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Kōrero: Fluerty, Joseph

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Fluerty, Joseph

1903–1977

Nō Poutini Ngāi Tahu, nō Ngāti Māmoe; he kaipiki maunga, he kaiarataki

I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Trish McCormack, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1998. He mea whakamāori nā Ngā Tangata Taumata Rau.

Ko Arahura i Māwhera (Greymouth) te wāhi i whānau ai a Hōhepa (Joseph) Fluerty i te 1 o Mei o te tau 1903. Ko tōna whaea ko Toihi Te Koeti o Poutini Ngāi Tahu, ā, ko tōna pāpā ko Robert Fluerty, he kaimahi kōura, ā, he Pākehā, he Ngāi Tahu ōna kāwai. Ko tōna pōua tuarua ko Tūtoko, tētahi o ngā rangatira tokorima o Ngāi Tahu me Ngāti Māmoe nā rātou nei i karapoti Te Tai Poutini o Te Waipounamu, pūwhenua noa a Poutini Ngāi Tahu ki reira. Ko te tīmatanga o te rau tau tekau mā iwa tērā. I Arahura me Makawhio (Jacobs River) a Hōhepa e kuraina ana.

Noho nei ka puta te rongo o Hōhepa hei kaiarataki piki maunga i Ngā Puke-māeroero (Southern Alps), nō te mea ko ia te Māori tuatahi ki te kake i ētahi o ngā tihi o taua taupae maunga. He tikanga tonu tēnei nā tōna whānau. Ko tōna matua kēkē, ko Pahikore Te Koeti Tūranga, tētahi o ngā toa rongonui ki ēnei mahi i ngā tau o mua atu i Te Tai Poutini. Nā tōna tipuna wahine, nā Rīpeka Te Koeti Tūranga – ko Kāwaipatiere, ko Hera Rīpeka anō ōna īngoa – rāua ko tōna tipuna kēkē, ko Te Rua-akeake (Mahi rānei), i kauhoe te moana o Whakatipu-wai-tai (Lake McKerrow), e tūtata ana ki tō rāua kāinga i te tonga o Te Tai Poutini.

Nō te tekau tau atu i 1920 i tīmata ai a Hōhepa i tana mahi kaiarataki i te awa kōpaka o Waiho, Waiau rānei (Franz Josef Glacier). I aua rā, ko ngā kaiarataki ākonga i mate ki te waha karahīni, kai hoki ki runga o ngā kōpaka hei whakakī anō i ngā mahau maunga ki te kai, ā, ko ērā wāhanga he taumaha kē. E hia hoki tōna roa e kaiwaha ana kātahi anō ia ka tīmata ki te ārahi tāngata ki ngā tihi maunga i te ūpoko o te awa kōpaka. He tangata i kaingākautia e ngā kaitono, he tonotono tonu tā rātou mahi i a ia hei kaiārahi mā rātou. E ai ki te kōrero a tētahi o ngā kaitono, nāna i āta tono ko Hōhepa hei kaiarataki mō rātou. Ka whakaaetia mai, ā, hore rawa e mutu tō rātou pai ki a ia. Ko te kōrero a tētahi anō, rite tonu ki tō te Airihi te arero o Hōhepa me te whakatoi hoki o te tangata. Noho ana ko Hōhepa tētahi o ngā tino toa piki maunga Māori o Te Tai Poutini. E ai ki tētahi atu o ngā tino toa ki tērā mahi, ki a Jack Cox, ka nui tōna waimarie i ngā tohutohu a Hōhepa, ā, ko ia anō tētahi o ngā tohunga ki te tapahi kaupae i te kōpapa. Kei runga i ngā rīpene tā pikitia e mau tonu ana ngā whakaaturanga i tōna tohungatanga ki tana mahi.

Ki a Hōhepa, he tapu a Aoraki (Mt Cook), ā, i tētahi o ōna pikinga atu, kua eke tonu ia ki runga, ka heke mai ki raro. Hāunga a Horokoau (Mt Tasman), tōna rika ki te piki i tērā. Nō te 10 o Maehe i te tau 1932 ka eke rātou ko ōna hoa arataki, ko Jack Cox rāua ko Jack Pope ki te tihi o taua maunga. Kātahi anō te whakaekenga tuatahi mā te taha hauāuru piki atu ai. Ko ia hoki te kawau pū o te tira nā rātou i ora ai a Mark Lysons, he kaiarataki anō, i te whatinga o tōna waewae i runga o te maunga o Mt Goldsmith i te tau 1933. I roto hoki ia i te ope i whakawhitia tuatahitia ai a Mt Haidinger i te tau 1934. I te tau o muri mai ka aratakina e ia he kiritaki ki runga o Mt Lendenfeld, tētahi o ngā maunga tino teitei rawa atu o te pae maunga o Ngā Puke-māeroero.

Nā te mea he momo anō, ahakoa te kino o te rangi, kāore ia e ngaro, whakamūrautia ana ia e tōna rahi piki maunga. Hoki ana ngā kōrero a Gar Graham mō te arataki mai a Hōhepa i tētahi tira i te kōawa o Hoe ki te hauāuru (West Hoe Pass) i runga ake o te awa kōpapa o Waiho, i roto i te kohu, i te hukarere. Tērā anō tētahi o ōna haerenga i roto i te pōuri i Waiho ki te kimi i ētahi tūruhi kua pō kē; ahakoa kāore āna rama, ēngari kitea ana e ia aua tūruhi, takina mai ana. Nāna i whakamau he pūrātoke e rua ki tana pakihiwi hei ārahi i a rātou i roto i te pōuri. He ihu kurī tō te tangata rā, ā, kei tawhiti noa atu kua mōhio kē ia mehemea he tangata kei ngā wharau e noho ana.

Nō te 7 o Hūrae i te tau 1930 ka moea e ia a Florence Smith, he kaimahi kāinga tana mahi. I Māwhera rāua e moe ana, ā, ka puta tā rāua huatahi, he tāne, ko Neville te īngoa. Nō te tau 1938 ka taki wehe. Nā tōna kore e utu i te moni whāngai i tā rāua tama, ka raruraru ia i te ture. Ka moe anō te tokorua nei i te 17 o Pēpuere i te tau 1945, i Whakatū (Nelson). E toru tau i muri mai, ka mate a Neville.

Nā te Pakanga Tuarua, i mutu ai ngā mahi arataki a Hōhepa. I tana hainatanga mō te pakanga ka whakanōhia ia ki te papa rererangi taua o Rongotai i Pōneke (Wellington) hei tūtei. Nō muri mai ka hoki anō ki Te Waipounamu, ki te papa rererangi taua o Woodbourne e pātata ana ki Ōpawa (Blenheim). Mai i reira ko te hokinga ki Whakatū, noho whakatā ai. Nō te 25 o Tīhema i te tau 1977 i mate ia i reira. Nō mua atu te matenga atu o Florence i te tau 1973.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Trish McCormack. 'Fluerty, Joseph', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1998. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/4f18/fluerty-joseph (accessed 29 March 2024)