I found notes in my phone so
have started using them today. Could be good for blogs and copy pasting to see
what happens. Its not something that i have used before. It is something that I
might have to start using since everyone else seems to be using them while I
have taken several years longer
As soon as I walked outside to get into the car this morning I found it was
raining. I was not expecting Whangarei to have a bit of rain again, but what is
new with the weather. Once we cleared the Whangarei and headed towards
Dargaville the skies cleared up. The weather in the car wasnt too bad, but once
we found the Dargaville museum the breeze was cold.
The Dargaville museum hadnt really changed since i was there last. It was all
about the local area and the history of how Dargaville came to be, and how it
grew. The story of Dargaville revolved around its people and the work they
provided in the area like the Dalmatians coming over and digging for Gum. The
Gum was from the Kauri tree that had fallen over into swamps thousands of years
ago. It along with the wood in certain cases were worth plenty of money. They
did show the techniques used along with some machinery and pictures. Kelly
Tarlton seemed to be an avid diver and shipwreck hunter. He is of the aquarium
fame in Auckland. It was good to see the museum again, and now I can say I have
been there twice. It was mum’s first time there and I think she enjoyed herself
looking at the different displays. I wanted to see the Rainbow Warrior stuff
again even if the displays had not changed. I am pretty sure Claude enjoyed
wandering around the museum too even if they couldn’t find us on the security
cameras, which I thought to be funny.
I could have wandered to the bottom of the museum where the cemetery was, but that breeze was chilly even with the sun, and I was actually a little hungry by that time. We had lunch not far from the museum at a cafe on the road out to Kai iwi lakes. There were a few logging trucks heading into the Dargaville area, so not sure where they were heading. Once we had finished our food and coffee, we took a drive out to somewhere that I had wanted to see as I had a list of things to see on this trip away. That was the Kumera Box as there was meant to be a big Kumera out the front, but I can say I have been out that way, but not to the very end of the road.
We headed to where the Kauri museum was located, which I had last been to in November 2012 with both Granny and Claude. I had to look through my previous blogs to see when we were there last and that day came up first. I never realised that it was around 10 years ago. Claude decided to stay with the car and have a rest while mum and I went into the museum for a look around. The museum had changed dramatically since I had been there last time as many of the displays including the entrance is now different. You enter from the gift store now and walk down to where they have the Gum displays, along with the photographs from Tudor Collins. His role was to photograph the story of Kauri, and he has many black and white photos throughout the rooms from the simple gum diggers to the techniques used to being the huge Kauri logs to be processed.
Both mum and I came across a series of photographs from a series in the room about processing the timber. Besides a group of chainsaws a huge picture shows a group of men watching another chop down a Kauri tree. Mum thought the side profile reminded her of a relative who was in the industry. Another picture on the wall for a timber mill called Lovatt and Sons around Whangarei had a relative who lived in Hikurangi. Last time there was a group photo where he was absent, this time he was in one. The relative went by the name of Frank Gabolinscy. We actually seen the house in Hikurangi now called The Cottage that he lived in with his wife Bertha. Frank also worked for Rogers and Dyers who had the Caterpillar 60 built in 1929. I had been told by family members a while back that this machine had been used by Frank. There are stories in the newspapers of the machine being used to clear the bush to make way for roads. I didn’t quite believe them as there had not been proof, but obviously with the museum updating their information they had provided that one. I will save the exciting information til last.
As we were going around the displays I heard water splashing and thought it might be part of the display near the information of the Coates family who had a famous family member who became Prime Minister by the name of Gordon Coasts, who is also buried in the cemetery across the road. Mum had seen the water hit the floor from the pipes near the ceiling, I just heard it wondering where it came from. I do like how they now have a room for products made from the Kauri logs like tables and even a little boat. They are now more worried about the Kauri dieback disease that is troubling the Kauri now. In the main hall on the upper floor there is a series of photos from many townships, and I found one of the Home guard from WW2, which I thought maybe one of our great grandfather who lived in Paparoa back then. It wasn’t a short trip through the museum and we kind of forgot that Claude was waiting outside for us.
Once we made our way back to
the front of the building, I let them know about the water leak, and then asked
about the photos.. I placed an order for the smaller ones including the item
numbers. I was waiting for them to find out about the huge canvas like one in
the timber milling area. It was on the other end of the building so of course
it would take time. The expert on the photos came back to see me as he had a
series of photos with a folder with the information. I soon found the guy in
the photo that I was interested in was in fact Frank Gabolinscy, and they had a
series of over 40 photos in their collection. The expert actually knew about
the photos really well as he knew the man who had been chopping down the trees
in the photos. I was not expecting that at all. I asked if I could have a copy
and I was told that I could pick them up later in the week at a cost of course
and I think a series of photos on someone I hardly know about in my family tree
would be well worth it.
Once we left the kauri museum and after turning off, we found the road we had
taken didn’t quite meet up with the main road. We had to turn around and go
back to where the turn off actually was, it was funny as it was kinda
unexpected. As it was later than we had expected, we decided that we shouldn’t stop
at Paparoa on this journey as it would be getting dark pretty quickly before we
made it to Whangarei. We drove through Paparoa heading for the Brynderwyns. Once
we made it into Whangarei the sun was starting to set and it was getting a
little chilly. We stopped off at a Thai place for dinner before heading back
home. It was a nice way to end the day
Link
The link to the last time I visited the Kauri museum.
https://bradthetraveller.blogspot.com/2012/11/day-28-mungaturoto-days-and-kauri-museum.html
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