H0370 JANE MERE ARNETT

Interviewer: Edith Ruddenklau

Abstracter: Judith Christie

Interview: 22 June 1993

TRACK ONE

00.00 Self’s mother went MUTTONBIRDING on POUTAMA ISLAND, taking her children.

01.30 Self went with HUSBAND RAY to the Muttonbird Islands. Ray born in MATAURA, worked in various places. ARNETTS lived in CHRISTCHURCH and RIVERTON, then decided to settle in BLUFF. Loved the sea.

02.30 Self had ANCESTRAL MUTTONBIRDING RIGHTS through grandfather, who was a descendant of JAMES LEADER and MERE WEHIKORE who lived on STEWART ISLAND. Ray had the same rights. Describes. THREE SONS could also go to the islands.

04.15 Mother lived with the family and made KELP BAGS for birding. Gathered flax around BLUFF and kelp around KAKA POINT at low tide. Also gathered TOTARA BARK. Describes process.

07.40 Waited for good conditions to sail, after 15 March, leaving May (or June if the weather didn’t allow sailing back).

08.20 Peaty soil, and bush covered. IRONWOOD and MOSS. Island had a particular SMELL. Clothes smelt of muttonbirds. Travelled on several boats, including the WAIRUA and FISHING BOATS. 60 miles from the mainland. Often had to wait for a week to land.

10.15 WIRES on the island used to haul up supplies. NO JETTIES, landed off the rocks. SISTER and COUSIN drowned on one trip – self was not there at the time. Describes.

11.45 Self does not recall any ACCIDENTS on the islands. Some ILLNESSES. Jane’s friend Grace is introduced and makes comment) Mentions NORMAN RODERICK.

13.00 Self’s parents CATHERINE ANNE, married JOHN DUNCAN GRIEG. Father did not go muttonbirding.

14.00 MOTHER continued to go to the islands – was interviewed by a journalist about muttonbirding. Lost her memory. Had a PLAQUE WITH FAMILY NAMES on it to take to the islands, but couldn’t travel herself to place it on the islands.

15.45 Had two FAMILY CRIBS on the island and a building where the birds were processed. Had to be repaired every time they returned. No rats on the island. TUI and PIWAKAWAKA.

15.50 The BIG ISLAND had all sorts of birds on it.

16.60 Self’s HOUSE IN BLUFF is named POUTAMA after the family’s muttonbirding island, as muttonbirding helped to pay the house off. MAORI ANGLICAN BISHOP BENNETT commented on house name, his grandmother lived in RIVERTON.

18.00 POUTAMA DESIGN also depicted in MAORI CARVINGS – kind of mat.

18.50 Different areas on the island which were birded each day. Worked differently now – has changed over the years. Rules very strict in the old days – NO WORK on the island on a SUNDAY.

20.00 METHOD - Muttonbird hole like a rabbit hole. Poked with a stick to find birds, then dig down to get the birds if you couldn’t reach them. Birding done through the day while mother was away feeding. Hooked out bird, then hit it on the head to kill them. Self prepared the birds after husband killed them. Birds slung on shoulder and carried home to be plucked. 20-30 birds was a good day’s work. Birds cleaned in buckets of water and hung. Wax now used to pluck. Feathers saved and sold to merchants.

24.10 Birds were boiled up in whaling pots and sold to MERCHANTS T W MCKAY or TODDS, who sent them up to the NORTH ISLAND. 6d a bird paid. Now paid $5.

25.30 BREAD BAKED when provisions ran out. Supplies to the island only once through the season. Cut off from the world.

26.00 DUCK PLUCKING MACHINES and WAX now used. Birds took around an hour to cook, then put into kelp bags and saved fat poured over to preserve them. Birds cooled, flattened, and salted.

28.20 METHODS very different now. Were pickled in barrels before putting in kelp bags, which were named and numbered. Around 6,000 muttonbirds caught in a season. Husband enjoyed muttonbirding. Further description of process.

End of Track One

TRACK TWO

00.00 METHOD. Mother bird came in at night to feed the young birds. Towards the end of April, mothers stopped feeding the birds. When young birds came out at night, catchers would chase them with torches. Describes

02.30 Nobody knows where the birds migrate to. Some say Siberia. North Island muttonbirds do not migrate. Birds feed at BLUFF and RIVERTON. Describes migration – left by the end of May.

05.15 NOISE made when birds are fed. Describes BIRD CALLS made before the Radio NZ news broadcasts.

6.30 Travel to the islands now often made by HELICOPTER. Used to be a struggle getting off the rocks and on to boats. Describes. Mentions skipper IAN WIGGANS (WILLIAMS?)

08.00 Self has lived in Bluff for over fifty years and in the same house since 1939. AUNT and UNCLE owned the EAGLE HOTEL in BLUFF and self lived there with them. Mother and stepfather lived in the house that self now lives in. Describes. Self loves the sea and likes living in Bluff.

09.20 Has TRAVELLED OVERSEAS thirteen times, four times with husband Ray. SON JOHN went to CANADA to live and self visited family there.

09.50 Self BORN on 19 September 1902 in Riverton. Father JOHN DUNCAN GRIEG. GRANDPARENTS separately emigrated from England.

10.50 Three sons in different parts of the world. SON JOHN is in CANADA. SON PETER works for CABLE NETWORK NEWS all over the place and has AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP. SON DAVID lives in SYDNEY and is unmarried. Self doubts that she will travel again, but would love to fly to the MUTTONBIRD ISLANDS. Loves visiting STEWART ISLAND.

13.45 Self’s HUSBAND DIED suddenly in BRISBANE on 1 October 1968. Describes.

18.15 All sons went to BOARDING SCHOOL. All three worked for the SOUTHLAND TIMES as JOURNALISTS.

19.00 Has just one granddaughter and one grandson, and two great grandsons in Canada. Describes. Lovely when sons return home. Son JOHN has sold the NEWSPAPER he owns and has retired.

22.00 Describes CALL OF A BIRD when on the muttonbird islands.

End of Track Two