1950

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DEAR DIARY. Easter, 1950. Thursday before Good Friday. 9p.m. First it's drizzle, then it's sleet and then it blows. Frank rings up and says, are you ready, time we were leaving to meet at 10p.m. by the Queens Wharf Gates a.p.s... No NO, NO I reply and, tot's more, I AM NOT GOING, it's a howling Southerly and I haven't a bunk. Go on, you have to is the reply = between sudden gusts of wind which positively rock the house - you're the leader. Yes, and what's wrong with you, you're sub-leader, I don't have to go - nobody can make me. We hang up. 9.55p.m. and we are at the wharf, George in new plaid shirt, wee Mollie and Mary and lots more, and then we find Ellen with her pyjama pants chowing below her slacks, and then along come Masterton Y.M.C.A., in fact, before long, everyone and everything is there except the "Tamahine" which is quite necessary for a trip to the Sounds. Tvo hours later - and the good ship "Tamahine" is still not in, but we are still there and by now I am numb and my brain must be too, because I am losing all count of time, but in about another 55 minutes I find myself pushed and shoved all over the wharf, in fact everywhere except towards the gangway o00 so the "Tam" must be in but we are allquite sure that we will never get on board and our hopes 'of finding a space are zero. Well, we finally get pushed "Tamwards" and vee Mollie hurtles past the ticket collector and finds herself on board with her ticket still in her hand. She presents it to me later and I say that I will go andget a refund even if it is cheating because the U.S.S./Co. ought to be ashamed the way they cater to the public, but I upset a a bottle of Evening ini Paris scent on it so am saved committing a crime. Good Friday George (Antheil) with his brood, mostly lassies, somehow finds a space about 6 X 6 and we finally bunk down, for the rest of the morning on a hard, bristly coconut mat that Frank has acquired plus a few old sacks and a coil of rope to make a first class bunki No T onder that Max was heard to remark that we should be paid to travel on the dirty little shipo We finally heave to and not long after I am heaving too but it was a short night, no I morning, and we berthed at 6 a.mo just as the dawn was cracking, our Dawn must have cracked too - because she looked as if she needed mending before she put on her glamour. I - did not knor or care what I looked like -- and I was the leader = oh lud! On_shore our breakfast was ordered for 7.45pom. (Dinner was eaten on the Tam I suppose. - Sub.Ed). and what agonies we suffered while waiting because we were EMPTY. However, they say all things come to those who wait and more punctuai than we are apt to be we sauntered into the dining room of the "Terminus" although we actually felt like charging,

The next most important item was to find our launch - we knew it was to be a red funnel transport but vhat we couldn't find was our launchman. He was finally located about to pedal off on his biko for bacon and eggs, but promised not to be very long. This seeed to be an opportunity to settle the account so went off and found the prop. and said how much for 22 people return, well, he said, I don't like discussing such sordid things as money, but when the bags begin to empty one must come dot n to earth. Aw well - it takes all sorts I thought. (The sequel to this was that I failed to get a receipt being issued with 22 ret. tickets at a reduction - and after the trip received an account - once again it takes all sorts.) The launch trip to Onahau Bay was made in brill.-nt sunshine and very pleasing after bobbin' abart in Straits - nor it was as calm as the proverbial mill pond. The walk from Onahau Bay to Te Mahia where we were met by the "Ngaio" was made in double brilliant sunshine. During this short(?) walk over several hold-ups were made to take snaps and roll up slacks and take time off to stand and stare. What is this life full of care, We have no time to 15tona and stare. No' time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows. No time to see, when woods we pass Fhere squirrels hide their nuts in grass. No time to in broad daylight, Streams full seot stars, like skies at night. No time to turn at Beauty's glance, And watch her feet, hov they can dance. No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile her eyes began. A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. (W.H. Davies.) Today I think we are in another world - everything is blue or gold or green, and I couldn't help feeling that the English folk, (first time down the Sounds) were seeing them at their best, their very best. If, I thought, we go to Sritzerland, it will be like this. But we are supposed to be getting on the "Ngaio" so must go on. It's all fresh as new paint so we take off our boots and wear rubbers or go bare-footed. From Te Mahia to Broughton Bay is only a few minutes and soon we are speeding up to the point where Maureen Greensill is waiting to take us to the White House a mile further on. Nov it is treble sunshine and we say thank goodness we are not carrying any food. Forgot to mention that Barrie and Denis are tagging along on the trip, they made the final decision to join us a few hours before sailing time and arrive plustont and foodo Friday, 11.30a.me and we are at the White House and meet Uncle Greensill who has chased the bees out of the house and washed 11 the floors, and T rot's nore, seen that our rather large order of grocerics has been brought up from the mail launch the day before, and delivered to our door stepo Next item, cold hot X buns and a cuppa and someone says how about a swim but most of the girls haven't COS tumes. Frank sorts out the groceries and it looks like a Antheil shop. George rushes in with a bunch, a whole bunch of fig leaves and very solennly presents one to each girl SO they can go for a swimenow. Lunch was alfresco and the afternoon devoted to pleasing yourself, it was still hot and some of us just lay under the Walnut trees and talked. Denis and Barrie sling their meat in our safe and their tent under the trees alongside Ted's, The Thite House is very roomy and clean, tro large rooms for the boys, one for the girls and a dining roomcun-kitchen vith an open fire-place, a table and a cupboard and Uncle Greensill has left us dry kindling and a milk pail to fetch water from the springo This we think, ambling into dinner, is luxury. Saturday we have decided against a launch trip as we do not feel like early rising - vell, the list on the Notice Board said EASY. On wandering down to the spring just before breakfast find various folk at various stage of dress and undress and various smells of soap (one lad confided to me later that the day of the early rising he sure found - Psyche at the Sink he was on breakfast duty and thinking he'd get in early set off for the spring and started a female form - minus her fig leaves.) There was an acute shortage of water as the Morlborough Sounds were suffering a drought but in the ordinary course of events the water supply should be tiful. After breakfast and leaving instruct tions for George plenat out the macaroni and cheese (which was super) parties set out in all directions, some for the patch of native bush down the lake - well, it looked like a lake = some climbed the surrounding peaks and some just went fishing. There is a wee schoolhouse a fev yards from the White House and one or two delved into past history - school books, satins, laces and tin trunks. This sounds bookish but the vhole place was story-bookish. Saturday noon By nov Denis and Barrie had set off on their own, they "Wanted to be alone" but on our trek to Te Mahia we found them in sleeping bags and screaming out had we any milk. They had developed a theory about boiling eggs in salt water but I've forgotten what it waso This particular nook in the sounds was labelled "Cable" and we proceeded to make a brew whilst the energetic ones searched for jelly fish and/or muscles. (Superman, Supernan. - Sub.Ed.)

