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| A family relaxing at the lighthouse after walking 8 kms on Nelson’s Boulder Bank. Only one more km to go! |
“Awesome!” and “Thanks for a great day out. It was fascinating to
see the Boulder Bank up close for the first time.”
Those were
some of the comments posted on the Facebook page of the Rotary Club of Nelson
West, NZ after its sixth annual Boulder Bank Challenge. The event involves a 9
km walk along the iconic Boulder Bank, an unusual natural landform that defines
Nelson’s harbour.
Nelson West
Rotary organises buses to take ticket holders to the starting point. Three
hours later, boats bring the walkers back to land from the southern end of the
Boulder Bank, at “the Cut” that forms the entrance to Nelson’s port. A boat both
ways option is available for those who choose not to walk the distance.
To see
Nelson from a different perspective, participants can climb up the historic
lighthouse on the Boulder Bank – the second one built in New Zealand. They were
met there by Craig Terris, of Port Nelson, who told them about the
reconditioned light that was recently returned to service. In previous years,
speakers have included local Maori historians, a geologist, and a descendant of
the longest serving lighthouse keeper.
There are also
six historic “baches” (that’s Kiwi for holiday cottages) on the Boulder Bank,
accessible only by sea, and some of the owners were on hand to welcome walkers
and give them a look inside. One is owned by the son of a charter member of the
Rotary Club of Nelson West, and has a club photo from 1966 on the wall of the
bach.
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| Doing good is fun! The currents that formed the Boulder Bank now bring a steady supply of flotsam and jetsam. A trailer load of rubbish was collected this year. |
Walkers help
protect nesting birds by picking up rubbish during the event, as the currents
that brought the boulders from a nearby bluff over the millennia now bring a
steady supply of flotsam and jetsam.
Knapps
Lawyers, a local law firm with a Rotarian partner, is the gold sponsor for the
event. With financial sponsorships and many local businesses that donate goods
and services, all costs are covered, so ticket sales go entirely to charity.
The primary beneficiary is Coastguard Nelson, a volunteer organisation that is
well regarded in a community where boating and fishing is a way of life for
many.
“Coastguard
was fundraising for a new boat when we started the event in 2010, so we decided
to help”, explains Dick Carter, a Nelson West Rotarian who has helped organise
the event every year.
“We are
really grateful for the financial contribution,” says Mark Rumsey, a Coastguard
past president who joined Rotary two years ago, “but equally important to us is
knowing that a group like Rotary appreciates and supports what we are doing for
the community.”
The event
has attracted over 200 participants in previous years, but numbers were down
this year due to rain in the forecast. Originally scheduled for the previous
weekend because of predicted heavy rain that never arrived, the event was
rescheduled for Sunday, March 29.
Nelson West
Rotarian Jim Sinner, who led the organising team, said they were a bit anxious
when it started to rain at 7am, only an hour before the first participants were
due to show up. But a quick check of the weather radar confirmed that it was
only a passing shower. The sun was out by 8am and it turned into a beautiful
morning.
However
showers were still lingering around the Nelson ranges, and at 12:45 the team
got a call from Coastguard to say that rain was likely within an hour. “We had
planned to have everyone off by 2:15 anyway,” said Jim, “because a brisk
afternoon sea breeze is pretty common in Nelson. So we just mobilised to get
everything packed up and back to land a little more quickly.”
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| There was no shortage of volunteers from the Rotary Club of Nelson West, who all chipped in to keep things running smoothly. |
Members of
the public were all ashore by 2pm, and by 2:30 the Nelson West team was
relaxing and conducting a de-brief, discussing how to make the event even
better in 2016.
