Off The Tracks

Off The Tracks
  • Blog
    • Interviews
    • Miscellany
    • Special Guests
    • Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • The Vinyl Countdown
  • Back Catalogue
  • About
    • About
    • About the banner image
    • On Song
    • Advertise
August 7, 2017 by Simon Sweetman

The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 174 Maraetotara Falls

ghst8 I was painting a house on a hill in Newtown one hot summer. It was for the first violinist in the NZSO and his wife who was a high-powered lawyer and they wanted it done in blood/fire-engine red entirely. It looked amazing and you could see it for miles. As usual I got paint all over my clothes.

In those days my little family would go to Ocean Beach every holiday and bliss out in the Hawkes Bay sun. An incredible white-sand beach and our batch was right on the shoreline – timeless days of body surfing, barbeques and beach cricket. I’d take my guitar along to work on songs and my partner would invite a couple of her girlfriends to stay. Fresh water was all down to a rain tank and we had to limit its use so every now and then we would drive back up the hill and visit a place called Maraetotara Falls.

It was few kilometres up dusty roads and an oasis in that parched area. A big waterfall and pool and then a more gentle stream that flowed out of it. The falls themselves were usually busy with locals swimming and jumping off a big dangerous looking rock and we would follow the water down to a more private pool with a little island.ghst 6

We’d set up a minor picnic on the bank and I’d play some blues then wash off all the salt in the cold fresh pond. We would swim out to the boulders in the middle to sunbathe or wash our hair in the rapids near the mouth. I have vivid memories of those times – surrounded by beautiful women in paradise.

One summer it was agreed I’d paint the batch – kind of a working holiday. I really loved that little dwelling and put a bit of work into sealing it up from the elements and making it look nice. I was just finishing up one afternoon and there was the call to go to Maraetotara.

There were only a few kids and a couple of families at the main falls that day so we swam there in the big pool under the rushing water. A group were doing jumps from the rocks and having a great time.

ghst4I don’t know why but I decided to give it a go.

There were two layers of rock that the water gushed over and I worked my way up beside it through the trail the kids had used. When I made it up there I found it higher than I had thought and I tried to make my way to a rock halfway down.

My bare feet hit slime and I lost control. I was haring down the side of the first part of the falls like slalom.  I was moving fast but time stood still almost and I tried to slow my momentum on various slippery rocks on the way down to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. I managed to grip before I went tumbling into the second section and scrambled up on a big out crop. I stayed there trembling for a minute then performed a poorly executed swan dive into the pool.

I think half the people watching thought I was showing off until I walked up out of the water in my blood red splattered painting shorts.

Eventually I wrote a blues song about it called Red Paper…
ghst2

The Ghost of Electricity – War Stories by Jon McLeary is a new initiative at Off The Tracks, a series of stories and reflections from painter, writer and musician Jon McLeary

To read any of the first 173 in the series click here

Posted in Blog, Miscellany and tagged with Art, Bach, Blues, Guest Blog, Guest Post, Guitar, Hawke's Bay, HB, Jon Mcleary, Jump, Maraetotara Falls, Music, Painting, Pools, Red Paper, Slide, Songwriter, Songwriting, Spines, Swimming, The Ghost of Electricity, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 174, The Ghost of Electricity: War Stories by Jon McLeary # 174 Maraetotara Falls, The Spines, Waimarama, War Stories, War Stories # 174, Writing. RSS 2.0 feed.
« DVD Review: SING – Reviewed by Oscar Sweetman (age 5)
Short Story: Not The Greatest Defense »

Popular

  • Janna Lapidus Leblanc: Four Years In Pictures
  • The Best Guitarist in The World: # 8 – Mark Knopfler
  • The Sad Story of Bob Welch: Fleetwood Mac’s Most Undervalued Member
  • John Patitucci / Vinnie Colaiuta / Bill Cunliffe: TRIO
  • The Best Guitarist in The World: # 11 – Lindsey Buckingham
  • Sweetman Podcast # 247: Talia Marshall
  • V/A: True Colours, New Colours
  • Poem: “It Was Like Watching Myself Die”
  • Substack: “Sounds Good!”
  • R.I.P. Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Archives

Tags

Album Review Auckland Book Book Review Chat Compilation DJ DVD DVD Review EP Film Film Review Gig Gig Review Guest Blog Guitar Interview Jazz Jon Mcleary Live Live Gig LP Movie Music NZ Podcast Poem Record Records Simon Sweetman Soundtrack Spines Spotify Stub Stubs Sweetman Podcast The Ghost of Electricity The Spines The Vinyl Countdown Vinyl Wellington Wgtn Writing You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron [OST]

Categories

  • Back Catalogue
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • Miscellany
  • Mixtapes
  • Playlists
  • Podcasts
  • Reviews
  • Scene Of The Day
  • Special Guests
  • The Vinyl Countdown

Off The Tracks is the home of Sweetman Podcast, a weekly interview/chat-based pod. It's also home to my reviews across film, TV, music and books and some creative writing as well.

Off The Tracks aims to provide quality reviews and essays, regular blog updates about the shows, albums, books and movies you should be experiencing.

It's a passion project. Your support will help to keep Off The Tracks online.

All content © 2021 by Off The Tracks. WordPress Themes by Graph Paper Press