Waimarino 'Heartland' hunt best yet

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 531, 12 April 1994, Page 7

Waimarino 'Heartland' hunt best yet

Waimarino viewers that watch the home-grown television series 'Heartland' in early June are bound to notice some familiar faces - probably their own! A six-strong crew including frontman personality Gary McCormick made the region their home for almost two weeks while filming footage of the annual Waimarino Easter Hunt and weigh-in. While focusing on the entire area with regards to recreational activities and local identities, the crew spent a lot of time following the progress of the hunting team of brothers Tom and Ray Spry and John Mcllroy. This included lugging expensive cameras and sound gear into the bush on a number of occasions in pursuit of game. A Good Friday foray turned up nothing except wet feet for the party.Unperturbed, the intrepid crew accompanied the team again on the Saturday, with success in the form of a 64kg boar that impressed even the easy-going Gary! Other locals to be interviewed included Rangataua identity Connie Phillips, and hunter Bully Chambers who the crew accompanied on a deer-hunting expedition that yielded a good-sized stag. In all, 35 half-hour tapes were made, which will eventually end up as roughly 45 minutes of television footage. Probably one of the only local people to see the working draft will be Tom, who said that he has been promised viewing rights of the original footage. And it appears that even Gary McCormick' s encounter with a 70kg boar on Monday at the weigh-in (where he spent more time falling down and trying to get up, than carrying the carcass) failed to dampen his enthusiasm for the Waimarino and its residents. Said Tom: "he reckoned it was one of the best 'Heartland' programmes he's ever been involved in."

Results of the Waimarino Easter Hunt weigh-in: 'Big 3' - 1st: T. Treanor, W. Malcolm, Milo ($1000); 2nd: G. Snowball's team (swandris); 3rd: J. Barrett's team (swandris). Heaviest Boar: 1st, T. Punch ($400); 2nd, B. Vaughan ($300); 3rd, T. Punch ($150); 4th, P. Dennison ($100); 5th, G. Snowball ($50). Heaviest Sow: 1st, T. Punch ($250); 2nd, R. Aitchson ($150); 3rd, G. Hinana ($100); 4th, D. Mator ($75); 5th, C. Ryland ($25). Heaviest Stag: 1 st, J. Haitana ($400); 2nd, R. McDougall ($300); 3rd, P. Chambers ($150); 4th, P. Favas ($100); 5th, C. Bishop ($50). Heaviest Fallow: 1st, C. Baird ($150); 2nd, Bates and Lane ($100); 3rd, 4th and 5th, W. Treweek ($100 total). Heaviest Trout: 1 st, 2nd and 3rd, M. Crow ($500 total); 4th, R. Rahuruhi ($35); 5th, D. Griffiths ($15). Condition Factor: 1st and 2nd, J. Mcllroy ($125 total); 3rd, L. Carr ($25). Best Douglas Score (head): 1st and 2nd, W. Treweek ($275 total); R. McDougall ($25). Best Douglas Score (tusks): 1st, S. Herewini ($200); 2nd, T. Treanor ($75); 3rd, C. Munroe ($25).