Friends of the Whanganui River


Newsletter No 70
December 2006

ALL ABOARD FOR HIPANGO PARK


Some members will have fond memories dating back a long way of riding a riverboat to Hipango Park. Well, now we can look forward to reliving those memories as we have chartered the Wairua for a trip to the park on Sunday, February 11. We can take a maximum of 38 passengers and to cover costs charges will be $45 for adults and $35 for school age children and down. Leave at 8am and return at 5pm. The cruise will take about two and a half hours each way which will leave us plenty of time to enjoy a picnic at the park. BBQ facilities are available there. Contact Dawn Bromley at 3488475 (DoC) for your booking.

PAST ACTIVITIES

AGM AND TALK ON MANGAPURUA


The AGM on 24 September attracted nearly 50 people. The drawcard was Jocelyn Carver's talk about the lives of the women in the Mangapurua Valley. First of all she shared a remembrance from a former valley resident and then she answered a wide range of questions about the experiences of the settlers. Meanwhile, the committee has decided it will hold future annual meetings in March or April to coincide with our financial year which ends on 28 February.

RIVERBANK WALK

Our public walk along the Castlecliff - City Bridge Walkway on 1 October was a big success with 70 people taking part on a mild spring day with little wind - ideal conditions. Jeff Mitchell-Anyon, of the Conservation Department, who plotted the walkway for a thesis nearly 30 years ago, shared his thoughts on the route and pointed out historic relics, including the Imlay wharf. Thanks to bus driver Ridgway and to Judith Crawley for collecting the donations. We even made a small profit on the day!

JERUSALEM WEEKEND

The visit to Jerusalem on 11 - 12 November was also a great success. Twenty Friends trundled up the River Rd, stopping frequently to look at the sights. We lunched at Ranana and viewed the church and urupa with Sister Alisi. Renovations at the Jerusalem convent and church impressed us and we overnighted there in comfort. Weather was wet on Sunday for the visit to the Bamber hunting lodge and a tree over the road meant we returned the way we had come rather than through Pipiriki and Raethi. Special thanks to chief organiser Pam Kitson and driver/cook Ridgway Lythgoe.

FUTURE ACTIVITIES

END OF YEAR BARBECUE Sunday 17 December

The end of year barbecue at Bason Reserve has turned into a tradition. All members are invited to join in from 4pm. Bring a salad or a dessert. The Friends' committee will supply meat.

HERITAGE WEEKEND Saturday-Sunday 10-11 March

The annual Heritage Weekend in Wanganui usually has a strong river connection and next year will be no different. A special two hour cruise on the Waimarie will run on the Saturday, departing at 7pm. There will be a Scottish theme. Watch for further newspaper publicity in the near future.

SUBMISSIONS ON PARK PLAN

The Friends have presented submissions on a number of subjects in the draft management plan (2006-16) for Whanganui National Park. These included conserving and recovering threatened species, deer problems, 1080 control of possums, the historical survey of the Mangapurua Valley, jetboats and congestion on the river, vehicular access issues in the Mangapurua and Kaiwhakauka valleys, and increasing the size of the park.

TWO TRACKS UNDER-USED

DOC considers both the Mangapurua/Kaiwhakauka and Matemataonga tracks are under-used. It is estimated both get between 1000 and 1500 trampers a year. The department hopes upgrading camping facilities will encourage more trampers in the Mangapurua/Kaiwhakauka. There are also plans to promote the qualities of the Matemateaonga and to create a more even spacing of accommodation on this track.

MAP ON BACK-BURNER

The committee is still keen to produce an update of the historic map of the Mangapurua and Kaiwhakauka valleys but has yet to make any substantial progress. More information is also sought on the Kaiwhakauka. PLEASE if you have any information of settlers in the Kaiwhakauka Valley which could be included get in touch with Dawn Bromley, phone 06 348 8475 wk or email dbramley@doc.govt.nz

"WHIO - SAVING NZ'S BLUE DUCK"

This book recently published by the author of "Woven by Water" David Young is available from DOC and would make an excellent Christmas present. It retails at $39.95.

The FOWR committee wish you a happy family Christmas and a safe holiday season

Return to the Friends' page