Derelict Ōpōtiki - despatches from the eastern bay of plenty

Y ou are fishing, or perhaps white baiting, from the bank of the Nukuhou River, running though what is now called Cheddar Valley. Before any road was cut and before any vehicle apart from a horse and rider had passed through that way. It’s a beautiful Autumn morning, with a cloudless sky. Full tide carries voices across the water. Laughter in the distance, and soon a group of people, young and old, arrive on a punt, poling their way slowly upstream. They convey precious cargo from the coastal scow which docked that morning, running its route from Auckland to Ōpōtiki with a stop at Kutarere Wharf or perhaps it was Ohiwa Wharf. Perhaps a dozen school desks, a blackboard, and miscellaneous boxes of books and other syllabus from the Auckland Education Board. No doubt a scrolled up and secure World Map, highlighting The British Empire, and another describing Great Britain. The resources requested of the authorities by the Waingarara community for their fledgling school. ++++++++++++++++++++