Ruatoria

Te Ao Hou, March 1962, Page 11

Ruatoria What a fiasco. And all because of the weather. It was fine when we left, and the Awatere was

so low that the bus coasted across. Wonderful! But no sooner had we arrived at Ruatoria than the heavens opened. How the rain fell. It simply poured down. Our opening hymn was sung to a mere handful and the house didn't get any bigger. However to those who had braved the storm, we gave of our best, all the while thinking that this time we would be drawing money out to pay our expenses instead of banking. Imagine our joy to find that after paying our bills we did still have £16 in hand. But the fun had just begun. On our return trip we became more and more apprehensive. In places the road was under water, and at Tikitiki the creek was flowing over the bridge. Sure enough, the Awatere was in flood, and though one family went across on their excellent river horses, it was considered far too dangerous for the majority. So we went up to the marae, thinking that we could at least get some sleep, as it is equipped with mattresses, pillows and linen. But we found that all but the scruffiest of the mattresses and pillows had disappeared. Apparently they had been lent to a local resident, whose daughter or son was celebrating a birthday. The children spread out the bedding that was left, and slept as best they could. Most of us ladies tried to find some comfort in the bus, but it obviously wasn't built as a caravan. The men did their best to get a fire going with bits from boxes and other debris that they managed to rake up. So we did get a hot drink in the morning, and for breakfast we ate the remains of the last night's supper. The Awatere did not drop until 11 o'clock, and then was only negotiable on horseback. Mr Dewes crossed first as he had to go home to get his old bus which was on the Horoera side of the river, thank goodness. The rest of us crossed in twos and threes on the five available horses. This bad weather dogged us during most of our fund raising efforts, but the people persevered. A Bring and Buy scheduled for Te Araroa had to be held at Horoera so as not to be a complete loss, as the river came up overnight and everyone had backed furiously the day before. Two days before the day on which we were to hold a Canteen at a Rep. Football Match, the Awatere was bank to bank, with logs and debris sweeping down. Luckily by Saturday the tractor was able to cross, so we were able to add £50 to our mounting fund. To us teachers, the dangers and experiences encountered during the money-making period were of far greater note than the actual tour, but to the locals it was just one of those things, and to the children it wasn't worth even talking about—the Awatere River was merely a nuisance in their language.