Thread: Thank you Helisika... Thank you

I've used Helisika many times over the years. Tongariro aviation before them and Air Charter Taupo before them.

I've always been vocal of anything I think any could do better. I guess I'm a spades a spade kinda guy.

However... I think it very important to sing the praise of someone or a company when they go above and beyond.

In this case, Helisika.

Every year I take my family into the bush on a chopper. Usually HS as they get a private block. We do different ones and I try to ensure they suit my offsiders. Plenty of open ground. maybe a river etc. We shoot the odd deer, however I don't bother and just work on getting my girl some action. Previous stories on here have shown some of her exploits and at 9 she's shot a few fallow and sika. A few option on reds that never panned out.

We've been to North arm, Mangamingi, Ernies, Otupua and others, This year it was Mangaroa(a block I've maligned for years from across the Mohaka where I spent many roars and other trips). It wasn't first choice but it was cheap as chips and had some open ground. These have been amazing trips with great memories.

Well turns out no one really goes there much and it's fairly overgrown these days. First night we watched a young hind. My indicator dog got worse and worse, whinging and whining like a lunatic next to me. Now it's not really my style but I'll accept I lost my temper and give him a minor clip with me boot to which he yelped. I felt bad and later on apologised to the girls that it wasn't OK(remember this when you read what happens soon enough).

The next morning I find a couple of deer but nothing worth shooting(much to my daughter disgust). She knows the rules. Only spikers, Yearlings and barren hinds if I can be super sure which is not an easy thing).



We head off for a walk to the Bivvy with is a fair way along the Mohaka and up the main Mangaroa stream. On the way there I stop at a look out while my gsp does his, "there's a deer right there booss" thing.
We move on along the track and he's real wound up. The track ahead is fully overgrown with young Teatree. I look to the fam and as I look back, I see his trailing lead end disappearing at speed. I nearly get my foot on it, but miss by inches... he's off... Broken on a deer(he's once broken on a goat but I stopped him).

I immediately give his return whistle that I thought was a hundy percent.... nothing. I buzz his collar which again is hundy percent... nothing.. tone... nothing. Oh shitburgers.

I make a quick decision and fire a shot into the opposite terrace. Nothing. This may have even encouraged the chase for all I know.

The day is 32degrees and he was hot when he went. He's running a 6m trailing lead which tends to tangle on everything. I'm picturing the little knot near the end that I kept thinking I must remove for risk of tangle. Shits coming home to roost real bad.

Its a long day. I cover the whole valley. Up to the Bivvy. Calling whistling. At the same time, so is the missus. It's all bad. Night falls and back at the hut there's alot of stress. I was a pig hunter for long time so not to worried and expect he'll be at my shirt in the morning or backtrack to hut.
Next days dawn the sideways rain. Uh oh. We still spend the day to there. Drenched and miserable. There's now a few tear from the girls and I'm starting to get concerned. I'm worried if he hung up in that hot manuka as dry as he was he may not have survived the afternoon.
A lot goes on over the next 6days. A lot of tears and worry. A lot of travel. I basically clear the track to the biv and up the hill out the back. We lay lines of bikkies and meat along the tracks in the hope that it might help.
I run the fire constantly when I'm at the hut and leave it smoking which loads of rubbish when I go out. Eventually the winds change to make this irrelevant if he's on our block.

I've now messaged my mate, He's let Helisika know. A day later they check in on the neighbouring blocks to tell people to keep and eye out.

My mates are offering to come down and join the search. Unfortunately none of them can really help. We let HS know we may flay out for supplies at the end of our stay and come back in. They tell me noones booked for a long time so it won't affect anyone else coming to site.

The week drags to it's horrible conclusion. He's gone.

We've seen a dozen hinds and a spiker(not that I was actually hunting). Could have shot some but it's became so irrelevant. We found some amazing ground and I regretted maligning this block so much. If fact as a roar block from the bivvy it was better that some of the best ground I've hunted in the Kaimanawas.
The girls found new strengths in the bush. My little girl told me she had a blister midway through but didn't complain. I saw it on the second to last day and it had to be very painful. And yet she'd come with me on big missions, singing songs and called for her mate.(the singing songs under her breath kept sounding like a whining dog meaning I'd stop and say "shut up". Took me a while to realise it was her lol.

Last day rolls around. We still get out pre dawn and search again, then dump our gear on the airstrip and play a game of 'stickball'. A game of our own design revolving and sticks and pumice balls.

The chopper arrives. Tom gives me the hopeful hand gestures and run my hand across my throat.
I can't speak.
There's a hole in me.
My throat feels like there a half chewed dog bone in it.
I remember his yelp and hate myself.

Wife and kid are crying. We pack the chopper. Tom asks, and I snuffle out an apology that he's gone and I'm a bit fragile sorry..

He offer to fly round the block but its a kind gesture rather than anything that can change the inevitable. We check the bivvy. nothing.

We leave.

At the pad. Dan put his hand on my shoulder. Dude can fell my pain. We both look out the windows where my wife is hugging his big black deer dog. Tears are streaming down her face. He gives me the look of a guy who's glad he's not in my position.

Both of them were incredibly kind and say they'll do what they can.

It's a long trip home. We listen to the rest of a Barry Crump audiobook which has a sudden end with the friendly protagonist dying setting us off again. We're just too fragile right now for the sh!t

My mother has been to the hose before I've got home. Dog bed is gone and bowls removed. It's kind of her, but hits home as much as if they were there.

More text below pics

Travelling in some odd places you find things some will never see.
I found the amazing water fall somewhere it'd be odd for most people to go.
May daughter named Aceys falls after the dog. It had an open patch of canopy allowing sun to stream on the base of the fall. It was beautiful.





Dead falcon wing



What are these? Some sort of bug chrysalis?

drenched missus from searching the scrub. We were plying with the trout in the sun all dry and warm.




Days went by. My kid writes letters to me on why she should have a new dog and what sort it should be. Mums kind, I'm grumpy. Not ready to hear about it I tell her. We've only been out a few days.
I go fishing with my mate and catch a bunch of Yellowfin tuna. The hole inside is still gnawing at me.

I'm in the house and my phones ringing in the bed room.

I reach it just a second too late and as the screen goes to black I see... Helisika's name.
I snatch it up and return call. May wife hovers at the door.

Dan?
Luke...

I got your dog

Dan sends a vid taken from the chopper. He's trying to jump into the pilots seat.
I can't bloody believe it. He's got him. My wife burst into tears. Maybe I do too.
I tell him we're on our way. Into the ute and off. 6 and a half hours later I'm pulling up to the pad. there's Ace nutting off at the choppers from the kennels. He's mad for them and will run out of the hut or move to bush openings to see them come over. He even loves them on telly.
14hrs after the call we're pulling back into home and I'm drained.

Dan had decided to do a fly by on his way somewhere and on swinging in low, Ace exits the hut covered area. He then belts down the strip chasing the chopper. Had he stayed high, it'd be easy to not see him.
He's skinny but not too bad considering 12days lost. Thank goodness I put some weight on him before I left as he always loses weight in the bush anyway. He was running a bit rough when I got him home. Very fast breathing and over heating quite bad. vet gives him a check and other than a hurting hip and scabs round his neck where I assume the trailing lead caught, he's in good health.

Thank You Dan
Thank you Tom

And Thank you Helisika... Thank you.

You went above and beyond when you didn't have to. It's important I publicly recognise that.