Last of the Mangapurua Valley pioneers dies

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 619, 16 January 1996, Page 5

Last of the Mangapurua Valley pioneers dies

Vera Aislabie died in Rotorua on T uesday 2 Janu - ary, aged 99. She was thought to be the last surviving Mangapurua settler. She was a player in the extraordinary era of settlement in unforgiving, virtually unfarmable back country which is perhaps best known for its Bridge to Nowhere — a concrete structure now miles from any passable road. She and her husband John (otherwi se known as Goog) moved into the upper Mangapurua Valley in the early 1920s. They took up their bushland allocation, halfway between Ruatiti Road and MangapuruaTrig, arriving by pack horse. It was some of the most difficult land in the area as it

was mostly on a ridge exposed to foul weather. About 50 settlers took up valley land after the First World War, Despite years of hard toil the scheme failed and the valley settlement was abandoned. Mrs Aislabie lived in a three bedroom slab whare with stretched white flour bags where windows would be to let light in. She once recounted that there was great excitement when a small sheet of glass was brOught in by packhorse. It was a tough life but it improved when Mrs Aislabie became the telephone exchange operator providing a little extra income helped as there was little money from farming. After 15 years the

Aislabies left and took over land at Lakes Rd, Ohakune. John Aislabie died in 1941, reputedly worn out from his Mangapurua work. These days the Aislabie farm site is well known to walkers who travel from the Ruatiti Road end to the Mangapurua Trig. Mr Aislabie planted a stretch of lawsons along the road li ne to protect the farm from the west wind. Although the house has long gone the trees are still a magnificent wind break for campers.