LONG CANOE JOURNEY

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 96, 17 January 1935, Page 10

LONG CANOE JOURNEY

From Wanganui to Auckland RIVERS, LAKES AND SEA By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, January 16. An adventurous and varied journey from Wanganui to Auckland in a canvas canoe, occupying nearly five weeks, was completed to-night, when David Lewis, aged 17, a pupil of Wanganui College, arrived at Milford ’Beach. Paddling across lakes and rivers and on the open sea, and'sometimes trailing his 10ft. canoe on the laud, Lewis made the trip single-handed, spending Christmas with his parents at Tokaanu. He narrowly escaped being drowned in the Tongariro River, where his canoe upset in the rapids. The canoe was home-made, and consisted of canvas stretched over a wooden frame. A trailer used for transporting tne canoe on the land was made of two bicycle wheels and a wooden crosspiece. When the canoe was being paddled the trailer was supported on its sides. “I thoroughly enjoyed it, and except for being almost drowned in the Tongariro River, it was good fun,” said Lewis, when he stepped out of his canoe at Milford. He stated that the canoe was too frail to shoot the rapids, and capsized. A large rock was the only thing which saved him, and the boat had three ribs stove in. He did not have much time to eat, but managed to buy food on the way, At nights he slept anywhere, once in a paddock, aud another time on a sandbank. The journey was a novel method of returning home during the school holidays. Lewis left Wanganui on December 14, and paddled 55 miles to Pipiriki in three days. Then he trailed it to Tokaanu. where he met his parents. After a short stay he continued overland for about 60 miles to Arapuni, and paddled nine miles along the lake, then followed the trip of eight miles, trailing the canoe to Horahora. where he joined the Waikato. He paddled 90 miles to Aka Aka,,a few miles inside the Waikato Heads and along the canal for eight miles to Waiuku. At this part of the journey the trailing device broke down and had to be discarded. Slow progress, was made to Manukau and he finally reached Oneliunga on Tuesday night. He left there early this morning, carrying the canoe fur two miles, and paddled across to Milford. The canoe is named Repo Reno after a Maori war canoe.