# Free firewood!



## Donald McGhee (Apr 5, 2005)

Just a few photos of the type of “extra” hazards we experience from time time, especially after heavy rain up country.
Some of the logs were pretty big and on the days these photos were taken we cancelled sailings. No surprises there with the river running at about 7knots with multiple debris hazards, including a variety of drowned livestock. Hope this is of interest.


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## spongebob (Dec 11, 2007)

Some nasty looking timbers there Don, photo 4 looks like a sinister headless man with one arm .
On the bright side , plenty of firewood for the local wood burners in the district , surely the chainsaw vendors are getting a boost .
I had a friend that built a new home on Waihotahi beach just north of Opotiki and that beach looks like a wooden ship's graveyard with the entanglement of timber littering the shore. Every storm brings huge timbers down the local rivers that are swept out to sea before tide flows bring them on to the beach.
I remarked about the firewood bonanza but was told that the local Maori custom and law was that the timber should stay there.
I hope that you don't have such tribal customs!

Bob


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## J Scott (Jul 3, 2007)

As Apprentice I remember similar sized logs, bits of trees, cars and dead animals coming down the river at Westport when on the 'K' class on the coal run. Port anchor paid out and hooked over the end of the dock to keep her alongside. Those rivers are no fun when it rains heavily in the hills.


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## tsell (Apr 29, 2008)

That reminds me of my days in W(h)anganui in the 50s, camping on a beach further south, littered with hundreds of washed up and bleached logs. There was no shortage of firewood! Can't recall the name of the beach though.

Taff


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## spongebob (Dec 11, 2007)

J Scott said:


> As Apprentice I remember similar sized logs, bits of trees, cars and dead animals coming down the river at Westport when on the 'K' class on the coal run. Port anchor paid out and hooked over the end of the dock to keep her alongside. Those rivers are no fun when it rains heavily in the hills.


I have been there on the Kaitangata JS, we actually ran the seaward engine at low to half ahead during the low tide and fastest river flow to take the load off the lines.
Skipper was Des Champion who was a very cautious man.

Bob


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## J Scott (Jul 3, 2007)

Bob,

What about the noise? The racket from the gravel coming down the river echoed in the holds and E/R - it sounded like 40,000 chipping hammers working at the same time. Afterwards the anti-fouling paint looked like 40,000 chipping hammers had been working on it! Not that the 'K' class had much anti-fouling.


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## spongebob (Dec 11, 2007)

Yes , I forgot about that , it was akin to shot blasting the hull but those rain storms were the Port saviour as the huge volumes flattened the bar after westerlies.
The one big benefit of being in Westport was the quality of the town fresh water supply . It was soft and made a far better cup of tea so we used to pump our fresh water tanks dry of Auckland fluid and fill up with Westport's best.

Bob


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## J Scott (Jul 3, 2007)

Never thought about the tea, I was more interested in seeing how many of the 17 pubs in the main street we could visit before having to call it a day /night and crawl back to the ship.


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