Arthurs Pass - The Wild Frontier

The perks of having a wildlife exponent, the places we went as kids following Dad.  He had been a Fisheries inspector from 1960 to 1963 based in Invercargill (Bluff) and a Wildlife officer based in Lumsden from 1964 to 1966.  We hardly saw him but when we did is was fun.  We relocated to North East Valley in Dunedin in 1966-67 where Dad was at University of Otago.  But as a young kid being in the city was bloody boring  Our next move was to be a monumental growth spurt.

I remember well the train ride from Dunedin to Christchurch, the Old Southerner Steam Train.  In those days railwy was a busy thing as many back then couldn't afford Cars, and I remember the coal smoke in the carriages and smelly people. 

At this stage we kids didn't have a clue about Arthurs Pass but the Railcar ride there was a wonderment.  Stopping on Viaducts and viewing the drop, but for me the majestic sight of the Alps unfolding ahead was sublime.  For the very first time as a 9 year old boy I felt at home. On our arrival at Arhurs Pass we went into a motel but soon moved into a National Parks house.  A very old 1930's bungalow. But it soon became home -  well more like a bed as we had school and we were busy being kids.  I made great mates with Barry and Fiona McNichol, our neighbours.

So apart from School, what other things kept us busy?  We built dams, we climbed all over Little Red Engine and his sister locomotive hunter - Ivanhoe, we listened to the Little Spotted Kiwi in the bush across the road, we got up to mischief by putting detonators on the rail bridge, we climbed what to us were mountains.  By the way both locomotive shunters ended up in Ferrymead rail museum. Just to add, we travelled on the goods trains every Wednesday afternoon for sports day in Otira (through the Otira Rail Tunnel).  We rode in the Mail van and mail is very comfortable.

And we had two others pastimes.  We trapped possums for $2.50 a pelt, and we picked wild Black berries and raspberries - both were growing wild.  But my enjoyment was to come to a halt.  Dad fell unwell and when Mum went into Christchurch us kids were looked after by Barry's Mum. I was struck down with Bronchitis, nearly dying.

The reason I am writing this - The Karma Bus is here.