Ngaruawahia High School Yearbooks 2010-2012 Ngaruawahia High School Yearbook 2012 | Page 14

Smokey

W

by Matiu Moanaroa, Year 11

e called him Smokey because when we caught him in the

bush it was foggy. At first he was uncontrollable. Every time
we came near him he ran away. But my dad didn’t give up and
eventually Smokey was broken in and became my loyal friend. No one
else could catch him but he always walked straight to me.
After Smokey was broken in he stayed with my Koro who was
supposed to look after him. Koro had other horses to look after and
Smokey was neglected. I remember seeing him with his ribs sticking
out and his natural colour gone. I felt sad seeing my wild, healthy
horse looking so sick. The vet came and looked after him.

would never lead me into danger.
Smokey was moved to Ngaruawahia after that and I only got to see
him once. He remembered me though and came to me straight away.
He lives in Kawhia now and I never see him. I’ll always remembered
swimming with him and doing stuff with him in Raglan.

Dad decided to take Smokey after that and my Koro rode him from
Tauranga to Ngaruawahia. This journey took all day and night and
Smokey was knackered. But there was more travelling to be done.
Dad rode him to his new home in Raglan the next day. We dropped
Smokey off at Dad’s farm.
I would see Smokey every weekend. The favourite thing I used to do
with him was ride him everyday on the beach. We would gallop along
the sand and eventually he let me take him into the water. At first he
became distressed. He started jumping up and down to get out of the
mud. It took all of my strength not to get bucked off. Soon Smokey
realised that he could actually swim.
I know he enjoyed out visits to the beach because he always headed
straight for the cool water. Smokey would wade through the shallow
water and I would remain dry but sometimes he plunged straight in.
The only part of Smokey poking out of the water was his head. I was
almost completely submerged underwater. I remember the feeling of
his huge body beneath me and I always felt safe – I knew Smokey

Junior BBQ - 20 February 2012
The school hosted our Junior BBQ. It was a chance for
the families of our junior students to meet their teachers
and hear how their child/children had started the year. It
was pleasing to see such a successful turnout. A big
thank-you to Whaea Rangimarie and Whaea Haz for organizing the evening and a thank-you to all those who
helped support this event.