the bridge for its annual outing in Roading milestone lornt research by the March, 2008. Thirty-eight people The project Whanganui to extend the River Maori Trust made a jetboat trip to the site. Ac_ Board and the seal on the Whanganui River Fisheries companying them was Ministry. Wanganui Rd reached another milestone in historian Norm Hubbard, Scenes of village Iife who March, 2008, when the first 700m talked about Scenes of life in1921at Korin_ sites along the way. length was chip Waka ama rivalry sealed from Ma- Waka ama were prominent on tahiwi. The 32km the Whanganui River on Waitangi seal extension, Day, 2008. The Wanganui Chronl_ a joint roading cle reported that Whanganui River project for the Maori Trust Board,s Nancy Tuaine Wanganui and called the race progress in a way Ruapehu district not quite heard before: "Watch out councils, witl be Waihine Toa, Koroheke is up your carried out over bum..." six years. Work in progress on the Whanganui River Rd near the Kawana Mill. Bridgestrength- iti, Jerusalem and pipiriki, includ_ ened ing weaving, fishing and garden_ Earthquake ing, unfolded in He pito Whakaatu strengthening Te i Noho a Te Maori i Te Awa O was applied to Whanganui the (Scenes of Maori Lifu Cobham on the Whanganui River), a film Bridge over by James McDonald, shown in Whanganui the Wanganui in October, 200g. River in Wan- Artist Ioves river ganui fromApril, An artist with an ongoing love Paddles fly during a waka ama race 2008. Transit NZ affair with the Whanganui River, on Waitangi Day, 200g. said the upgrade Doug Simpson, opened an exhibi_ i was part of a tion Lower river of Whanganui River Scenes at experience programme of seismic retrofitting the W H Milbank Gallery Combining fun with a seri_ in Wan_ on strategically important bridges ganuui ous intent is the in October,200g. He is the aim of Life to the throughout the country. nephew of well-known jetboater Max, a programme which works Development canned Dave Russell, with families at risk. Six boys who introduced him in A contentious tourist devel_ two to the river at an early age. canoes, acompanied by three opment in Pipiriki was canned af_ Boating Education Life to the Max staff and and river ter Award evidence emerged linking the Former guide Ned Tapa, spent port captain/harbour_ five days land to an urupa. A river opeiator on master Trevor Gibson, who be_ the lower river in February, wanted to build a boatshed and of_ gan Sea 2008. Ned said the experier." Cadets in Wanganui and rru, fice near the pipiriki Bridge but "cool. " still regularly pilots the Waimarie, the local iwi opposed this and Ati_ was honoured at the Coastguard hau Whanganui Corporation national conference in Ociober, confirmed the urupa. 2008, with the Coastguard Boating Concern over eels Education Award for Excellence. Whanganui Maori ex_ Waterfront a winner pressed concern about the Wanganui's boardwalk and disappearance of eels from waterfront development was the river and the fear that ffi a winner in the 200g Western this could end a customary Architecture Awards. fishing right Judges A Lrfe to the they have en_ praised the way Max canoe joyed in which it for centuries. The de_ creation " completes its trip from pipiriki. of a waterside interaction cline of eels emerged from zone had provided the opportunity WHANGANUT Rr!.ERANNUAT _ page 1l KIEKIE Bv Psn Frrurnr We travelled from Wanganui, up the River Road The transit straining and labouring under quite a load We were going after kiekie up to Ruapirau To use on tuku tuku panels As our reserves were running low Turned off at the woolshed, drove up past the yards The roads uneven and bumpy, steering was rnighty hard The track was narrow and rubble strewn The gradient was steep Bulldozed by the local farmer To make it easy mustering sheep The hillside was steep to overhanging A11 foliage brown and tinder dry The stones and bare papa Were hot enough to fry Driving over it was a nightmare, with not a place to turn Anyone touching bare metal, Got themselves quite a burn The creek way down below us Looked so inviting and so cool No one would go down and sample it No one but a fool We finally reached the bush edge Just above the falls Right among the kiekie Growing long, straight and tall The boys are up the hill cutting it IJp among the supplejacks Gathering it up in bundles Then throwing it down upon the track If you've ever gone after kiekie You will know just what I mean When I say how hard the work is Getting those leaves tender and green The girls are grading and stripping It's time consuming work Taking a leaf