BEACH BOYS

 

Robert posted about Palliser Bay today. This brought back fond memories for me as for many years between 1969 and 1980 (the more arithmetically-minded reader will no doubt see that as 11 years) I used to, with my brother and neighbourhood friends, go to Ocean Beach in Palliser Bay quite regularly.  It'd be great to be able to "do it again". A neighbourhood friend of my brother's parents owned one of those baches there that were built in the1950s. I believe that these have now been demolished or handed over to DOC. See: this link OCEAN BEACH BACHES

We used to go there on weekends for a bit of fishing, hunting and generally 'horsing about' lighting bonfires on the beach and drinking beer. I remember some truly great holiday weekends there and it's a wonder that we got through them unscathed.

My brother eventually - in the mid 1970s I think - built a bach of his own a little bit further along the bay than the neighbourhood friend's parents bach. This obviously wasn't one of the 1950s baches that had some sort of historical reprieve from DOC and I'm certain that this would have been demolished if it hadn't already fallen down. My brother died in 2001 so I can't ask him unless Robert can intercede for me and set up a meeting in the afterlife (it won't be in Heaven).

Here are some photos I found on the web of Ocean Beach that show some of the longer-lasting baches.

We used to tramp from the baches up the big and small Mukamuka streams (the big Mukamuka when in flood was more like a river) which were outstanding and afforded great views at the top.

My brother and his friend Richard (not of RBB) were lazy buggers though but, because they were exceptionally practical-minded and could turn their hands to anything, built river and beach buggies like this ...

.. cutting down old Austin and Morris cars circa 1940s and by connecting two gearboxes were able to create a primitive 4x4 vehicle that, in extremely low gear of the 16 or more gears could creep over the biggest boulders in the rivers, ford streams and almost never get bogged down in the sand. This was the fate of my trusty old 1948 Austin 8 that I sold to Tony and when he had finished with it (he peed in it see: HERE ) I brokered a buy-back deal for my brother to buy if from him and he converted it into a beach buggy.

Apart from Ocean Beach and the baches I remember many great trips tramping up the Orongororo River into the Orongorongo hills which are just at the back of where Richard of RBB lives.

I've also walked the Palliser Bay to Pencarrow tracks along the very pebbly beach to both Wainuiomata and further along to Eastbourne and have seen the lighthouse that Robert mentioned.

Thanks for the memory Robert.