Tūātapere history - Hump Track early fundraising event, Wild Challenge 1991-2001

Shared by Central & Western Murihiku Southland Archive

Tūātapere history - Hump Track early fundraising event, Wild Challenge 1991-2001: Collection of images and records donated by Anne McCracken, the Wild Challenge Race Administrator, the prior Secretary of Tūātapere Promotions, Chair of the initial Steering Committee for the Hump Track, a former Trustee of the Track Trust, Associate Secretary Hump Track Trust, and Co-Convenor Official Organising Committee in 2001. These items are as listed below: Image 1: photo of the Tūātapere Wild Challenge Multisports Event Badge, created by Sky Monograms, Embroidery Specialists of Christchurch. Image 2: Map of course for Wild Challenge Multisports Event, from Feasibility Study by Dave Bamford of Tourism Resource Consultants. Image 3: Kayaks line up at Lake Hauroko for the Tūātapere Wild Challenge run down the Wairaurahiri River, photo by John Fraser, from Des Williams. Image 4: News Article on the Tūātapere Wild Challenge upcoming event, from The Southland Times, 4 Sept 1990 - preservation copy held at CWA. Images 5: News Article on the Tūātapere Wild Challenge upcoming event, from The Southland Times, 2 July 1991 - preservation copy held at CWA. Images 6: Steve Guerny in his kayak with others, looks to be a newspaper photo, but no idea from where or when - from Anne McCracken Collection and kept as a preservation copy held at CWA Central & Western Archive. Image 7: a kayak in the grade 3 rapids on the Wairaurahiri River, 1993. Image 8: a runner on the Percy Burn Viaduct, during 1993 Wild Challenge. Image 9: a rider in the cycle leg of the Tūātapere Wild Challenge in 1993. Image 10: a rider completes the Tūātapere Wild Challenge race in 1993 (if anyone knows who this is, please let us know so we can name this photo). Image 11: 2000 Tūātapere Wild Challenge and Waiau Grunt entry form. Image 12 & 13: Close ups of the Waiau Grunt course map & rules, 2000. WILD CHALLENGE EVENT HISTORY: In January 1990, the Tūātapere Promotions group initiated a preliminary investigation into the proposal for a track up the Hump Ridge. Secretary Anne McCracken recalls Roy Harris bringing a suggestion to the Promotions group meeting, for the town to also hold a mini traverse. He had been involved in a similar multi-sports event elsewhere. At the February Promotions meeting, the Hump Track proposal was again raised and further talked about, “to be investigated”. After this, the first letter ever drafted about the Hump Track proposal and mini-traverse idea, was from the secretary of Tūātapere Promotions Group, Anne McCracken. This was sent to Dave Bamford, and he replied in June 1990. From this time on, they had many meetings about these ideas. Later that same year, Dave Bamford, who owned Tourism Resource Consultants, was authorized to do a feasibility study for a mini-traverse event, and to look at the potential for a new walking track. His advice was to run a multi-sport event to garner public interest in the area. Anne says the group had no idea what this was! And the potential new walking track, Dave felt should wait for now. He estimated a Track might cost $1.5 mill (that was cheap in the end!) It is of note, that before Tūātapere Promotions could start fundraising to get money to pay for the Study being written and to run the suggested Multi-Sports event, it had to become an Incorporated Society. Once again Anne McCracken, Secretary at the time, recalls how the group had no idea what they were getting themselves in to. They had to do everything properly and there was a lot of learning and quickly! And so, the reformed Tūātapere & District Promotion Incorporated came into being as the official name of the old Tūātapere Promotions group. The Southland Business Development board funded the study into a mini-traverse. On 1st September work commenced on the new Tūātapere Wild Challenge. A TV Crew was organized to overview the event. In 1991 the Tūātapere Wild Challenge was born and held in January. It ran for 11 years, until the track opened in 2001. Alastair McLees, one of the organisers, remembers that one year a competitor went missing. They had not attended the briefing on the Friday night and took a wrong turn at the river on the kayak section. They were finally found in the bush, he thinks, by Doc Sutherland, but it was a scary time. Another time, two kayaks were unfortunately lost at sea! In 1992 the Tūātapere Wild Challenge was sponsored by SmokeFree with Naming Rights and again held 11 January. For the 1993 event, the Tūātapere Wild Challenge is held again 9th January, but no naming rights sponsor was found for this year sadly. By 1994 it had become the ECNZ Tūātapere Wild Challenge and was held on 8th January. From 1995 onwards, the event was sponsored by ECNZ and later on Meridian (new owners of Electricity Corporation of NZ), who continued to sponsor the Tūātapere Wild Challenge event, right up until it finished. This had been run to promote the area and the idea of a walking track up the Hump Ridge, but also to raise funds. Then in 1997 the Wild Challenge event gave a cheque to the newly formed Tūātapere Hump Track Board, for $10,000! Initially set up to attract people to the area and float the idea of a new walking track, the event was also designed as a fund-raiser for the new Hump Ridge Walking Track. Later on, other events were added to the Tūātapere Wild Challenge. The Tūātapere Wild Challenge needed a level 3 White Water Rapids Certificate, and the other events, didn’t have this requirement, so others could also compete. Alastair McLees, who was involved in running the events recalls the Port Craig Canter was the first addition, with the Waiau Grunt coming later. They were all run at the same time on the same day, but they were different lengths and disciplines. From what we could find, the Waiau Grunt ran from 1994. With the Port Craig Canter event, we cannot find anything in the records about that at this stage. Can you help us out? Similarly, if you have any photos or news-clippings of this event, please let us know, thanks. WILD CHALLENGE RACE WINS: The 96km endurance multisport event (kayaking, running and biking), was first held on 12 January 1991 and won that year by Russell Prince of Christchurch in 6 hours 22 mins 22 secs. The overall record was set in 1996 by Eric Billoud of Queenstown (6:05:26). The team record is 6:17:12 set by Gillespie and Tubbs of Hokitika in 1998. The Wairaurahiri River Section record, also set in 1998, is held by Markus Gickler of Germany (1:39:36). BRIEF TRACK HISTORY: The first idea of a Track to be created over the Hump Ridge in Western Murihiku Southland was brought to a Tūātapere Promotions meeting back in late 1986. After much groundwork on many legalities and formalities, the Tūātapere Hump Track Charitable Trust was formed after a public meeting in 1995. By 2000 the required Resource Consent had been granted by the Southland Council and finally the grand official opening of the track was held during 3rd - 4th of November, 2001. The Tūātapere Hump Ridge Track had been opened to walkers on the 1st November 2001, but the Official Opening event was scheduled to be held over the 3rd & 4th of November 2001. It is of note, that nearly 23 years later, on 25 October 2024, the Tūātapere Hump Ridge Track was Officially given 'GREAT WALK' status and again officially opened as the newest and 11th Great Walk of Aotearoa NZ, in an event held at the WTCC or Waiau Town & Country Club at Tūātapere. More can be seen on this on our CWA Facebook page, and further files will be put in these online collections soon. Presently, from 25 Oct 2024 until 30 Nov 2024, a large display of history on the Hump Ridge Track is available to view at our Heritage Hub, which is situated at 48 Main Road, Tūātapere. We are open 10-4 Tues to Fri and the first Saturday of the month from 1-4pm. Contact us to visit at other times. More information about the early days of the Hump Track development, the Tūātapere Hump Track Charitable Trust and formation of the Hump Ridge Track will be added shortly. In the meantime, please share your memories of this important asset to our local community and stories over the years that you know of, and most of all, do let us know if you have any more photos you can share with us all please. You can do this by adding a comment about at the bottom of the image page, or making contact.