THE EARLY DAYS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 August 1939, Page 5

THE EARLY DAYS

BREAKING IN A BUCKJUMPER

Incidents, with Pouaru

HORSE TAMED IN TANIWHA HOLE

WILLIAM NOBLE A NOTABLE RIDER

(Specially Written for “Wairarapa Mr William Noble, who was born at Wellington, came to the Wairarapa when he was a lad in his teens. He was first employed by Mr Richardson at the Waingawa Ferry. After the death of Mr Richardson, he came to Masterton in the sixties. My father gave him a job, and he was as one of the family. He turned out to be a great rider, especially on buckjumpers. I once saw him mount a four-year-old colt by Rid< dlesworth. This horse used to, rear up and fall backwards but Bill, as we called him, always got clear. He afterwards rode him with one foot in the stirrup and hanging on to the saddle. He did this till the horse stopped rearing. I never remember him being thrown, if he had a fair deal, till he tried to ride Pouaru (which means widower or solitary). Pouaru was bred at Paerau. He was a four-year-old by Oliver Cromwell and was owned by Ranginui Kingi (a Maori well known in Masterton in the eighties). This horse used to run in the bush clearings behind the Paerau Pa. He had a filly for a mate. To catch these two horses Ranginui and his mates built a yard, made of poles tied to trees with vines, across one of tne beaten tracks used by the horses when going from one clearing to another. When the yards and a wing were finished the sliprails on each end were left open, so that the horses would become accustomed to them. Then one morning one of the party closed the back rails and planted in the scrub close by the entrance rails. The other Maoris started the drive and the horses trotted into the trap. The sliprails were quickly closed and secured with vines. With a long roping pole and a coil of good rope Pouaru was snared. It took a long time before the Maoris could get a hand on him. At last they pulled him up to a tree. The same evening they brought him feed and water but he would not touch it. After a few days he ate and drank and got much quieter. So they took him out to the Pa and kept him tied up for a couple of weeks. Ranginui then thought it was time to ride him. THE MAORIS’ METHODS, Two Maoris, one on each side, had a rope to hold him. Ranginui tied up one of the horse’s hind legs and also blindfolded him with a towel. Ranginui then mounted him. The horse seemed quiet enough and the towel was taken off. The third Maori, who had charge of the leg rope, let it loose. Suddenly Pouaru snorted, squealed, and went to market properly. Ranginui stuck to him for a short time and then came a crasher, landing on his head and hurting his back. He was invalided for six months. The horse got away from the holders and went back to the clearings, taking with him ropes, saddle -and bridle. His mate, the filly, had broken her leg when the Maoris first roped her and had to be destroyed. The horse lived in the bush by himself and as he would not mate with any other mare, the Maoris called him Pouaru. Akitu Watana, known as “Jackie,” was one of the party that helped Ranginui to catch Pouaru. He told me all about it. He said it took a long time for the horse to get rid of his gear. On one of his trips to the Paerau, Mr William lorns bought Pouaru, who was then six years old, thinking that he was the right stamp for a mailcarrier, which he proved to be. He made arrangements with the Maoris to give Bill Noble a hand to catch him. They repaired the yard and caught him again and led him down to the Bishop’s Gate, where Bill lived. All the gear left on the horse was a halter which had a piece of leather strap about two feet long hanging to it and every time the horse lifted his head up from feeding it would hit him, across the face. MR NOBLE TAKES A HAND. It took Bill a whole day coaxing him before he could rub him behind the eai*s. He handled him for two weeks and taught him to lead well. Then he asked me to give him a hand while he rode him. I was only too willing. This took place at the Bishop’s Gate in front of the Butter Factory. I held the horse while he got on. He mounted all right and was well seated with his toes down and feet well through the stirrup irons. No Tod Sloan seat those days. Pouaru didn't move and Bill allowed him to stand for a while. After a time I went to lead him away. When we moved, down went Pouaru’s head between his forelegs and talk about a bucking horse! I have seen and ridden a good many, but this one gave the best display of bucking I have ever seen. He got away from me and bucked right up to the front of where Mr Thos Kerins’s house stands now. When I got there Bill was sitting on the ground. He said: “That’s one for him. I bet I will ride him the next time. That is if you wouldn’t like a try.” I said: “You can have it. What made you fall off?” He explained that he had got tired out and lost one of his stirrups and the horse had bucked to the left when his right foot was out of the stirrup iron. I caught the horse. Bill said he felt like a good dinner after that shaking up. While we were at dinner I proposed that we should take Pouaru to the taniwha hole in the Waipoua where the water was deep enough to swim a horse for a good long stretch. I explained that my brother George and I had taken a nasty brute there a few weeks before and had made him quiet in no time. Bill said: “We will give it a go.” So off we went. I led Pouaru. When we got there we unsaddled our horses 'and stripped off our clothes, both of us being as good in the water as on dry land. I led i the horses in, Bill swimming alongside. When the horses were swimming Bill! swam up alongside, grabbed Pouaru’s. mane and swung on to his back. |