The least energetic ones got into their sleeping bags. Nicht - we had a sing song - and so energetic was Stan in his songs (of the nusic hall type) that he put the back of the only chair in the whole house through the only window in the living room. Nov, I thought, Uncle Greensill will be angry, but he wasn't. Fander up to the Farm House in the pitch black, it's about a nile away = but we know vhen we are nearly there because the dogs are BARKING AGAIN. Uncle Greensill tells us about the early days and timbering and logging at Nydia Bay and then finally back to the Fhite House having made arrangements for the launch trip next day to Tennyson Inlet and walk over the saddle to Nydia Bay and then home by launch. Find some of them have gone floundering - in more way than one, sone are just stuffing themselves with valnuts 1 others trying the muscles € or something (They're best pressure cooked. - Sub.Ed.) and instruct all to be up earlyo Sunday - my goodness - what a din = we sit up rith a start - and then decide it's still night : but no - no crav. ling back to the sack, that ranbunctious Esler has us all out and lined up vith plates before we open our eyes = properly - lunch is packed and we amble off to Broughton Bay to pick up the launch for the trip. Uncle Greensill is there with a dingy (Was it that dirty? - Sub. Ed.) and we arrive dead beat with launch, Denis and Barrie still tagging along, They're just a coupie of tags that's all. Have to wait at "Nopera" and "St. Omer" for more tags but good opportunity to say Hullo to Mrs. Godsiff and then we're away. Launch trip to Tennyson Inlet mixture of racing other launches and putting on Parkas and taking off Parkas depending where you were - up or down. Lunch at Tuna Bay vhere we boil the billy and eat plum cake and what have you (incl. scroggin) then back to launch, Tennyson Inlet is just around the bend and we drop the dinghy with 3 enthusirstic fishermen to be picked up on the way back by the launch nan, We scramble off and pick up the track over to Nydia Bay. We think this is a good Sunday trip. ouldn't it look good on the Schedule. At the pace ve set it took two had a couple of sit-downs and these vere punctuated terrible roars - rembunctious EOVEILA Esler again (That is Esther-Mary's rord I not mine.) Pick up launch in Nydia Bay at appointed time and race home just on dark to put- on stew. Whilst this is stewing Denis takes photos around fireside and results are exceptionally good - and in a like case the stewo Easter fonday - this day arrives all too soon, and lo' tis raining, vell, guess it daesn't really matter since we are going and not coning. Concs the usual pack up and eat up with piles and piles of toast made by our Ellen. White House is swept up, the taggers take down their tent and we are off to Brougton Bay and once more board the "Ngaio". All our connections are nade apos. only excitement is when Esther-M's hat blows overboard and George comes to fore once more and rescues ito Here we are on the "Tam" and see Butch and Co. and learn they climbed a virgin peak I by misteka, so they say. Party E.M.Rigg, T.Dodge,M.Morrison, D.Holloway, M.Houston, E.Slattery, E.Cartor (Leader). M.Martin, S.Chaytor, I.Hindmarsh, G.Williams, R. Williams, G.Thonpson, F.McGovan (Sub-leader). Y.E.C.h. T.Esler, B.Esler, H.Geange, G.Price, K. Snellgrove, Taggers B.O'Donnell, D.Allison. and we think we rould like to go back again and visit the Vhite House and Uncle Greensill and gather more walnuts. E.C.