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Ian Pryce
Biography Ian was the manager of the Whakapapa Motor Camp in the 1970's.
In Ian's words:
I joined Tongariro about 1971 in Ohakune as work-staff working for Bill Hislop and John Newton. We were working with Ray Workman on Blyth hut, Blyth track, Mangaturuturu track to Horopito, and started on the round the mountain track from the mountain road. A year later I shifted to Whakapapa.
At Whakapapa were John Mazey, Bill Cooper, Peter Fletcher, Bruce Jefferies, Pat Sheridan, Mike Claire, Barry Pearson, 2 Aussie boys and Brian Bluet.
During my time as work-staff I worked on Taranaki track, Waihohonu hut, Rangipo hut, Dome Shelter, foundations for 2 houses in Hepi Terrace, and Glacier shelter. Ray O'Brien started about then, and we put in the Ketetahi track with up to 60 work-scheme youths. It was difficult because it had not been surveyed so we were working blind. The old track went through Maori land and was badly washed out.
Peter Fletcher left for Westland National Park and a year later Jill and I took over running the motor camp. We were there for 7 years.
One person who was prominent during the summer was Pat Devlin, a ecologist?
During my time there were several rescues and recoveries: child fell into Skippers; father fell into Skippers at Happy Valley level; a rescue from the crater lake level that went wrong; recovery from Tama Lakes track; staff being caught out over-night in a blizzard at Tukino. During this time there was no radio communication so during a search one group did not know what the other was doing and did not know if the missing person had been found.