Times-Age” by Charles Bannister.) THE FUN BEGINS. Then began the fun in real earnest. Pouaru tried to put his head down to buck but this would not work; he must have touched bottom with his hind legs for he shot up lik% £ swordfish, blowing water out of his nostrils. He tried to buck. It was no use; all he could do was to swim and he could swim. Bill kept him at it for half an hour, swinging off first one side then the other till the horse took no notice of him. Then he rode him in shallower water, where the horse could get his footing and gave him a good turn at mounting and dismounting till he got thoroughly quiet. Then he came ashore with him. We dressed and saddled up. The horse took no notice. Next morning Pouaru got the same dose. When it was finished, Bill went for a long pace-making exercise. In a short time the horse was carrying the mail. While we were breaking him in Bill told me about one of his trips a couple of years before. Dr Enderby and Galbraith, two dealers from the West Coast, came to Masterton to buy cattle to take to Waimate, Taranaki, to crush out fern and flax. They bought three hundred. They employed three drovers in Masterton, Thomas Tankersley, Bill Nobje and Henry Bannister.

> DROVING CATTLE. These cattle had to be driven : through the Forty Mile Bush, the road : through which in those days was only : metalled in parts and the route was • without accommodation. The road was i very narrow for such a large mob. A I cook accompanied the drovers. He had i to go ahead and boil the billy so as to [ give them something to eat and drink I as they passed, as it would not do to ! hold up the mob. The road contrac- ; tors’ camps were well appreciated, es- ' pecially that of Mr George Heron, who i was glad to see the boys as he called : them. They got to Woodville with the ! loss of eight cattle. The bosses con- : sidered this good work. At Woodville they stayed at “Peg-leg” Murphy’s Hotel. Next morning they had to tackle the Manawatu Gorge. In I those days the road was very narrow. i There were only two places where vei hides could pass. They left Wood- . ville at daylight so as to try and get > through before the coaches reached [ the gorge. The drivers of the mail i coaches were Messrs Hunter and Jones. . They gof’through without mishap and had breakfast on the banks of the ’ river. It had been raining the night I before and the river was rising rapidly. ; The bosses said we must get them ; across at once or we would be hung . up. Into the high river the cattle were t driven. Bill Noble was with the leadi ing mob. When the cattle got into the middle of the stream the leaders turned > back and started to mill. Bill swam his . horse in on the top side and stopped i the churning. Although he got mixed ! up with the cattle, he got them going • again. It’was a near thing for him and i his horse. The other cattle followed on : and got across. Mrs Bannister lived ■ close by the crossing. She informed : me that those people lost about 50 I head of cattle in crossing the flooded i river. All down the riverbed dead ; bodies of cattle were seen. A few. of those that were washed away manJ aged to get out alive. The Palmerston > North people thbught those dealers ! lucky to get any across. > 1 THE FIRST CIRCUS. I 1 In the early seventies Murray’s Cir- ! cus came to Masterton. This was the first circus to visit the Wairarapa. It ’ consisted of one horse to drag the 1 van, Mr Murray, a white performing ■ horse, Miss Mary Murray, equestrienne, a clown, a lame trick dog and a donkey. Mr Murray announced that he r would give any lad a five shilling piece ’ if he could stick on the donkey for five . minutes. A number tried, but as they [ lined up the clown would grab them by ‘ the neck of their coat and the seat of , their pants and land them on the- don- , key’s back face to the tail. Then came a few kicks and the boys came off) , Bill Noble said: “What about me?” Mr ! Murray looked at him. Bill was small for his age. Murray said “Come ' along.” The clown gave him a hoist, [ touching the donkey with his boot at ‘ the same time. When Bill landed on the donkey’s back the wrong way about he grasped the donkey’s flanks ! one in each hand, and quickly turned ' his legs around the donkey’s neck. This octopus clamp seemed to perplex the donkey and it did not move. Mr , Murray said it was not a fair ride. The crowded shouted: “Pay your money like a man.” Two stalwart sons of Erin who knew Bill well, said: “Pay , the boy, or it will be harmful to you.” Bill got his five shilling piece. THE TANIWHA HOLE. That stretch of water at Kaikokirikiri known to the whites as the taniwha hole was so named because the old ' time Maoris told us that a taniwha lived there. This monster was in shape like a gigantic flounder or patiki. And if any Maori saw it, he or she would surely die. It was generally in the evenings that it was seen. Mrs Ranginui Kingi saw it or fancied she did. She was taken ill and lingered about twelve months, despite all the karakias of the tohunga to dispel lhe evil spirit and the inhalements of different tree leaves to kill a ngarara (lizard) which she said she could feel inside her. She died a lingering death. I ’ think her ailment today would be called T.B. One day I was spearing eels | at the bottom end of the taniwha hole. I speared four young taniwha. I took I them home and cooked them. My brother John remarked that they tasted I like the Wairarapa flounder.