History

The story of Stratford Mountain Club begins way back in the late 1800’s. It was then that a group of keen trampers began cutting tracks and building huts on the mountain.

1910’s

A club was formed in 1910 and in February 1914, the original Stratford Mountain Club (SMC) was formed. It disbanded soon after because of World War One, and wasn’t revived till 1928. Initially, the club revolved entirely around tramping and climbing. The first skiing on Taranaki occurred in 1917, when a local man, a certain Mr. R Tyrer, took a pair of home-made skis up to the snow.

1920’s

It’s likely that this sort of skiing continued sporadically until 1929 when two SMC members, Vic Williams and Alf Brustad (a Norwegian, who also played a role in the formation of the Tasman Ski Club on Fox Peak) cleared a ‘ski track’ on the Curtis Ridge not far from the Plateau. Later in the 1929 season, members Frank Addi, John Carryer, Neville Johnson and Ron Moss skied in the Ngarara Gully. Addis, when reflecting on his home-made skis, remarked that ‘they lacked stability in all directions. In fact, they were possessed of the devil!’

1930’s

In the 1930 season, most skiers used the Ngarara Gully, which was considered a more exciting slope. On 3rd August, a climbing accident occurred in the vicinity of the ski slopes, and a club member, Lance Gibson, died of hypothermia during rescue operations. Consequently, the club met with the Park Board and it was decided that some sort of shelter was required on that part of the mountain. Work on the new hut began in 1931, with the Park Board East Committee agreeing to contribute £25 towards the building of a hut, with the matter of size, site and materials left in the hands of the club. It was a club hut, but had to be made available to the public as a shelter in times of need.

The clubs first ‘working bee’ was on 26 April and the ‘Manganui Hut’ was completed in June. At that time, the road went only as far as the Mountain House, an hour’s walk to Ngarara Gully, so a start was also made on extending the road to the Plateau. That same year, with more people trying the new sport, SMC purchased and hired some skis for members.

However, there weren’t enough and, in 1932, Brian McMillian and John Carryer began importing ash and hickory, and manufacturing skis in McMillian’s father’s engineering shop (native woods couldn’t be bent into shape and tended to warp). With these new skis and the road completed, making it only a 20 minute walk, skiing at Manganui really took off. The first club champs were held in August 1932. By 1935, skiing on the Policeman slopes above Ngarara Gully was becoming more common as member’s skills improved. On 13 October, Carryer, McMillian, and two others made the first full ski descent from Taranaki’s summit, down the eastern face.

With the outbreak of World War Two, a large number of members went abroad on duty. At one stage, SMC was reduced to 16 members. Very little skiing occurred, but the remaining members made sure those overseas received club newsletters.

1940’s

In 1946, things started picking up again and, in 1947 SMC came of age with the completion of the first ski tow to operate in NZ (just a few days ahead of Coronet Peak), in time for the NZ Champs, held later the same year. Manganui at this time lead the country in new ski lift technology, drawing upon the local farming and machinery expertise. This was at a time when all manufacturing was done locally.While tramping and climbing continued to be the club’s main activities, skiing was fast gaining in popularity.

1950’s

In 1952, due to the generosity of former NZ Ski Champion, Roy McKenzie, the Policeman Tow or ‘Top Tow’, was erected, making Manganui one of the most challenging ski areas in NZ. With average slopes of 26degrees, approaching 30degrees at the top.

In 1958, increasing use of the ski area by day-trippers led to the construction of a public shelter near the hut. In 1959, the flying fox goods lift over the Manganui Gorge was put in.

1960’s

The provision of a motorised Flying Fox across the Manganui Gorge and the construction of the access road from the Plateau to the head of the Gorge, in 1961-62, greatly improved the access to Manganui. The North Island Ski Champs wer again held at Manganui on 1962.

Throughout the 1960’s SMC skiers continued to retain their prominence in ski racing, several being selected in the NZ team for inter-dominion competitions with Australia. A learners tow was installed in 1964, and construction of Manganui Lodge (which began in 1961) was finished in June 1968, replacing the old hut.

