River Road mail run will feature

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 2, Issue 23, 6 November 1984, Page 4

River Road mail run will feature

Last summer Waimarino residents, and some tourists, became aware of John Hammond and his son Blair, when their cream coloured mini-buses appeared in Ohakune and Raetihi after the drive up from Wanganui. The Wanganui-Waima-rino service operates M'onday to Friday and, during the main tourist season, it is possible to do the round trip from Wanganui via the Parapara, and the Pipiriki and Wanganui River Roads. During the rest of the year there is a twice-weekly service for River Road residents to travel between Pipiriki and Raetihi. John and the River Road mail run were featured in the Oct/Nov issue of 'Motor World' but his 'fame' has spread even further and he has heard, second-hand, that an American filmmaker is coming to do 'a feature' which will be released in Washington. Mr Hospitality Wanganui, Gerald Weeks, apparently knows all about this visit and managed to get it mentioned in the Wanganui Chronicle. As John does not subscribe to that paper, he will have to catch up with Gerald in person. For two busy men this could take some arranging but John was obviously not going to get into a flap about it! Being unflappable must be a pre-requisite for a rural mail service operator, especially on the Wanganui River Road. Time is relevant but not very important, hazards are numerous and delays are routine, but the service is always friendly and personal. In the 'Motor World' article, John is quoted as saying that in this valley there are "412 men, women and children and I know them all." For some, the delivery is on the roadside for the others it is literally at the back door. However, when there is a larger than normal delivery to be made, John puts a trailer on the back and takes the extra load along too. John's day starts with collecting the bread and milk from Wanganui, (the mail is collected the previous evening) and then he is on his way up the River Road by 7am to reach Pipiriki by

about 10.30am in time for a quick morning tea, before heading off to complete his deliveries. The night before the last wool sale of the current season, John was still on the road after 9pm with his last load of woolbales for a local farmer. As a passenger travelling on this mail run with John, there is the opportunity to view the scenery without the worry of avoiding potholes, slips of papa rock or mudslides, fallen trees or wandering livestock. At this time of the year female animals are invariably

accompanied by their young and it is not unusual to have to cope with piglets, lambs, calves and kids, with the odd horse as well as pheasants, quails and the occasional pukeko. After a short spell of fine windy weather, the muddy road quickly turns to dust and the potholes expand into king-sized corrugations. The county councils — Waimarino and Wanganui — carry out basic road maintenance but, as John says with a wry smile, "they reckon it is cheaper not to tarseal the rough road. It might be cheaper for them,

but how much does it cost the motorist in car parts and repairs!" Certainly, if the Wanganui River National Park proposal goes ahead, there will be some upgrading done to the road and the traffic will increase. Part of the unique character of the valley will disappear with such changes but to travel with John — who has been driving the River Road mail run for the past nine years — is to gain an insight into rural life and, at the same time, learn something of the history of the Wanganui River and its present day happenings.