‘Mother of the Wanganui Tramping Club’

Our Founding Father!

So taken with this experience was Margaret that she placed an advertisement soliciting interest in the formation of a tramping club in the personal column of the Wanganui Herald on Friday 5th September 1952 .

Margaret received a good response to her advertisement and Arthur Bates quickly organised her to hold an inaugural meeting, this being held in the Jockey Club rooms. She was overwhelmed with the number of people who turned up. The meeting formed the Wanganui Tramping Club and Margaret was elected Secretary/Treasurer and Ron Wilson President. The meeting also decided that the minimum age to join the Tramping Club would be nineteen. She kept very quiet about her age!

Foundation members she can recall include Colin Watson, Hugh Clapham, Helen Liddel (later Mrs Clapham) and her sister Ada as well as Fred and Mary Johnston.

Margaret recalls that the club’s first tramp was from around Papaiti to the Blueskin Road followed by a tramp in the Tokomaru East area and then one from Parihauhau, overnighting at Firmins’ and coming out somewhere near opposite Upokongaro. 

Marriage at nineteen saw Margaret being presented with a cup, saucer and plate (which she still has) by the Club. She then left the Club because of her shift into the back of Hunterville to live.  Margaret McGuire was chuffed to have been asked, as ‘Mother of the Tramping Club’, to cut the Club’s 25th cake as well as being special guest at the Golden Jubilee Weekend held over Labour Week-end 2002.

Wanganui Tramping Club's Mt Ruapehu Hut

  Mangaturuturu Hut

Mid-1954, the fledging Club had a set-back when the Waitotara County Council asked for their Kauarapoa Hut back as 'someone wanted to live out there permanently' resulting in all the club's contents to be stored back in town.

This reversal eventually led to the Club's President, in Oct 1955, posing the question 'that seeing the Club is firmly established, it was time for the club to consider doing larger or more difficult jobs' with building a hut being one of several suggestions he advanced. The AGM of that year passed a resolution 'That we work towards building our own hut in the Mangaturuturu Valley on Mount Ruapehu. The Committee, working on the resolution, eventually got Park Board approval for the site but the 'Board did not like the look of the suggested 'rather rustic' style of construction. 

An important person in the first two years of the saga of the hut was an English immigrant called Brian Carter, a quantity surveyor at the old Ministry of Works. It was Brian’s suggestion to put a hut here on the terrace on the Ohakune side of the Mangaturuturu Stream. After further exploration Brian decided the hut would be better sited where it now resides because of better shelter and views. Brian sowed the seeds of a hut idea, did the planning and, when the foundations were down, disappeared in the direction of Canada in pursuit of a Canadian girl he met down Mt Cook way!

Mrs Heather Oliver (nee Hall) recalls the enthusiasm of Club members being tremendous.

“As I remember, there were working bees to raise money such as hedge cutting, baby sitting, building a concrete garage, mowing lawns etc. The first working party was scheduled for 11-12 February 1956. Then the endless trips up the mountain to cut a track along the bush ridge and down into the Mangaturuturu Valley. The many weekends to carry timber and building materials to the hut site. The route was by way of Horopito through a short stretch of bush, then across the swampy flats up to the ridge bush line. Here was a timber dump. One or two planks were carried on our padded shoulders but they still hurt. The next timber dump was halfway along the bush ridge. We camped there sometimes in a very shady damp area.

The Club was lucky to have the help of Alf Timmo who owned a sawmill in Raetihi. He bulldozed a track through a piece of bush to Thoroson's Flat. Thoroson lived on the Horopito Road and also had a small hut near the bush edge.

Les Frederickson, who farmed at Horopito, lent the Club two horses and sledges to load timber onto. Carl Gedye and Kenny Hawkins who were in charge of the horses drove them and their load across Thoroson's Flat to the edge of the bush near the main ridge. Timber was off-loaded and a fast trip was made back for the next load.

At the Mangaturuturu hut site we pitched tents while construction was in progress. Several of the Club members were builders who kept a watchful eye over the willing worker! When the roof was on, and building paper was on the sides, we slept in the hut. Floorboards were placed over the floor joists for a sleeping area. There were so many of us we were packed like sardines. There was plenty of snow around as it was now winter – Queens Birthday weekend, the last weekend before the Winter Recess!”

Through the earnest endeavours of many club members, the hut was finished with the official opening on the 5^th April 1958. Regular maintenance has the Mangaturuturu Hut in excellent condition and expect to see her still serving the public in 2058!