1970’s

In 1971, the learners tow was upgraded.
The lower rope tow was replaced with a T-bar in 1974.

1980’s

the 1980’s got off to a bad start when tragedy struck during the 1980 North Island Junior Ski Champs held at Manganui. On August 24th, thirteen year old Nicola Hayes, an experienced Ruapehu skier, slipped when dismounting the Top Tow, slid under the rope and over a bluff into the Manganui Gorge, and died as a result of her injuries. The following summer safety fences erected beside the tow line were substantially upgraded by the combined efforts of the club and the Park Board.

In 1981 the lift workshop building was completed. By midseason SMC membership had reached 788, and a total of fifty days of excellent skiing was had on the lower slopes between July and September.

In 1982 the new Park Board Public Shelter building opened.

In 1983 another attempt was made to establish a lift in the Number three ski valley, a self-propelled rope tow borrowed from Mount Egmont Alpine Club. As with earlier attempts, the tow proved unsuitable for the job. It was removed in 1986.

In 1984 the T-bar was upgraded to increase its capacity from 939 to 1385 per hour. The upgraded lift was in operation for the 1985 season.

In 1987, the lift workshop building was used as the base for the construction of a new amenities building. Named the ‘Warwick Brown’ in memory of a club member, who died from serious head injuries in 1983, when a boulder fell from the side of the Erewhon Skifield road, smashing the rear window of the car in which he was a passenger.

In 1989, snowboarding was first introduced to Manganui when Lars BinsBergen and Dave Mason began with Snostix and Burton Air boards, well before any shops in the major centres stocked snowboarding gear. By 1995 boarding had really taken off at Manganui.

1990’s

By the early 1990’s attention shifted to the need to improve the rope tow on the Policeman Slopes. After considering several options, the decision was made to upgrade the existing ‘Top Tow’ rather than install a new T-bar or Platter lift at considerably greater expense. In 1992, Stage 1 was complete with installation of new towers, new upgraded rope pulleys, and return bull wheel. Stage 2 was completed during summer 1993. a new building, located downhill from the old tow shed site, was designed to be compact and form part of the loading ramp.
A short access tow was installed between the top of the T-bar and the new tow shed, and with electrification of the Top Tow, the project was complete. The safety fence was also replaced and extended to the top of the tow.

In 1997 as the season started, the Regional Conservator of the Dept of Conservation (DoC) wrote to SMC directing it to cease skifield operations, as several DoC structures on the gorge track were considered unsafe (a consequence of the Cave Creek tragedy;on the 28th April 1995 seventeen members of a Polytechnic course from Greymouth, South Island, and the manager of the DoC’s Punakaiki Field Centre fell about 30 metres from the Cave Creek viewing platform as it collapsed. As a result fourteen young people lost their lives and another four were injured). Over the summer of 1997/98 members had limited access to the skifield while contractors were working on a new tunnel on the Manganui Gorge entrance.

2000’s

The new Millennium to the present has bought mixed fortune to SMC.

In 2002, SMC celebrated 50 years skiing on the Top-tow. However these celebrations were short lived when the news circulated that the 34 year old ski lodge burnt to the ground in an overnight blaze, caused by an electrical fault in the kitchen area. Early 2003 was spent demolishing the burnt remains of the lodge. This took 9 helicopter loads of material. The old concrete block walls were also demolished, and the foundations revealed and deemed unusable.

To generate well needed funds, the committee decided to adopt a season pass for members. Purchased pre-season, these guaranteed SMC cashflow up-front, as well as rewarding SMC members who had stuck with the club through some lean snow for years.

2003 was an ‘average’ year, with 20 T-bar and 45 Top Tow days operation. Almost all those days were in early July. Good as school holiday skiing generated good cash flow, bad in that a long fine spell through late July and August meant now further snow falls . Late August the snow returned. Some classic days on the Top tow but the snow never made it to the T-bar consistently.

