Canoeing on the Wanganui (continued)

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CANOEING ON THE WANGANUI (Continued) Pipiriki marks a change in the charac- Just before tea the Evil H.V.s arrived, ter of the river, which from now on is and decided to camp down-stream a bit, wider and more open. sO we said we would come and see Also the country is more settled with the New Year in with them later. An villages like Hiruharama (Jerusalem), hour and a half later we joined them Ranana (London), Koriniti (Corinth), with the remainder of our canned beer Atene (Athens), and Parikino. These to fraternise. They had a roaring exotic names are the result of the campfire going, and a billy of peaches imaginations of the early missionaries bubbling over it, when Geoff. comwho named their mission settlements and mitted the most well-planned and clever the names were later "Maori-ised". bit of sabotage I have witnessed. He At Pipiriki I prevailed on Geoff. to was sitting on the end of the log from have a rest day as his early starts were which the billy was suspended, when he beginning to demoralise me, so after decided he simply MUST scratch! The having breakfast in bed, we settled down log tilted, and the H.V.'s pudding went toa day's sack-bashing. into the fire!! The air was filled with But we became restless by lunch-time cries of anguish, as bods tried to rescue and the arrival of the Hutt Valleys broke peaches from the embers. the monotony and decided us to head In spite of this VICTORY, the Hutt on to Jerusalem. Geoff.'s canoe had Valleys made a commendable effort to sprung a leak bumping over the Paparoa be polite and hospitable to us and rapid above Pipiriki, so after ten minutes even offered us one of their eight fresh repair-work we took off. Our food by loaves of bread, which they had bought this time was reduced to a couple of off the priest at Jerusalem. No one tins of fruit, a tin of "lamb and green seemed at all interested in drinking our peas" and a few spuds, so we were get- beer, so, after Shirley had divested us ting desperate for supplies. A hour of most of our cigarettes, we set off for later we saw the little church spire of home, Geoff. lighting his way with a Jerusalem on our left and pulled into glowing stick which he swung vigourthe bank. ously to keep alight. A wander around soon revealled that, All went well as we padded along a like "Pip" there was no shop here either. sheep track above the river bank in We roamed through the little convent our bare feet, until suddenly the glowgrounds, said good-day to a nun busy ing branch went out of control in the hanging out washing, had a look in pitch dark and a horrible yell shattered the pretty little Roman Catholic Church the peace of the river. Mrs. Carr's and headed down to the river. little boy was jumping around on one An interesting sideline here: I noticed foot, and clutching the other in both that of the three mission settlements hands!! He had trod fair and square Pipiriki (Presbyterian), Jerusalem on a large hedgehog. What language!! (Roman Catholic) and Koriniti After order was restored, we resumed (Anglican), the Roman Catholic Church the trip and hit the hay to finish our was like any city one, but the others beer in solitary state, then blew out the were beautifully carved, with ornate candle to share the rest of the night tuku-tuku panels in the walls, even the with the rippling river, and the ghosts lectern being carved. The only Maori of long-dead Maori warriors. influence in the Roman Catholic Church Next morning, 1962, dawned wet and was the Prayer and Hymn Books in cold with a steady downpour to dampen Maori. our spirits. This cleared just before We decided to camp on the other side we launched our canoes and we set off, of the river as there were plenty of waving goodbye to the H.V.s, and landed children around and we felt that if any in a real stinker of a rapid. This was of our gear were to develop legs it fast, with a sharp right turn at the wouldn't learn to swim as well, so we bottom and a large amount of willow set up our camp below an ancient Maori branches hanging over it. Paddling burial ground opposite Jerusalem and frantically, we made it, but I just missed prepared to celebrate New Year's Eve chopping off a six-inch bough with my with the spirits of long-dead warriors, and head. head-hunters, and the last of our food. h Rapids, until you get the hang of them, are really frightening. Your canoe well preserved. We visited the home of is swept along into a bend with, for Sister Elsa, an Anglican mission sister, example, a rocky cliff face on its outer who in her late 80's is a very charming side. You rush towards the cliff at a and hard-working person. Geoff. and fearful rate, and, just as you are about Brian Aitken had met her the year beto be smashed into a million pieces, fore and found her very interesting to your canoe swings swiftly to the right talk to. Unfortunately she is at present and scuds past level with the rock face. in Europe, so we missed seeing her. This is caused by the backwash from After scrambling back to the river the rock, and you soon learn not to through knee-high blackberry in our bare bother to paddle frantically to avoid feet, we moved on with our search for hitting it. food. After a while it becomes quite a thrill We were actually very luck to come to hurtle past at 10 to 15 m.p.h., only on Matahiwi, as all that could be seen a foot or so out from the steep rock of it from the river was the tops of a face. few poplars, showing above the river- With more than half our trip com- side willows. But we had been landing pleted, we were running on very short at every sign of habitation, taking no rations, only a loaf of bread from the chances on missing it. We tied up our Hutt Valleys, and some rice and dried canoes and scrambled up the bank on fruit left, so we were mainly concerned to a dirt road. A few hundred yards with keeping an eye open for Mata- up we came round a bend to see a hiwi, the next river settlement, where, veritable oasis in front of us-a little we had been told by an old Maori lady green corrugated iron building, not as at Pipiriki, we would find a shop, the big as Smith's Creek Hut, plastered with only one between Wanganui and Raetihi "Capstan" and "Matinee" signs. We on the river road. Because of this, the galloped up to the door, minds filled call at Koriniti, the Anglican settlement, with visions of lovely fried sausages, was pretty rapid, with only a quick look rice pudding made with milk, and stacks through the Marae and quaint little of chocolate, not to mention being able Church. to smoke again, only to find to our Most of these river mission settle- horror, that the door was firmly shut ments were built in the late 19th and padlocked!! century, so are pretty old, but very (Continued next issue.) *