Gavin Grimmer
19/ Sometime probably during the 1980’s, a young boy became separated from a hunting party somewhere in Hokuri Creek, north of Skippers range -which is east of Lake McKerrow.
He spent the night in the bush alone, and when he was fortunately found the next day, when asked how he spent the night, he said, “I slept in an old aeroplane!”
I believe this young boy, obviously now a grown man, now lives in Indonesia.
Does anyone know who this is, or any other information about this?
If so, please get in touch with me.
20/ A person remembers seeing a “Shipping Hazard” marked on an old nautical mapping chart classed as an old aeroplane wreck. This position was between Napier and Gisborne on the East Coast of the North Island. The only possibility that I have found of an aeroplane being along this coast is that of the Vickers Vincent NZ332 that disappeared in that area in 1942, or Tiger Moth ZK-ATL - 1958.
Does anyone have a map with this hazard marked on it, or know the position of it?
21/ In Sighting Report No.10, the hunter remembered the place where he found the wreckage (1979) as being near to Chair Creek. He now has had the opportunity to fly over the area and realises that he has made a mistake with his memory. It was not Chair Creek (that was another hunting trip!), but instead the entrance into the Barrier River Valley. You can read more on this on this link: http://www.findlostaircraft.co.nz/zk-bmp%2028.html
22/ In early 1979, about a year after ZK-BMP and ZK-EBU went missing, three road workers observed from the road below, what may have been white wreckage at approx. 44 47'49.77S 168 00'55.46E (about 1500 to 2000 ft above the road). This object was observed still there over a period of at least 12 months. With the use of binoculars, it appeared to be jammed in a rock crevasse and was the size of about a Cessna door. A few months later, one of these people observed the sun shining off an object in bush close to that area at about the same height as the previous object. He later obtained a pair of binoculars, but all he was able to see out of the ordinary, was a chunk missing from one of the trees. If anyone is ever on the Te Anau to Milford Road, and you have some time to spare, go for a walk around all the lower catchment areas..... You never know, you might come across something! There is the possibility that both these objects may be related, as if they were from an aircraft that crashed further up the mountain, the crash site could be in a position that wreckage would wash down two different courses.
Sighting Reports Page 4
23/ In about 1972 a helicopter pilot was chasing a deer through an area in the Rainbow Creek (near Mt Aspiring) when what appeared to be a man-made object appeared as the down wash from the helicopter opened up the brush below him. He saw it in about 6 ft high scrub and thought it was probably about a couple of meters square - just above the tree line... if not on the tree line. He thought it may have been a aluminum section of an aircraft wing. He flew back there on a later occasion but was unable to relocate it. The approximate area was 44 22' 41"S 168 48' 52"E, and if you copy and paste these co-ordinates into the “Search” box on Google Earth - it will take you there.
