RACE AGAINST TIME

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18633, 18 February 1935, Page 6

RACE AGAINST TIME

MOTU RIVER JOURNEY DELAY IN GORGE COUNTRY NO REAL DANGERS PASSED “Though we wore in n.o danger at any stage, we realised' that, with the passing of the days our relatives would he feeling concern for our safety, and the last few days of our trip were made at the best pace we could muster. It was a race against time, in a sense, for we had been clela\’ed longer than we expected in the first week of the trip, and wanted to allay any anxiety on our behalf. We were especially thankful that we completed our journey in time to save the unnecessary dispatch of search parties,” stated Mr. Victor Gaulton, a member of the Irio of Gisborne residents who on Friday arrived at Maraenui after traversing the bed of the Molii River through unsettled country in which they spent a total of 12 days.

Discussing the journey, Mr. Gaulton remarked that, it was an extremely arduous one, and its completion had realised for him an ambition lie had nursed since his boyhood in the Motit district. Neither he nor either of his companions, Messrs. Hugh Telford and Cecil Graham, wished to consider repeating their experience, however. EXPERIENCE AND LUCK Essentially the journey was one which could only be successfully completed with reasonable luck, backed by most careful preparation, and the possession of a fair degree of bush experience by anyone who undertook it. Mr. Gaulton was emphatic in his advice to anyone who proposed to undertake the journey from the Motu Falls to the sea not to underestimate the physical difficulties of the trip, or the necessity for providing against all eventualities in the way of accidents, loss of boats, and' wet weather.

In prepaying for their own journey down-river, he pointed out, he had secured all the information he could concerning the physical characteristics of the country through whichthey had to pass. Knowing, that thorf were rapids in which ! an ~ordinary boat must be broken irj short" oydpc, he attempted to provide , .'against accident by building liis craft of strong timbers, bolted at all vital points, and striked on the bottom with three pieces of hardw.ood. As an additional precaution, he had sheathed the lower part of the hull with, Yet these precautions :did,,iVpt.'u altogether save the boaf frothydjuiiirge, amU'one cause of the; delay Am' the ;eply part of the trip was the' necessity for replacing the which was torn away 1 by the force of contact, with protruding rocks ■ ini the rapids which beset the path of the travellers. No light boat could live in the river under normal conditions, he felt certain.

THREE MEN A MINIMUM

Another point on which Mr. Caulton felt that a warning should be given was in regiard to the composition of any party undertaking the journey. Three able men was the safety minimum. Two men might make progress with safety and get through with a great deal of luck, but reasonable provision against misfortune must be included in any preparations fox' such a journey, on which the party depended entirely on its own resources. Bush knowledge should be another essential qualification, and should be possessed by all members of a party. In the case of the trip just completed, all three men were well able to look after themselves in the bush, and they knew of two or three possible outlets from the river route, in the event of trouble arising from accident or the loss of their boat. Strangers contemplating the trip should remember, however, that the country between Motu Falls and the coast was probably the roughest section to be found in the North Island.

G LOOMY ‘ ‘ GATEWAYS ’ ’

Of the experiences undergone during the journey which concluded on Friday, Mr. Caultou described as the most notable their passage through some remarkable gorges, which lie and his companions referred fo as the “gateways.” These gorges cut through rock formation hard enough to sharpen tools upon, and evidently were the work of thousands of years of constant wear by the waters of the river. At one time, they judged, there had been steep waterfalls where these gateways exist, the river passing from one valley into another over huge saddles which had gradually lost ground Lo the constant year of the swift-running stream. With rock cliffs towering up to heights of 2Coft. and more, and the river running deep and silent in the gloomy depths, these gorges were most impressive.

At other p.oints, the river shallowed over reefs of rock which thrust sharp teeth up through the current, and here the handling of the boat gave tiie party the greatest difficulty. It was the practice in negotiating these sections for one man to take a position on solid ground, holding the boat hy a rope tied to the stern, while the others went ahead, one prospecting the route and the other guiding the craft by the bow-line. The party had 100 yards of rope, nod did not find the length excessive by any means. Repeatedly in traversing rapids, the boat was dragged under by the beam pressure of the water, and time after time the party had to drag the craft ashore, turn out all their gear, and dry what they could. SLOW TRAVELLING The first week of the trip was spent: in negotiating a distance of about 25 miles, some days seeing no more than a mile and a half or two miles gained. One day was spent under cover, mending the boar and waiting for the river to lose some of its velocity, to which a fresh had' contributed considerably.

In the matter of camps, the party was fairly fortunate, for several nights were spent on sheltered benches beside the stream, where 'firewood was identiful. Occasionally, however, they had the experience of passing a good camping-site late in the day, and then failing 10 find comfortable quarters as the bed of the stream grew more rugged. Gn one night they had to transport their gear over a ridge to 'secure a good site, and the following norning" saw time lost in making the return to the boat. (lame was found easily along the route of their journey, for wild pigs roamed in great numbers in the forest, and were frequently encountered on the fringes of the river, while duck and pigeons were fairly plentiful, and could have contributed materially to the larder if the party had lost its provisiotls. The pigs were entirely strange to the danger of encountering human beings, and showed

no alarm until they heard the report of a gun. BIRD AND INSECT LIFE

Native bird life was scarce in the valley of the Motu River, the party found, to its great surprise, blit spiders of al colors and shapes infested the possible camping sites, and' swarmed over eveything. White butterflies were also numerous, and it was evident to the party that there must be . some form of native vegetation which acted as a host to the pest. The liability of the main stream to suffer flooding from one or other of its tributaries was also noted bythe party. Weather conditions overhead might he perfect, for the time being—though rain was experienced nearly every day of the trip, aiul one thunderstorm was described by Mr. ■Caulton as the most remarkeable he had ever witnessed —and yet the fiver might be flooded by stormwater draining from some far-distant valley. On the last day of the journey, the flooded condition of the Motu River aided the travellers a great deal, for boat floated along at a good pace, and they covered about 25 miles between 8 a.m. and 3.15 p.m. Their ibain consideration on landing being to allay the possible enxiety of their relatives, Messrs. Caulton, Telford and Graham immediately sought a telephone. Their concern was increased when they heard, from the first Maori encountered, that arrangements had been made for tho dispatch of a search party from the village of Maracnui, in co-operation with another party which was to follow tho 'ownstream route. Mr. 'Caulton commented that the police bad made the best .arrangement, possible to meet the contingency feared, and that while the dispatch of search parties was not necessary, the members of his party wished to acknowledge gratefully, both the spirit and the method of the preparations. The boat used by Messrs. Caulton, Telford and Graham was left, at- Marnenui, as a gift to the natives there in return for the warm hospitality extended to the weary travellers. While a trifle battered, ir was still serviceable, and probably had years of use before it, Mr. Caulton added.