Thread: Otanetea Hut

I was chatting to an old deer culler tonight and bought some books off him. After chatting a while he went into his garage and dug this out...



It's the old visitors board he rescued from the Otanetea Hut (number 1) which I understand was pulled down and relocated some time in the 70s perhaps? I'm a mainlander so have no knowledge of this part of the country to be honest! He did a few years culling in the late 60s before moving onto other things.

There are a heap of names on here and the old boy was quite excited to point them out and explain who they were. He said he has no son to pass it on to so he gave it to me.

Some notable ones I can see are B Crump and P Holden. I don't know how the photo will come out on here, it's probably not readable...but I'm curious about all these blokes on here. I guess most are long gone now. I promised the old boy I'd keep it and frame it, he was worried it would get destroyed. A lot of names have D.P.F. after them...Department of ?

Originally Posted by Strummer

I was chatting to an old deer culler tonight and bought some books off him. After chatting a while he went into his garage and dug this out...

Attachment 240465

It's the old visitors board he rescued from the Otanetea Hut (number 1) which I understand was pulled down and relocated some time in the 70s perhaps? I'm a mainlander so have no knowledge of this part of the country to be honest! He did a few years culling in the late 60s before moving onto other things.

There are a heap of names on here and the old boy was quite excited to point them out and explain who they were. He said he has no son to pass it on to so he gave it to me.

Some notable ones I can see are B Crump and P Holden. I don't know how the photo will come out on here, it's probably not readable...but I'm curious about all these blokes on here. I guess most are long gone now. I promised the old boy I'd keep it and frame it, he was worried it would get destroyed. A lot of names have D.P.F. after them...Department of ?

Dep of f. K ups.
Just happens my name is on that board.
I'd be happy to take the board off your hands and frame it for posterity.
Or get a hold of Jason hart, last I heard he was the secretary for the nzfs cullers.

Or, should you decide not to keep it you could donate to NZDA. I'm sure they would find a place for it in their hunting museum.
It's a piece of history worth preserving.

i see a vern wilson on there .....one and the same?

Many names from yesteryear, would be at home with NZFS Deercullers Ass

DPF. Dpt protection forestry.
I see Keeley there. John Ball and other cullers.
Also some well known old NZDA hunters. Great piece of artistic history right there.
Ps. I would be great if somehow some of the dunny doors and wall could have been preserved.

Originally Posted by SmokeyJason

Dep of f. K ups.
Just happens my name is on that board.

You're not "Horny Rodney"? That guy sounds interesting!

yeah neat bit of history Otanetea hut was also known as mid Waikare hut in the Whakatane River catchment - rusa country but some names I recognise and will be known to Opotiki Gisborne hunters - C E Turnbull Colin worked with him culling in Gisborne in seventies - Bill Logan culler meat hunter and later a heli shooter - J.M Quirke culler later owned a Hughs 500 C Model based out of Murupara Mike Butcher flew it out of Opotiki for awhile - Joseph Keeley Heli pilot sadly killed in a crash at Taupo -Bill Nikl well respected culler and one of NZ.s best makers of hunting knives - and then Pat Braithwaite culler possum trapper meat hunter lived for quite some time in Moanui valley - infamous -a very hard man - his exploits will go down for years among Opotiki and Gisborne hunters - some you would struggle to believe - but a nice bloke unless drunk then dont annoy -he was a damn good boxer in his day

Make copies of the board and distribute to interested parties

Then the history is preserved


Easy enough for signwriters to scan and reprint onto fresh boards

Originally Posted by Strummer

You're not "Horny Rodney"? That guy sounds interesting!

No but I was certainly horny in my youth.
That guy cap dusty and binjie? Was Brian featured in Holden's first book when hunting the waimana. Bruce pope, bj nickname.
Minganui bill. Murray potter. Little Brian's brother Stewart. I'll get around some of the others once I've written them down. I was in the upper whakatane from 71 till they pulled the pin in 80. About the time it all became doc, and the carnage began.

Originally Posted by Strummer

I was chatting to an old deer culler tonight and bought some books off him. After chatting a while he went into his garage and dug this out...

Attachment 240465

It's the old visitors board he rescued from the Otanetea Hut (number 1) which I understand was pulled down and relocated some time in the 70s perhaps? I'm a mainlander so have no knowledge of this part of the country to be honest! He did a few years culling in the late 60s before moving onto other things.

There are a heap of names on here and the old boy was quite excited to point them out and explain who they were. He said he has no son to pass it on to so he gave it to me.

Some notable ones I can see are B Crump and P Holden. I don't know how the photo will come out on here, it's probably not readable...but I'm curious about all these blokes on here. I guess most are long gone now. I promised the old boy I'd keep it and frame it, he was worried it would get destroyed. A lot of names have D.P.F. after them...Department of ?

Donate to the NZDA Museum. Wellington

There is one name who became a very succesful large scale fishing operator. Very talented dude. Went aboard one of his boats which used to occasionally fish out of Napier.

Wow, thats the honors board for the sixties and early seventies, met a few guys there, most of gone, some still around.
Was looking for Bruce Dawsons name... then spotted Dink middle left.

Needs to be preserved for sure.

Originally Posted by omark

Donate to the NZDA Museum. Wellington

no absolutely not the history on there is not NZDA it is NZFS cullers mainly - and helicopter days meat and live capture but NZDA no- this does not belong to NZDA it belongs to the NZFS Deer cullers- why so many names on it are NZFS Hunters - contact Jason Hart NZ Deer Cullers Assoc and ask his advice because that is where it belongs certainly not NZDA

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

no absolutely not the history on there is not NZDA it is NZFS cullers mainly - and helicopter days meat and live capture but NZDA no- this does not belong to NZDA it belongs to the NZFS Deer cullers- why so many names on it are NZFS Hunters - contact Jason Hart NZ Deer Cullers Assoc and ask his advice because that is where it belongs certainly not NZDA

Calm……The only reason I suggested that is they are a reciprocal for a lot of archival and historical hunting stuff including wildlife service records photos etc. A safe place to ensure it doesn’t get lost or binned in the future.