Growing up in Pukerua Bay

I remember – growing up in Pukerua Bay

I grew up in Pukerua Bay from the age of six (1966). I have many, many memories of school life, roaming the hills down to the beach, following streams to see where they went, riding my bike all over, being allowed to just wander around, as long as I was home by dark.

I remember we were on tank water and how we had to conserve water. We had a tank under our front terrace that collected the rainwater. All houses had one somewhere and it became a lifetime habit not to waste water. The “septic tank” needed to be emptied every few years – phew what a smell.

I remember that no-one really had any money, we all wore home-made clothes that were passed down to younger siblings. I was the eldest so I was okay. Most of us had second hand bikes, roller skates etc but it didn’t matter, it was normal.

But my main memories are of being free to wander, as long as we were home by the time the street-lights came on. We would put some sandwiches and an apple and drink in our school bags and go to the beach over the hills, round to Wairaka Rock and back up the zigzag track, or up the track by the toilets on Brendan Beach. There was an old Māori burial ground at the top of this track. There used to be a shop there too, but I think there was a fire?

I remember when a house next to the Railway Station burnt down and we all had to take in spare clothes to school as the large Maori family in there lost everything. I later met and became friends with one of the kids who had been living in that house at the time – before realising who she was, after we both had our own kids. She remembered it well too as her dad was a guard on the train and they moved to Paekakariki after the fire.

The Scotts’ store (4square I think) was next to the Post Office. It was always better to be served by Mr Scott than Mrs Scott as he was more generous with a 5 cent mix, a whole week’s pocket money then, slipping in a few extra lollies. My best friend at that time was Susan Goulder who lived across the road. Her Dad used to send us down to Scotts store to get his cigarettes – we’d go on our bikes cruising down Old Station Road then walking back up pushing our bikes. Cigarettes were 40c a packet around 1970ish because I remember us both chipping in 20c each to get a packet of “Cameo” and sneak off to have a smoke in secret.

It was fun to ride your bike to the beach but pushing it back up the hill wasn’t such fun so we usually walked the hills or tracks instead. One time we followed a stream to see where it ended up – turned out it was to the waterfall past Brendan Beach. We had to quit a bit before that as it got too steep, but at least we knew! Riding our bikes round in gangs, you always knew where everyone was because of all the bikes on the front lawn.

The catch cry of my youth was, “you kids get outside and play!” and we didn’t usually need asking twice. Rainy days involved games of monopoly, twister, game of life, card games and reading books. There was not even much kids’ television in those days either and if the sun was shining we were constantly told to “turn it off and go and play outside”. We did what we were told, taught not to answer back to grown-ups and not be rude to people, or we’d get a “clip around the ear” or for major discretions, “the wooden spoon”.

I remember most of my classmates very well for various reasons. I was good friends with Susan but would also go and play after school at Patricia Bidmead’s house and Karen Angus’ house before she moved to Paremata. I even went down on the train to Paremata to play with her one day. I remember it well because in her garage whilst playing “hide and seek” I made the classic cartoon mistake of standing on the end of an unseen garden rake and the handle whipped up and gave me a cracking bruise right in the middle of my forehead. Mrs Angus gave me a cup of sweet tea for the shock, crikey I remember that. I particularly remember Michael McKeon too as he taught me how to shoot saliva of my mouth just by opening and closing it. We used to practice it outside Room 1 by the entrance to the office where no-one could see us at playtime. I remember that well!

I still have all the class photos with all the names on the back. I have all my school reports too. Apparently, I was a “quietly confident but shy” child who “could do better” in a lot of them. I loved reading and was an advanced reader. I disliked maths, but I have my times tables that I can still recall at will in my head from the days of chanting them out with the whole class. That came in handy a few times but I still tend to count on my fingers. My handwriting was awful until one of my teachers (I think it was Mrs Johnson) got me to hold my pen differently, then it instantly became legible.

Some other things that spring to mind regarding school days: I remember Nicholas Wigram being so keen to get in the pool on swimming day one time that he came shooting out of the changing rooms without his togs on. He got so embarrassed when he realized he was naked and we were all laughing. “Haven’t you forgotten something Nicholas?” said Mrs Johnson. I remember playing marbles in a big dirt patch where the pre-fab classroom was put in later. This ruined our marble spot.

We were constantly active at playtime and lunchtime, always moving. We played bullrush on the field at lunchtime, and “go home stay home,” a hide and seek type game, which would somehow end up involving nearly the whole school like bullrush did. At lunchtime also I remember the game “4 square” with a black rubber ball and bouncing it within four squares. We’d get the rubber balls from the room next to the first aid room. There was also skipping, playing elastics, the guinea pigs that we took turns in looking after in the holidays. There was also the time the school ran out of water and the beer tanker delivered some. I still have the newspaper clipping of that as it made the Evening Post. Mum cut it out because I was in the photo with a mob of kids.

I remember getting swooped on by magpies on the back field by the trees and how scary that was. I still don’t like them today because of that. I remember walking up the track to school from the main road every day. It was unpaved and could get a bit muddy – and how nice it smelt after it had been raining. I remember how dark and scary the toilets next to the primer block were for a six-year-old – with spiders and wetas always present somewhere. I used to always try and “hold on” until I got home.

One day Russell Colpman swallowed a part of a watch once and an ambulance had to be called. It was high drama that one! I remember Mrs Johnson reading us Charlotte’s Web. A policeman came to visit once to warn us that a “flasher” had been annoying kids at the railway station and he told us not to go there or if we did see him then report it to our parents. My best friend and I went straight down after school to see what a “flasher” was. Gosh we got into trouble for that.

I remember P.E. (step ups, sit ups, push ups, pull ups), softball, running races and having to play netball even though I didn’t like it. I remember the “houses” – Egmont-Green, Ruapehu-Red, Ngaurahoe -Blue and Tongariro – Yellow. Mrs Shoesmith took the choir and Mr Shoesmith was my teacher one year. I remember Mr Perrin (Clive) was our teacher one year and he took the whole class down the gravel scree slope at the end of Rawhiti Road on a trip to the beach. It was very steep and unstable. Patricia Bidmead and I had to carry a big tin rubbish bin down the track and back up again between us. Why us I don’t know as we were slight skinny girls. That caused a problem I think as we both moaned the whole time. Crikey that was a harsh track to manage without carrying a big rubbish bin. Her mum worked in the school office so I think there were “words” in the staffroom about it.

I remember graduating to being allowed to ride a bike after getting tested by a traffic ‘cop’ for correct road signs etc (riding on the Main Road over that bridge twice a day got a bit hairy if there was a truck coming – bit scary – all in the days before helmets too), and then being allocated a “parking spot” for my bike next to the “murder house” (dental clinic).

My friend Nola and I annoyed the builders when they were building the new school hall, badgering them at playtime and lunchtime, asking lots of question while they were trying to get on with their work.

I remember sliding down the hills near our place on bits of cardboard (we lived on Elizabeth Street) and being told off by the farmer who put his dogs on us whenever he saw us from way across the valley. It was the same when mushrooming over there too. We were told categorically in 1967 “you kids won’t be able to play here much longer, the bulldozers will be coming very soon to build a new motorway” haha – good job we didn’t hold our breath!

I can remember being on “traffic patrol” in all weathers. I was on a roster with Patricia Bidmead a lot. We were designated to go and turn on the zip in the staffroom ten minutes before playtime and lunchtime and put out the biscuits for the staff. I loved the small library, and I have great memories of getting book club pamphlets to order new books, and the delight when they came as it was such a treat to get a brand new book. Such better days then.

By Sara Smith