one at a time And tearing them off with a jerk Then with a broken shearing comb They strip them down to size Ready for boiling and dying Then put out to dry We have finally got all we need Time to start heading back All the way to Wanganui Back along that stinking track. -Page 13 EUToRIAL o a a Bv Devm Scounen Another year and another fine crop of stories to The re-enactment of emerge for the Annual. I'm gob-smacked at how ma- the Billy Webb event in De- terial keeps appearing and of course it's just as well! cember, 2008, captured the Thanks to everyone who has helped fill our pages. public's imagination, with The year 2008 was signiflcant for several reasons. It New Zealand hero Mahe marked our 20th birthday which was celebrated in Drysdale battling it out with December with a river cruise on the Wairua and din- Norway's Olympic single ner at Upokongaro. sculls champion Olaf Tufte. When the Friends started producing the Annual, Webb has received cover- we envisaged it as a in-house journal of river matters. age in previous Annuals It has developed over the years through successive and this time it it is Sylvia's Editors to the stage when we can view it as a valu- turn as we look at her life Sy lv ia As hton-Warne r.. able repository of river history. Like me, the previous and share some memories memories of her time Editors probably fretted that we would run out of ma- of her time up the river. at Pipiriki linger on. terial. This hasn't happened and I doubt it ever will. Colourful yarns con- In terms of river history, 2008 marked 100 years tinue to emerge about life since Billy Webb defended his world sculling title in the Mangapurua Valley. Jim Parnell and Maurice on the river and also the centennial of the birth of Cole have maintained their researches and they both prominent educationalist and writer Sylvia Ashton- have articles of interest. Everyone who has been Warner, who with husband Keith Henderson, taught down the river has a story to tell and we have some at Pipiriki in the 1940s. good accounts of journies on the Whanganui - both oldtime and modern. Once again it is our sad task to record the deaths of eight people with strong river connections - a record for any Annual. Over the summer of 2008-9 I was a warden at John Coull Hut for a week and later tramped through the Mangapurua Valley. These were precious times and a reminder of what a privilege we have to be able to experience the wonderful Whanganui River. As always I acknowledge the The age of chivilary is not dead ... Editor David Scoullar carries support of typist Dawn Bramley, Juliet Kojis to the jetboat after visiting lvan Rusling's old house site proof readers Judith Crawley and during the Friends' trip to Wakahoro in November 2008. Waiting Juliet Kojis, and the technical ex- at the boat are, from left, Fritz Bonk, Esther Williams, Richard Steele pertise of H & A Design and Print. and Jim Parnell. Photo by Heather Bonk. Friends' 2008 Executive Chairperson: Pauline Walton,49 Putiki Drive, Wanganui Vice Chairyerson: Ridgway Lythgoe, 3/18 Campbell Street, Wanganui Honorary Secretary: Dawn Bramley, 14 Ward Street, Wanganui Honorary Treasurer: Judith Crawley, 37a Brassey Road, Wanganui Editor: David Scoullar;7 Wairere Road, Wanganui Committee: Bob Mclntyre, Pam Kitson, Alan Donald, Robert Wills, Frank Papprill, Murray Ware, Jane Aitchison, Murray Laing Page 2 - wHeNclNUI RrvER ANNUAL &'rmwpwuds' Xkmps mww XS&& Wonderful Whangamomona wows'em yet again By Devro Scouuan We roll out the Whanga- ditional starting point for genera- for another leg stretch and ex- momona trip every three or four tions of river canoeists but less plore. years and it's always a winner. It popular these days. Lunch was By now we were a bit behind was this time again, on April 12- taken on the riverbank beyond the schedule and it was good to reach 13, 2008. Nearly 30 Friends en- Te Maire Bridge. Whangamomona and sort out our joyed a beautiful weekend which The spectacular Tangarakau sleeping arragments. Most people contrasted strongly with our last Gorge provided, as usual, a high stayed in the pub, with six at the foray here when we met torential point. This time the river was very camp ground. We all gathered m downpours and arrived back in low. We stopped to look at the the pub for a great dinner and so' Wanganui to discover flooding. Morgan grave and to chat with cial evening. With Ridgy at the wheel as some passing motorcyclists before After exploring the village always, the bus trundled up the moving on to view Mt Damper on Sunday morning we set off for ParaparaHighway.