Girl with a horse and cart

Press, 20 September 1978, Page 3

Girl with a horse and cart

Many North Canterbury residents have had the op. portunity to meet Laurene Kleeberger during the last fortnight while she had made a leisurely trip by horse and cart from Kaikoura.

Miss Kleeberger (shown at right) first visited New Zealand some years ago When on a bus tour with her parents and decided then on a goal to return. After some study in journalism for an Australian degree, she turned to waitressing and saving hard. Five months ago she realised her goal and began hitch-hiking round the North Island. She came prepared for her special interests of surfing and ski-ing. Not keen on competition, she admitted to a third place in the women’s surfing championship of Victoria, but would “rather find some quiet waves.” She tried ski-ing only last year, but hopes to pursue it in New Zealand where “it is generallv cheaper,” and aims to reach Mount Hutt before the season ends.

It was a ski-ing accident at Erewhon and recuperation at Christchurch that led to clues of a cart at Kaikoura. Miss Kleeberger finally met Janette and Darcy Dineen, who sold her a two-whee, spring cart and eight-year-old Jack. The combination had appeared at the Kaikoura show and as transport in the town for Father Christmas, and Jack had been used on pig-shooting tries.

As a town girl, Laurene Kleeberger had never known horses and country life, but in. a week learned to become familiar with horse handling and riding. Jack had been out to pasture for three months, and so he had to learn as well, but Miss Kleeberger said he was quiet, with ne vices, and only occasionally turned and wanted to co back to the Darcys. She said she could not have done the trip without the Darcy’s help in setting up the cart, complete with a canvas canopy on a framework. Jack wears a dairy cart saddle that originally was made in Waimate and a military saddle is tucked away in a box for the times when he might be ridden on his own.

The travelling couple have had a few bad scares from large trucks and busess “that had showed no respect or little understanding.”

Otherwise, it has been a chance for her to open her mind to other life-styles and to gain more understanding of the pioneers’ j ways. “It has been delightful

to see old peoples’ faces lighting up at z the sight of my caring enough about the old ways to travel like this,” she said. h ospitality, or weather, have kept the pair down to about 15 miles a day. “Farmers have been really kind and a kind of bush telegraph has been at work; I have only had to ask once for permission to sleep in a bam,” Miss Kleeberger said. Riding cart takes concentrat on, and on flat

ground she walks a lot to ease Jack’s load, which includes hay bales and feed given by farmers. There is also leading up hills and in the rain, but during a brief stay at motels near Kaiapoi, Miss Kleeberger remembered most the bathing in mountain streams, playing her mouthorgan at quieter moments, and the overwhelming hospitality. She is self-reliant, preserving jar seals in the

wheel hubs, kerosene lanterns for evening travel, and even a clothes line strung up for socks — but no cooking equipment. “The best foods are growing on the roadsides, dandelions, herbs; I am learning more and more about preparation,” but she does carry a few supplies as well. At Mount Hutt, Miss Kleeberger will not discard her living style, but plans to use the cart for sleeping. Her plans after

that are vague, but she would like to do some writing and has even wondered about the chances of a job, coming up at the rear of a drover and mob, as cor’- waggon. In the meantime, Jack goes through a pair of shoes in a week; and Miss Kleeberger becomes increasingly concerned about the amount of rubbish on roadsides — bottles, and cans — which means she has to watch for Jack’s welfare.