Ski

A distinctive photo album capturing the experiences of a Tongariro National Park ranger and ski instructor living in the Whakapapa Motor Camp next to the Chateau Tongariro and his Indigenous Maori wife as they mountain climb ski explore and camp through New Zealand’s National Parks and peaks in the 1950’s and early 1960’s.

1945 · 61664 — Whakapapa Motor Camp The Chateau; Laingholme NZ: Ralph & Teddy Harris ca. 1945-1971. Oblong folio. 13.5 x 10 in. 68 pp unpaginated. on thick black paper stock. With 230 silver gelatin and a few colour Kodak paper stock photos sized from 2.5 x 2.5 in. up to 9.5 x 12 in. 1 beautifully hand coloured most mounted w/ corners although some directly tipped-in on pages nearly all w/ annotations in white ink below a couple mounted on boards and several loose images occasional evidence of pin-holes on a few 8x10 and 6.5 x 8.5 photos minor edgewear just a few removed by family several w/ photographer’s imprint on versos. Contemporary black half-calf over silver moire boards rounded corners some pulling at hinges edgewear just a few occasional minor tears still a VG exemplar w/ nearly all the images retaining bright strong contrast. This notable photo album vividly reveals the active post-World War II Mid-20th-Century era documenting the participation and efforts as the Chateau Tongariro in New Zealand’s Tongariro National Park installed new ski-lifts set up new facilities expanded their skiing and climbing operations as well as the activities of Ranger Ralph Harris and his Maori wife Teddy Harris. The album opens with photos of the Mt. Ruapehu eruption in 1945 after if formed a dome of lava emerging from Crater Lake and in an explosion on March 17 1945 the lava dome disappeared with one image showing Alex Salmon in foreground on Ngauruhoe viewing the eruption followed by series of photos in 1953 of climbing equipment Teddy Harris in an ice cave and views of Crater Lake from Taharungi as well as Ngaurhoe and the Putangirau Pinnacles. This scenic National Park later served as the filming location of many scenes in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies including “Mount Doom†“The Paths of the Dead†and others. The couple had an interest in historic Maori sites as they visit the Urewara Country including photos of the last full scale Maori Massacre after the siege at Ngatapa in which Te Kooti escaped but over 100 of his followers were subsequently killed as well as remains of the Te Kooti arsenal. Another photo depicts the old Maorri Whare used as Hospital Maungapohatu Urewara Rua’s House and views from climbing on Mt. Maungapohatu. Additional trips included a mountaineering and hiking trip to Arthur’s Pass Minga Valley Mt. Oates a popular NZ National Park with wide choices of classic climbing routes and the highest pass over the Southern Alps known to Maori hunting parties as route between East and West. Many of the photos capture their climb of Franz Joseph Glacier 1953-1954 views of the Almer Hut on the glacier and even a crashed plane on the glacier amidst the aftermath of a four day blizzard. After their marriage March 13 1954 at the Hillsborough Presbyterian Church Ralph & Teddy subsequently are shown climbing Ngaurhoe & Tongariro in 1955 the 1955 eruption on Ngauruhoe in 1955 a blizzard on Ruapehu views of Alex Bivvy “Bivouac†near Ruapehu as well traveling and climbing Tangitoto in 1956 traveling the Havelock River in the Cloudy Peak Range of the Southern Alps as well as climbing Mt. McMillan in the Canterbury region during a blizzard. Teddy worked as the Park photographer at Ruapehu and included are her photos of the Chateau Tongariro at night inspection by the Park Board the year before they turned over control to the newly created Tourist Hotel Corporation of New Zealand and the development of the Whakapapa skifield. Included are photos of the new ski lifts 1956 ski school extending safety fences after a fatal skiing accident in 1956 Harvey Clifford demonstrating his ski rescue sledge and snapshot photo of famed climber Sir Edmund Hillary opening the first Whakapapa chairlift in 1954 wiped out in the 1954 eruption and also a photo captures the second chairlift destroyed by the 1956 icestorm. Harris was an Australian ex-policeman ranger living at the Whakapapa Motor Camp who preceded Alex Peters and Jim Purdy and was an active member of one of the greater Wellington Tramping Clubs. Harris was replaced later by Noel Blackburn and then Bill Hislop who managed the Whakapapa Motor Camp starting in 1961 and became the ranger. After leaving the Tongariro National Park the couple moved to Laingholme a small community in the Waitakere Ranges of West Auckland and subsequently had two children Mark & Maia both depicted in the album along with many photos showing them visiting Teddy’s “Naera†Maori family members placing headstones in Waimamaku Valley as well as depicting Teddy’s grandparents unveiling of mountment to Rahiri at Paekanae and the Meeting House at Waimamaku. The Waimamaku Village known as Te Whakamaharatanga Marae or Waimamaku Marae was a meeting place of the Indigenous Peoples Te Roroa Ngaphui hapu of Ngati Korokor and Ngati te pou. He would later publish in 2011 his “Recollections of Ruapehu.†Sadly the iconic Chateau was closed permanently in Jan. 2023 due to seismic risks and many of the ski clubs on the Whakapapa ski fields have suffered through downturns in participation and challenging conditions. See: Ian Blackmore Two Contrasting Periods at Tongariro National Park Tongariro Journal 2022; Glenn Cullen There She Blows: the Rise and Fall of Cash Torn Mt. Ruapehu Snowbest June 1 2023; Angela Wanhalla In/visible Sight: the Mixed-Descent Families of Southern New Zealand 2010. Ralph & Teddy Harris, hardcover