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