the initiation

[piersdad]

       Picture a 5 year old boy in a village deep in the urawera bush of New Zealand.
There were only 40 houses in the village and the boys there were more or less loose knit groups .
       I desperately wanted to be one of the groups and one day a friend said that to belong you had to go and visit the ‘cave’
      OK that seemed simple enough so with the friend as a guide we disappeared deep in the bush and soon I heard a tremendous rushing sound of very rapid water.
      Oh wow there was this huge ravine filled with ferocious water traveling at break neck speed some 20 feet below, the steep sides were covered with green moss and the rocks were wet and slippery.

      I was very apprehensive and said where are these caves.
My friend, the same age as me, pointed to a cliff face that seemed to have very little to hold on to.
    Scared as I was I was determined to see the cave and as my friend showed me the special places to get hand holds we edged along the sheer cliff face not daring to look down at the water and certain death.
    Soon we came to the difficult part as small horizontal crack in the cliff that only a small boy of 6 could fit and crawl along with out falling.
    No wonder the adults did not know of our cave it would be impossible due to the dense bush and other things for any person bigger than a 5 year old boy to get to the cave.
   At the end of the groove in the cliff was another surprise a drop to some flat rocks and up to onto a small ledge and there in front of me were two supple-jack vines to hang onto and was able to lower myself on to the next ledge and then the easy part to the cave in the side of the sheer cliff.
    By this time I was trembling with sheer fright as I realized I had to go back the same way.
The cave was full of stalactites and after a short explore we edged our way back along the cliff making sure that every hand and foot hold was secure as to slip any where in the 20 meter climb was certain death.
    Back in the dense bush I was elated. I had done what only 3 boys in the village had done and was still alive.
   As we exited from the bush we were met by two very anxious mothers and as I proudly related to my mum where I had been I got the biggest, first, and last hiding in my life.
Since that day I have never been scared of anything, as I knew that if I make sure of every step, I would be safe.
   Sixty years on I had almost forgotten this escapade till I was sitting in the Christchurch airport and looking at a poster of a New Zealand bush and ravine scene and gradually I realized there was the slippery flat topped rocks the horizontal groove, and yes even the two vines at the end of the last climb and the dark patch, yes I knew what was around that corner and only 3 people in N Z knew about it.
    I flew out of the air port to a school reunion and of all the people who were there at the school reunion, was the special playmate, who was the other person who knew about our secret cave of 60 years ago.

   I said “remember the first time we went to the cave ‘
“ Sure do “he said ”it was my first time too”

[Miss Magic]

awe, there's nothing quite like growing up in the New Zealand bush, it's funny how things like this can come back around

[mollytime]

no offence but that photo is really bad quality. Sucky pixels too.
But that is a cool story.
If you would like to try a slice of New Zealand bush, feel free to go to Riccarton Bush in Riccarton, Christchurch for a taste of the heritage forests. *speaks with low, male voice*.


Lol.

[piersdad]

had to take a pic of the actual poster in christchurch airport as this would definitely be the only one ever taken of the place i climbed to with my friend
the photographer of 60 odd years ago would have had to take the pic from the opposite bank, and from a distance.
if i ever visit the place again i definitely will get a better pic

[Miss Magic]

wow, is the poster still there, do you think?

[piersdad]

up in the coffee lounge up first story and there is 3 posters side by side advertising new zealand and the middle one is the one.
the pic had to be taken very soon after i visited it as  the plants there are almost exactly as i had experienced it.
 later i found a picture in a magazine taken  from a track near there and it was a pic of the most wonderful scene of NZ bush and i think some one had done a lot of photographs at that time some 65 years ago.