Leading from the front issuu

ALL INVOLVED WILL REMEMBER
THIS FOREVER
by tim magill
Here we are, on January 13, 2014 at the lighthouse. Cape
Reinga — Te Rerenga Wairua and Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe, and
the The Long Beach of Tōhe, Ninety Mile Beach. This
was named by Tōhe, a Ngāti Kahu chief who lived in Kapowairua,
Piwhane — Spirits Bay, east of Cape Reinga.
Travelling south to visit his daughter he named many
places along Oneroa-a-Tōhe, names that remain today,
places that we’ll pass on the way.
I’m part of the support crew for Te Araroa Offers Hope
(TAOH) hikoi, inspired by Pat Magill and Minnie Ratima,
to walk the special, northern most section of Te Awaroa,
The Long Walk. The kaupapa for the hikoi: Te Araroa as
an accessible Outward Bound, a new way forward.
Pat is 90ish now, so what has brought us to this adventure?
Pat is my father. A clue as to why we find ourselves
here, is that for us kids growing up at Westshore,
walking was big for us. We all walked the Milford Track
in 1967 and White Pine Bush was a nice walk before that,
where I’m sure, partly as a Pat-inspired project, we were
helping Prison Inmates cut a track that remains today at
the top of Esk Valley.
Going back further we walked and ‘mooched’ on Sundays
to the trawlers moored at Ahuriri, sometimes further
too, and on board ships docked at the big Port. Nice. A
YMCA Napier to Hastings ‘walkabout’ fundraiser followed.
At least two of these were in his sights and were
widely supported and a bit imaginative as I recall. Going
even further back, Pat’s mother Jessie loved walking too.
Jessie was fit, lithe and full of energy — sound familiar?
Time to get serious. Next came the five day Taupo to
Napier extravaganza as a YMCA Walkabout Fundraiser.
As always, a good cause, a lot of fun… slash mayhem…
slash aroha. Keywords: Dirty Dozen, a group of rugby
fellas as the caterers; Ena Sharples talking by phone
to my sister Jes at the event’s send off at the Municipal
Theatre, and Kelvin Tremain speaking with Albert Tatlock.
Novel.
Lesser walks between include Waimarama to Cape
Image above: Te Araroa Offers Hope Hikoi — 1st stage to Bluff! Back row: Bernie Te Ringa, Jo Magill, Travis Magill, Jerri Magill,
Pat Magill, Minnie Ratima, Rupene Murray (Ngataki), Beulah Murray, Maraea Barlow; front row, Tangiareta Wilson, Sonny Nathan,
Puawai Te Iringa, Cortez Te Ringa, Tim Magill.
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Napier Pilot City Trust – for a kinder, fairer city