About this title.

This book is a fascinating compilation of stories and other written material about the riverboats operating on the Whanganui river in the first part of the 1900s. The story tellers are Josh Harris, who was the first Taumarunui manager of A Hatrick and Co's riverboat operations, and his four sons, Mel, Claude, Alf and Jack. Mel and Alf worked on the riverboats as skippers and engineers, Claude became a purser, and Jack worked in the newspaper industry at Taumarunui. Their stories give a vivid impression of travel on the riverboats as they traversed the length of the river carrying tourists, goods of all descriptions, livestock and the all-important mail. They describe the problems encountered in navigating many of the rapids and what they did when things went wrong – and they often did. Do-it-yourself entertainment was the norm in those days. As the riverboats took many hours to travel the length of each of the three sections of the river, there was plenty of time to compose poetry, song and story. Some of these artistic endeavours are included in the book. The book is a delightful account of life on the river in those far off days.

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