On the return, the ferry turned back at Wellington Heads when the master saw a break in the stormy seas, allowing the ferry to head back to Picton. Not risking Tory Channel, the ferry returned via Queen Charlotte Sound, arriving back in Picton eight hours after departure.
The team slept aboard in any space that could be found. The following day saw a dock strike and, along with two Wellington colleges, we set up a cross country, mixing schools through three teams.
I outbid the other managers by raising the stakes to three chocolate fish for my team. We won, I lost. We returned to Wellington about 9pm and, after another rough crossing, docked in Wellington at 1am, returning to Whanganui just after 4am Tuesday rather than 9pm Sunday. I had agreed to look after the Girls’ College team on that return journey, adding to the pressure on a young teacher.
The 1984 team suffered severe travel delays on the way south rather than homebound. We had arranged a special educational deal with Air New Zealand to Christchurch, in the days when the national carrier served both Whanganui and school groups. We left on a Thursday morning, arriving in Wellington just before the airport closed.
As we were in transit, the team were accommodated at the Brentwood. A radar malfunction the next day led to a second night at the Brentwood. We arrived in Christchurch on Saturday, just in time to reach the start line at Rangiora. The Whanganui Collegiate team responded by finishing a surprise second in the senior boys, demonstrating commendable adaptability.
The 2015 event in Dunedin coincided with the major Whanganui River flood. We left safely before the flooding, some by air and others by minibus. On the return journey, the air group was stranded in Palmerston North as Whanganui was cut off.
The minibus group stayed in Wellington on the Sunday evening, having crossed Cook Strait and travelled north, arriving home on Monday only an hour after the air group, who were billeted overnight with families in Palmerston Noth after the bridges were reopened.
New Zealand secondary schools have alternated North and South Island venues for cross country and on three occasions they have been held in Whanganui. Home championships are always special and all three were successful meets.
The first of these was in 1976 on the Mosston course, where Whanganui gained its first winner with Marguerite Couchman (Whanganui Girls’ College), and Whanganui Collegiate gained third in both the senior and junior boys teams events (the first time a junior team had represented Whanganui Collegiate School)
The championships returned to Whanganui in 1991 and ran on the Tawhero Golf Course. It was the first year of girls at Whanganui Collegiate and, with only 45 girls on the roll, the school did well to gain second in the three-to-score and third in the six-to-score senior girls.
They were helped by two former Whanganui High School students - Melissa Gilbertson, second following her title the previous year, and Janine Ashbridge. The championships were again held here in 2005, with the Whanganui Collegiate golf course the venue.
Next year’s championships will be in Whangārei, the furthest north it has been held.
It is hoped that all our schools can come together and share transport so that athletes can follow former Whanganui winners Martin Holmes (twice), Sarah McLeod, Melissa Gilbertson (all High School), Duncan Ross (City College), Marguerite Couchman (Girls’ College) Liam Back, Hugo Beamish, Geordie Beamish (Collegiate) and Brad Mathas (Cullinane).
