Thread: Fire in the hills

Big.... Fire in the hills

One for the tussock plant botanists on here...


Looking into my 35mm photo box the other day, found this image so thought I would post it up here.



This tussock fire happened in the Western Ruahines up by Rangiwahia area. Head south to look over the Oroua river / Iron Gate hut, then look west, it happened there about 1970. Done 50 years ago and never been back since, I presume that the tussock has grown back?

Known as Jim’s burn after the guy who set it off with his white spirit stove. For us hunters it made getting through the Mangoira saddle a lot easier. There is still dead leatherwood there.
Jim was a wonderful guy. Just a freak accident. He was the first guy to take me into the Ruahines.

Need to do that to the bloody leatherwood. Wonder if the us can drop some napalm

Originally Posted by 199p

Need to do that to the bloody leatherwood. Wonder if the us can drop some napalm

Young hunter shoots a stag on the Mokai Patea in the leatherwood. Yahoo. Goes over to dead stag. Spends hours trying to find it. Yeah. Wonderful memories. LOL.

A generation and a half earlier and they were burning those tops on purpose to promote spring growth.

I nearly had similar thing happen too me up there. Young fella I took hunting knocked over the cooker and for some reason it started jetting flames about 3 feet across the tussock. He panicked and took off. I dont blame him as it looked like the whole thing was going to explode. The stupid plastic pot lid I had caught fire and I had bugger all time to react. Just remember charging in with bare hands and picking up cooker and shutting it off and very quickly stamping everything out. Bloody lucky.

White spirit stoves, a mate had one go bang in the middle of a small pine plantation we were camped in. Tent vaporised, sleeping bags on fire, ammo packets burning and shit the pine needles were as well. Managed to beat the fire out with wet towels. We were very lucky, farmer would have been pissed.

More...

Me camped by the big slip that the burn got into.



Old Tilly and her first ever deer, above that camp. I shot that deer after she had winded it and then I ducked over the side and put that fly up. 15 years ago.