EARLY HUNTERVILLE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 63, 14 March 1936, Page 7

EARLY HUNTERVILLE

STORY OF PIONEERING DAYS LN RANGITIKEI. There are many of the settlers ol HuulerviUe and uistrict who recad the days when taey made their way into R-angicikei, felled the bush and made tor themselves homes in wnat is now after 3U years a prosperous farming district. Much has happened in that uu years and progress made in leaps and uounds and it is interesting to hear the story of life in this country as it was haif a century ago. Speaking to a meeting -'Ji tue bilveraope women's Institute Mr. W. H. Aldworbh recalled the days when he first set foot in New Zealand and saw the birth of Hunter-, viile and surrounding settlements. ‘"When we arrived in Wellington in 1 $B2 there were only two ways of coining to Rangitikci,'’ commenced Mr. Aldworth, '‘one being to travel by coach to Foxton tra\e.iing up the beach from Paekakariki and fording the rivers, taking train to Palmerston North and t'hence to Marlon. The other was io travel by coastal boat to Wanganui, either by the Tui of 90 tons or by the Stormbird of 120 tons register and then travel by the train to Marton. We came by the boai. The next stage of the journey we made by coach navelting from Marton to Leedstown by the Upper Tut-aenui route, the Cliff n<7u being metalled. “There was no formed road from Leedstown io Hunterviile, there be.ng only a track cut through vhe bush with the trees cut level witu the ground and about 16 feet wide wiih trees piled up on either side. This work was done by lhe unemployed auout the year JB&J when one of the camps was al lhe foot of lhe Log Whare hill when the men built for tuieinseives a large whare of | pine logs and s-hing.e roof. Th.s whare : remained there until tne first bush lire lon the Bilverhope estale burnt it down lin January 188. J. Log Whare hill takes its name from this w'uare, '•When the road or track was taken into Poukiore the unemployed men built two log whares mere and lhe old clearing at the junction of lhe West Road and the Mangaonoho Road used to be called Two Log Whare hi.l but was later changed to Poukiore or the I ••Benigoted Kat.’’ The story attached to this change of name is that a parly of Maoris were pigeon hunting—i say hunting because they did not do mucii shooting but snared the birds using a loop of flax on the end of a long st.ck, slipping the loop over (he pigeon's head. One of them named Kioie and he bacetne lost in the dark and the name I’o was added, this meaning dark or night. •’The first time I rode through Hunterviile there were no buildings, only tents where Messrs, fetewart and Baskin kept the’.r supply ivf stores until they could build themselves a whare of sp it white pine, shingies and squared scantlins with slabs of white pine for flooring. This was the only s-tore for about two years when Watt and Jones built themselves a store where Messrs. Ellis Bros, shop now stands. “As the traffic increased, the condition of the track became so bad with mud and slush that horse drays could hardly get along. Mr. Thomas Simpson, a brother of the late Mr. A. G. Simpson was the first man to take a four-horse team with a waggon through Hunterviile up to Glenmorven. After this the tracks became so bad that a bullock dray had lo be used to haul the stores to Hunterviile from where Mr. Adkin now lives, and later still a sledge with a a boarded bottom like a punt drawn by bullocks had to be used. The streets in Hunterviile became so deep with mud that slabs of timber had to be put down for people to cross the street on foot. Between Hunterviile and the slaughter house there were several pack horses bogged and had to be killed, as it was impossible lo dig thorn out. The first mob of sheep I saw come up the tracks camped at Lewistown and got as far as the top of bog Whare Hill in one day and to stay there for one night some in the mud and some in the bush. ft. took more days to reach Hunterviile and two more to reach Braeniore, Mr, Holden’s properly, now Mr. E. Hall's. ‘‘As showing lhe difference in means of transport in the early 80’s and now a contractor coming from Halcomibe carried his lent and blankets on his back, his wife carrying the food and he led an old packhorse with two children slung in sacks on the pack saddle and the pots and pans stacked on top of the pack horse. They camped on the hill at the back of Mrs. M. Coleman’s property and lived uhere for two years, the children becoming quite wild and were to be seen running into the bush when the meat and stores were packed into their camp. Two more children were born in this camp. “There were nn sawmills nearer than Halcombe at this time—lBB3-84—so nearly all rhe timber for the Silverhope homestead was pit-sawn on the estate and the nearest brick kila being Alarton, the br'cks were made and burnt on the spot. The roads were so bad that neariy all the iron was transported from Leedstown on pack horses. It took seven heavy draught horses to draw a load of seven hundred weight from Leedstown to Silverhope, the trip taking 1] hours travelling time. “The only bush felled on the road from Leedstown to Hunterviile was 100 acres on Mr. Parkes’ property, 20 acres on Meads Bros., 20 acres where Air. Ben [llston now Jives and 500 acres at the foot of Log Whare hill on the Silverhope estate, the country being bush c’ad to Glenmorven and then to Mataroa. Bush at Glenmorven was felled in 18S0. lhe first settlers in the Hunterviile district were the Wilkinsons, who lived near where Air. A. Kilmister now Mr. Aidworth continued to say that the Government \ survey for the Leeds-

town Road was not followed finally, it [ being intended to take the road from ! near Mr. 8. Hammond's property across I the hills to the end of Hou Hou Koad. | He recalled that to get from the foot; of Alt. Curl hill to t'he foot of Log [ Whare hill the creek had to be lordeu 1 24 times. “In .1885 the Hapopo block was cut! up and in the following year the Ranga- I tira block was divided,’’ he continued.! “in this year the railways survey be-I gan, lhe first contact was let in about i 1888, and about the end of ’B9 the first | passenger service commenced, one train | up and down running as far as Ranga-1 tira, now Kaikaraog':. 'lhe present Puke-papa station v;.-• the Marton station and the junct’ ..as where the! driver and guard got r> have lunch while passengers sat in the train waiting. “11. was in 1897 tha.l, we had the bus'll fire that swept from the Turakina River, leaving not one fence in its trail. Flocks of sheep were burnt, and the country a scene of desolation. Tne losses were great and we had a terrible time sorting up the sheep, etc., all settlers joining in a big muster and all hands and the cook being present to claim their stock. In the following year we had the big flood in lhe Rangitikei which swept away every bridge. “The first sale yards were built in Hunterviile in 1885 by Beckett, Hammond and Dick and were at the junction of the roads on the south of Hunterviile. These were made just by nailing rails to the trees. The first blacksmith was Mr. Jim Pawson, and Dr.. Cooper was the first medical man. j Mr. Aidworth recalled the time when I Mr. Bill Hammond took a five horse team up the bed of the. Rangitikei ford- I ing the, river 45 times ph route. He! recalled many humorous and other incidents of the early davs anrl his address! held the interest of the penpie through- J out. j