WAIHI PARTY MAROONED

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXVII, Issue 9205, 5 April 1938, Page 2

WAIHI PARTY MAROONED

NIGHT EXPERIENCED ON TOSSING LAUNCH

EFFECT OF EASTERLY GALE

The usually calm waters in the Bowentown estuary off Tanner’s Point were rudely broken during the week-end by a fierce easterly blow, and in consequence Messrs I. T. Fallwell, A. Radford, C. Cooper, H. Grady and F. Timanus, junr., of Waihi, had a most unenviable experience on the launch Defender, on which they were marooned all the night through on Saturday. The easterly weather set in on Friday and reached its zenith on Saturday evening Meanwhile the party from Waihi, who arrived at the Point early on Saturday afternoon, ran down in the Defender to the mussel beds and during their return an hour or two later the easterly had increased to gale strength. After securing the launch to its moorings, the unofficial harbourmaster, Mr C. Hunt, at the Point, put out in a dinghy with the object of bringing the launch party ashore. For the best part of an hour he battled against the wind and waves to reach the launch, and finally was carried round Baigent’s Point by the strong flood tide and was lost t(5 view by those aboard. Their only hope of getting ashore was thus gone, and they were forced to remain aboard the long night through in the wet clothes they stood up in, as prior to embarking in the afternoon they had stored their rugs and food in a little cottage at the edge of the shore barely a hundred yards away. As the night advanced the wind increased in force, reaching its maximum after midnight. The launch rolled and tossed to the great discomfort of the marooned men. When daylight came there was no sign of life on the shore, and there was little abatement of the wind and heavy seas still pounded on the shore, and no sign of Mr Hunt. However, about S o’clock Mr Lcs. Wilson and Mr 11. V. Henrickson, of Tatuanui, turned up in their car and after a desperate attempt reached Hie launch in a small boat, and a half an hour later the tired and hungry men were safely landed.

The missing harbourmaster, it transpired, had a more thrilling experience. His dinghy, which the evening before had been swept round the Point, was carried well down the stream towards the mouth of the Taupiri River in a more or less swamped condition before it was got ashore. Mr Hunt was obliged to spend the rest of the night under the inadequate shelter of a pohulukawa tree.