Never a dull moment

Bruce Hedley checking over an outboard motor. He knows outboard motors like the back of his hand with over 40 years’ experience including comprehensive training in Auckland with well-known outboard and inboard brands. Pictures supplied

Unassuming and quiet, Mahia man Bruce Hedley has had a very interesting lifestyle that has taken him to many parts of the world and to our own offshore Aotearoa, diving in search of shipwrecks, game fishing and employment. Bill Shortt tells the story . . .

Bruce Hedley’s most recent adventure has been on the Mercury Islands employed as service manager for a period after being approached by one of the owners.

Owned by Sir Michael Fay and David Richwhite, the islands sit eight kilometres off the Coromandel Peninsula and the nearest township Whitianga, 35 kilometres away.

Sir Michael is also the owner of the iconic Pongaroa Station situated on the northern side of the Mahia Peninsula.

Bruce says the Mercury Islands are a paradise for those who enjoy a real taste of outdoor life. There is no electricity, everything is run on generators and these require some 100,000 litres of diesel a year taken over from the mainland in their own 15-metre cruiser.

Mercury Island is volcanic and covers around 1900 hectares which is farmed, along with native forest, a stand of mature radiata pine and before the turn of the century, a kauri forest. The island is completely pest-free.

Marine life is right at your feet — no problems catching the limit of snapper off the beach at night surf casting, and scallops are plentiful.

Overseas trips that Bruce has undertaken include diving at Guadalcanal, famous for its WW2 relics. Nearly 100 aircraft, including a large number of Japanese Zero and US Grunman aircraft along with 30 or so warships including two battleships, sit at the bottom of the ocean. Some 20,000 Japanese were killed in the battle for Guadalcanal. The US Navy was still defusing bombs 40 years after the war.

Japanese Battlecruiser the ‘HIEI’, (36,600 tonnes, 222 metres long) took part in the battle of Guadalcanal but was sunk in November 1942.

It has taken nearly 77 years to locate this ship which was only discovered in February 2019 by an exploration ship. It was lying upside down at a depth of 900 metres.

Other overseas trips have included game fishing off Cabo San Lucas situated off the Baja Peninsula in Mexico, and fishing in the South China Sea for sailfish where 106 were caught and all released.

He’s also spent time in Hawaii game fishing, a spell in Australia — five days at Exmouth on the Western Australia coast fishing for black marlin — and fishing off the Great Barrier Reef for black marlin.

Bruce has also been diving and game fishing in Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa and fishing for giant blue fin tuna off the coast of Newfoundland.

Back in Aotearoa, crossing the Westport Bar in search of giant bluefin tuna on the West Coast of the South Island was another of his marine ventures, and in the Far North Three Kings Islands, 55 kilometres north west of Cape Reinga, diving and catching giant paua up to 190mm.

The Three Kings are well known for the unfortunate shipwreck of the steamer ‘Elingamite’ that steamed into one of the islands in November 1902 with heavy loss of life.

Ironically the ship was owned by the same company that ran the ‘Tasmania’ which sank about three miles off Whangawehi, Mahia 15 years earlier.

The ‘Elingamite’ (2585 tonnes) struck West Island during thick fog and sank in 20 minutes.

It was carrying 52 boxes of coins for New Zealand banks and 6000 gold half sovereigns.

The late Kelly Tarlton ran several salvage operations recovering much of the sovereigns. The wreck has been a magnet for divers.

In the Bay of Plenty Bruce has fished around White Island, Waihau Bay and further north, the Aldermen Islands.

Back on local waters he spent time with Kelly Tarlton in the 1980s diving on the ‘Tasmania’ in the search of the Rothchild jewels. The 7000-tonne liner ‘Tongariro’ wrecked on Bull Rock in 1916 has been another of his underwater explorations.

He remembers Cyclone Bola well as he did much of the inspection work under water on the old bridge and the new.

Wairoa Helicopter Search and Rescue was another avenue that he was involved with, teaming up with the late Andy Shaw.

At Mahia Beach, he’s the local Fire Chief and also a life member of the Mahia Boating and Fishing Club where he has been well-involved for a number of years.

There is never a dull moment in his life.