February 8, 2010
To the finish line!
Refreshed after our sojourn at John and Marge’s place we returned to the Pelorus for the bike leg Jo wasn’t looking forward to. My comment that the route was ‘essentially downhill’ was treated with total derision. It was 14kms of up, down and windy gravel road that took us in no time to Pelorus Bridge and a fast tarseal road to Havelock, lunch and a beer. I called Jamie with the news that we had reached the sea, 57 days from Bluff.
On the 27th we diverted to Blenheim for an ANZ breakfast function with Tamati, the TV One weather god. Congratulations to our Community Partner in Marlborough (Karen Walshe and Rachel Anderson, trustees) and Wayne Tippett (regional manager who had tried hard with his busy schedule to join us for a leg) and the team at ANZ – there were heaps of friendly people and Tamati was a hoot. Apart from the more serious interview with me, Jessie and Brendon, he mischievously organised a kayak race between me, Mark (a Project K grad) and Wayne. It ended in chaos as Mark took me out, Wayne crept through to win and then we all attacked each other, as good sportspeople do, and finished up in the river.
Back on the road, Jo and I completed the section from Havelock, over the hill to Anakiwa. It was tar- melting-hot and at Anakiwa Jo celebrated not having to get on the bike again. 
We met the new group from Auckland: Sophie, Shea, Jesse and Mason, the latter who’d been with us on the first leg. Gemma and Dingo were once again there to ensure the safety of the team. Outward Bound kindly let us camp in a pleasant field behind the school where friendly sheep grazed contentedly.
Early on the 28th two bright red helicopters arrived from Wellington with Allan Freeth and some of his team from TelstraClear. They joined us for the first day of the Queen Charlotte walkway, albeit, we chose to sea kayak to add interest. It was very pleasant paddling through the deep green waters of the Sounds, with tui and bellbirds calling from the beech forest above and shags, mutton birds and gannets doing their fishy stuff at water level.
The sea kayaking ended at Torea Bay. 
The Telstra team helicoptered back to Wellington while we walked five kilometres, steadily uphill, to a gorgeous campsite on the ridge-top with views down to both Pelorus and Queen Charlotte sounds. As fit as I was, I was curiously stuffed, and felt considerable admiration for the young people who didn’t have the benefit of two months of hard graft.
Next day we continued along the ridge in a cooling mist which burned off about midday. Above Punga Cove the track intersected with the road and there we rejoined Cynth and the Australian. The team ransacked the trailer, like ravenous monsters, for food and then left to camp down by the water, while Jo and I elected to stay with Cynth, as this was the last time we would see her on the trail.
January 30th was our last full day of walking. On the morning of the 31st our friends on the iconic Blake boat, Lion NZ, had agreed to meet us at Ships Cove on their way back from the Sydney to Hobart Race. They would pick up the rest of the South Island participants at Picton, then after meeting us, we’d all sail across Cook Strait to Wellington together.
Jesse had bad blisters from tight boots so when Jo and I found some soft trekking shoes that looked about his size, we encouraged him to try them. They fitted perfectly. The trail contoured through beech and podocarp forest to Furneaux Lodge, infamous as the place where Olivia Hope and Ben Smart disappeared at New Year about 10 years ago. Our old friend Merv English had come in by water taxi to join us here, so we shared tea and enjoyed the luxury of ice creams. The afternoon walk seemed to drag and the swim at School Bay Cove was very welcome.
During the night a gale blew up from the southeast – Cook Strait was going to be a blast, whether we liked it or not.
We walked over the hill to Ships Cove and waited in the shelter, with a sense of expectation, for Lion. She arrived about midday and the crew cheered us as we went aboard. Alistair, skipper; Blair, 2IC; Conrad, deck-cat; Eric, chef; Michelle, nurse; Tony, Trust boss; Cathy; and SJ (aka Iron Guts), who had spent a year on the boat as a toddler with her father, Peter Blake.
Let’s cut to the chase – we went through Tory Channel into a maelstrom. ‘Liquid Himalayas’ shouted Alistair over the roar of the wind and sea. The boat rose to meet the challenge of the giant seas and plunged into troughs that appeared to have no bottom. We were soon committed to a heinous Cook Strait of 6 to 8 metre waves belting into us from the southeast.
Before long the students were being sick, then they got cold and went below where it became very messy as sickness added to sickness. The Big Walk cocktail – keen young people, Lion NZ, Cook Strait, and shake. At one point Michelle, who was working heroically with the young people down below, was helping someone into the toilet to be sick but the giver became the receiver as she barfed all over her patient. When I went below to help someone who was becoming hypothermic I couldn’t believe the mess – it was almost impossible to keep my footing. The waves had to be experienced to be believed and the slippery surfaces didn’t help.
At one point Alistair was asked how the seas rated in his experience of big seas. He said 5 out of 10 – a little later as we battled the Karori Rip he raised it to 7.
It was a relief to be blown into Wellington Harbour and before long ‘the kids’ were up on deck being greeted by the Minister of Finance, Deputy PM, the Hon. Bill English. It was good to see Jamie and his mates Kevin Biggar and Rob Hamill, who had come so far to support us.
At 2pm on the 1st, we all gathered at the Civic Centre, all the young people who had done both the North and South Island mingled in the square and then walked down Lambton Quay to Parliament accompanied by the two Britz sponsored vehicles and the police. ‘The kids’ made a hell of a lot of noise and at Parliament called for the Prime Minister until he came out. He was gracious and friendly and everyone loved him. They also loved Ministers Paula Bennett and Pita Sharples who gave wonderful speeches of support.
That night Allan Freeth and TelstraClear hosted an event at Te Papa for the young people and next day we all gathered in the Beehive Banquet Hall along with many corporate and civic leaders to start a process for working together to produce better outcomes for young people. It was an inspiring day but sobering to think it was just the beginning of a process to ensure that fewer young New Zealanders would fall through the gaps. Yes, there was a long way to go but we had taken a very big first step.
Categories: Graeme Dingle, Jo-anne Wilkinson, S12, South Island | Comments [2]
Good on you Uncle Graeme and to all the team that made the committment to help those less fortunate than ...