Well travelled family settle in Ohakune... temporarily

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 2, Issue 11, 14 August 1984, Page 3

Well travelled family settle in Ohakune... temporarily

During the ski season Ohakune develops a positively cosmopolitan flavour, with accents identifying travellers from far and wide. One traveller to scrape foreign soil from his boots and settle here, at least for a few months, is builder Don Henderson. Don and his wife Pru, recently returned to New Zealand after five years overseas. With them they brought their 16-month-old son, Andrew, already a welltravelled^ young man. Unlike most tourists Don and Pru kept off the welltravelled trails, preferring to make their way among the natives, and staying in out of the way towns. Don's passion for surfing led him to test the waters of many a South American country, while around him the inhabitants were frequently in the midst of internal revolution. His interest in photographing the people took him close to personal danger on several occasions. It was commonplace in South America for even

young children to carry guns, and Don chose to put the camera away rather than push his luck. He and Pru explored the river Negro which converges with the Amazon, ... staking the older boats up river rather than the tourist launches. The move backfired on one occasion when their

steering gear and shaft broke leaving them stranded. They learnt a little Spanish and managed to hold "a bit of a conversation". Once the locals identified them as travellers and not tourists, they were far more friendly. Andrew was born in California and travelled by backpack through countries he won't remember before the family's return. Don and Pru had hoped to move on to Whangamata, where Pru will open a restaurant. They intend to reverse roles with Don taking care of Andrew and starting a book on their travels. But Don has been overwhelmed with work in Ohakune, so they will be in the borough for another few

months yet. While overseas the couple kept diaries, menus, ^craps of paper — "everything" — from their travels and shot a wealth of film. Travelling the same areas covered by National Geo-' graphic Don and Pru found they saw, and photographed, much the magazine missed. Don will include as much as possible in "Tok to Tandil" (Alaska to Argentina) the book he's itching to write. Son Andrew has inspired him to consider a second book: "1 want to tell people you can travel with a baby," he says.