Explanation of a treasure hunt

Press, 20 August 1976, Page 7

Explanation of a treasure hunt

By

Kevin McMenamin

There may have been simple landlubbers, like this reviewer, who were totally confused by all the carry on off the Auckland Islands earlier this year. After all a wreck had been found, which wellinformed people seemed to Chink was the goldcarrying General Grant. It occurred to us that the quickest way to check this out would be to have a look at the pointed end and if the words "General Grant” were there it could be safely assumed that the expedition was on the right track — or, as the nautically-minded might say, in the right water. The rest, so we thought, would be as easy as falling off a log, or plank. Grab one of those waterproof torches, open a hatch or a bulwark or something — even smash a hole in the quarter, or

is it half, deck — and scoop up the gold. From there we imageined it would be just a short boat — ship, if you like — ride to Dunedin, where a few bars of the booty would buy an N.A.C. Boeing and next stop the French Riviera. It all seemed the sort of exercise that Errol Flynn in his heyday would have completed before lunch. But, sad to say, our illusions were shattered by a very good "Challenge” programme from TVI on Wednesday night. Subtly titled “Yesterday’s Gold” it was a first-rate account of an expedition that was beaten by the elements before it ever got a sniff of gold. It succeeded in lifting the veil of secrecy off an expedition that was, for good reasons, no doubt, carried out with a good deal of high seas intrigue. But most revealing of all was the enormity of the task of getting to the gold, if there is, in fact, gold to be found. This was no recognisable hull waiting patiently to be stripped of its treasure, more just a junk heap buried beneath a mountain of rocks and sand. The painstaking search for clues made the expedition seem like one hunting archaeological riches. And possibly some of the artefacts found were tiny nuggets. As well as being an arresting record of the expedition, the film also had other qualities. The underwater footage was a fascinating dive into deep water and spoilt only by some weird sound effects. If real, they could only have been Neptune lamenting the invasion of his kingdom.

When bad weather gave pause — and eventually put paid to work on the wreck, the opportunity was taken to carry the camera ashore and look at both the nature and the history of the Auckland Islands. This proved a most rewarding diversion and as the camera panned a row of old gravestones the narrator could be believed when he said that the whole story of the area was one of nature’s victory over man. The sea also figured prominently in another programme on Wednesday night of strong appeal. This was the “Six Thirty Special” offering on the rise of the Russian navy. It was a well researched and tidily packaged documentary and one nicely timed for screening in this part of the world. It is a shame how some programmes fade simply because they become too familiar. An example is “No — Honestly,” which was a welcome addition to the comedy ranks when it started. But now that Clara's non sequiturs have lost their impact the show has become just another situation comedy — and a fairly ordinary one at that.