The Lodge rebuild committee, headed by Roger Jones, was committed to the reinstatement of a club lodge on the ski area. Funding was applied for, to TET Trust and TSB Community Trust. A Building permit was applied for, and consent given from the district councils, and approval sought from DoC. Public support was overwhelming, with major contributions from the TSB Community Trust and the Taranaki Electricity Trust. Beck Helicopters also gave a sizable donation.

Through all the rebuild committee’s planning, the new lodge became a reality. Once the design, approval and consents granted, costings completed, and a contractor (Bruce ‘The Builder’ Neale) was appointed, it was all go! Summer 2003/2004 was the big summer for the new Lodge rebuild.

2004 saw Manganui ski area claim the ‘first to open’ status, on Sunday 6th June. Membership was on the increase again; once the word was out that the new Manganui Lodge was comfortable, warm and dry. The opening of the new Lodge occurred on 26 June. This coincided with SMC’s 75th Jubilee at Labour Weekend. A great occasion celebrated by SMC members past and present.

After such a great year for the club, 2005 was the opposite. A poor snow season Nationwide saw the club operate the T-bar for 1 day and the Top Tow for 7 commercial days. The low snow year saw SMC review compliance  issues for operating on the mountain. SMC’s Ski Area Safety Plan was formulated by president Keith Plummer. Terms of the plan saw snow pack monitoring and avalanche monitoring of the Manganui Gorge implemented. A tripartite agreement with the NZ Mountain Safety Council and DoC was formed to enhance safety of members and the public. Through MSC the Avalanche Advisory was created for the mountain, Manganui Ski Area and it’s access from the Plateau.

2006 was a totally different snow season, breaking records in snowfall, accumulation, and skier numbers. The snow started falling early in June and didn’t stop for a month. Epic top to bottom skiing on dry powder and packed powder was had, all from mid June! The snow pack was plentiful and long-lived, 9 weather patterns instead of the usual 2-3, ensuring lots of southerly snow, cold dry evenings and big gaps of fine cool weather between. It all meant for a great long season. Ski Safety and Operations staff were employed for the duration of the season. Memories were revived of the last time it was like this (’94 and ’95). New spring boxes for the t-bar were purchased and installed. The SMC Club Champs were run for the first time since 1994…

2007 was once again a fickle season, similar in ways to 2005. Approximately 150 lift tickets were sold, with T-bar days totalling just 3. Though the top tow had some great skiing, albeit from the rollover, above the bottom get on ramp.

Last season, there was plenty of great skiing/riding to be had for those that sought it, from mid-June to mid-October. Some days the place was definately humming; a record cash flow day was had, as well as a record snowfall event in August (interestingly, from the North West). Some huge rain events were interspersed, stripping the lower mountain of great bases that had built up. The Top Tow had a fantastic base all season, that resisted the heavy rain events well, and was regularly topped up with fresh snow - more often than not the healthy precipitation received falling as snow on the upper mountain.

In spite of the ongoing efforts of the Taranaki skiing/riding 'anti-marketing' team, the mountain continues to gain regional awareness. Today, skier/boarder (especially boarder!) visits are climbing steadily as skiers and riders search out an alternative, cheaper option to the larger resorts. Ski Area expansion plans for the future are modest and will only come with the hard work of SMC, and a close relationship with DoC. The beauty and reputation of Manganui Ski Area’s charm will be closely guarded.

…These days, Manganui attracts boarders and skiers from throughout the North Island. It would easily have the highest ratio of boarders to skiers of any field in NZ (apart from snowparknz of course!). Naturally, its strongest followers are "The Naki" locals, who, with the solitary mountain towering above them, feel constantly drawn to its slopes.

Sources: Manganui: A history of the Stratford Mountain Club, Bob and Nancie Stokes; A Guide to the Ski Areas of New Zealand, Marty Sharpe; SMC Newsletters, Mark Braddock. Pictures: Bob Stokes, Steve Barham