Elliott in his chair ready to shoot. This photo shows how the cradle works and that it can be used from a chair and then also on the Polaris via the mounts that they have had made up.
together for the night. They walked alongside, behind and around the Polaris and helped get Elliott and driver Murray as far up the first part of the track as possible. Throughout this first part of the bushcraft weekend useful information was being shared by all, ranging from the history of the area, the terrain, bluffy escarpments, things to look out for, the majestic kauri and other trees that once adorned this beautiful valley, and so on. Eventually, once the track got too narrow for the Polaris to go any further we parted ways, with Murray and Elliott heading back out to the campsite where we’ d all meet up with them later in the day.
After lunch at Daly’ s, there was the opportunity to try navigation off the tracks( with copious amounts of supplejack on offer) and find our way back to Dickey Flat for the night. It was great to all meet up again and get on with the task of setting up tents, cooking the evening meal and all sitting down to eat together. This spot turned out to be ideal for our purposes, since it was wild enough to provide a proper bush experience yet Elliott’ s family were able to get a campervan to the site( although he insisted on sleeping in a tent). With
the Waitawheta River right alongside, Dickeys also was perfect for the river crossing exercise the next day.
Being able to all gather at the end of the day, enjoy the camaraderie and share stories of the day is all part of what makes a weekend in the hills so memorable, and this was no different. Well after dark when we’ d all climbed into our various beds it was great to lie there listening to the river and to know that everyone had achieved so much during the day.
Next morning some people tried to delay getting into the cool waters of the Waitawheta for the river crossing exercise, but once the sun was shining it was time to“ suck it up” and get wet feet. Of course, there was no way we were going to put Elliott into the drink in his chair, but he was able to watch the exercise, he could clearly see and lean about the places to cross and not to cross, so he now has an understanding from being part of this that may be helpful to others. In the future he may find himself in a situation where others are going to cross a river but don’ t really know what they’ re letting themselves in for, in which case he will be able to share what he has learnt and what he saw first-hand on the bank that day – another win / win for sure.
Before the hunting weekend, we made the final preparations and held the butchery demonstrations. At Labour Weekend the chopper trip into the Ureweras with Heli Resources saw some excited new hunters and their mentors off into the hills. The trip proved very productive, plenty of animals were seen, everyone learned a lot and the true essence of a trip into the hills was there for all to savour. In all, six animals were taken – four red deer and two rusa – one of the rusa being a six-pointer. The camping, navigation, river crossing, butchery, compass and GPS work all were put into practice and it was a very happy group that returned to Murupara on the Monday afternoon.
With Elliot not being able to do the stint in the Ureweras, a suitable place down the Waitotara Valley had been arranged for him to have his first actual hunting experience. Makowhai Station, operated by Eon and Melody Wallace, provides hunting for a range of species( and other outdoor activities such as trail rides and mountain biking) but it was a fallow deer each that we had in mind for Elliott, his dad Mike and best mate Dale, who’ d also done the
26 NZ Hunting & Wildlife 196- Autumn 2017