The Hathaways – Through Time and Waterfalls

By Kass Harker

It was supposed to be a relaxing mini-break when the whole Hathaway family go glamping. Instead in usual Gemma and Edward style they are drawn into yet another adventure.

In the beautiful Able Tasman national park everything is not serene and soon Edward has fallen through a waterfall and through time. In her attempt to find her brother Gemma investigates the waterfall only to fall through the time portal herself, with Will following close behind.

But they are all at separate locations and face the adventure alone. An adventure that is sometimes a little more nightmarish than they would have liked.

And then there is Kingi, a local Golden Bay boy who adds more mystery to the plot. When Prue meets Kingi she too wants in on the scheme to locate local treasure and now all safely back through the waterfall they go searching.

More time travel for Will and Edward sees them wandering 18th century English countryside and Prue and Gemma face a loaded gun.

Time travel, treasure maps, legends, faeries and sinister men all add a mix of dimensions to the story. The children have more riddles and puzzles to solve and strange creatures to face. Which they do with the help of Will a drone robot with futuristic abilities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris NZ
• Release date: Aug 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781543497472

Kass Harker

Kass loves to write for children. In her home studio in Nelson she loves nothing more than to let her imagination run wild. ‘Children are great critics. They have no hesitation in telling you something stinks so it is especially rewarding when they tell you they love your book.’ With the support of her partner of 30 years she has travelled around New Zealand and talked to kids about her writing. Sunny Nelson has been home for more than 30 years now and she loves to stroll the many beach and river walks with her sidekick Pippy (6 year old fox terrier). Kass also works fulltime as a public servant and enjoys the interaction she has with fellow staff and customers. Her hobbies include biking, hiking, digital games and reading.

Book preview

Chapter 1 – Sea-legs & ghost stories

A big bright full moon hung over the Reclining Lady ranges. They got this name because looking at their silhouette you could see a woman laying on her back and looking up into the sky. Edward leaned back in his camp chair and considered the darkness all about. He closed his eyes for a moment but then opened them quickly. As soon as he had closed them the motion of being at sea returned to him and also the whole gory trip across the Cook Strait.

When John, his father had driven the 10-metre-long motorhome onto the ferry for the journey to the South Island, the whole family packed inside, Edward had butterflies in his stomach he was so excited. The idea of spending five days glamping in Golden Bay was just too much for him not to be in a state of total thrilltation. And thrilled and expectant he certainly was.

When the family emerged on the back deck of the Rangatira ferry, the sky was cloudless and the air still. Wellington harbor reflected its surroundings like a mirror and the family watched as the ship slowly pulled away from the dock and made its way towards Somes Island.

They’d then made their way to the observation deck and arranged themselves around a table. Edward had immediately put his hand out for money. He was off to the cafeteria. There he purchased a meat pie, a pottle of chips and the biggest chocolate milkshake they had.

He had scoffed the pie and chips before the ferry had rounded the point on the Miramar peninsula. And at this moment the ship started to dip and roll slightly. Unperturbed, Edward slurped and gurgled his way through his milkshake. But with each kilometer the ferry travelled the sea became rougher and by the time they were looking out through the harbor headlands they could all see a threatening sky and the large swell in the Cook Strait.

Gemma looked at her baby brother and then at her parents. Cally and John were looking at Edward. Prue his older sister was looking at him too.

‘What!’ he demanded. But had a sneaking suspicion he knew why they were looking at him. He didn’t do well when things were rough, and his stomach was already churning a little.

‘You are doing a great impersonation of a bed sheet,’ said Prue with a wry smile. ‘You feeling a bit sick little brother?’

Before Edward could answer he was on his feet and like a drunkard, staggered across the floor to the nearest exit. For more than an hour he clung to the railing along the side of the ferry and he also clung onto the contents of his stomach. But just moments before the ferry sailed into the shelter of the top of the South Island, he sent his meal into the boiling and hissing waters below.

When his stomach was finally empty, and the ship had turned into the Tory channel where the sea became calm, he’d wiped his mouth and had gone back to his family. They each in turn had given him a hard time about being a land-lubber and now in the darkness of the farm field he reddened as he recalled this.

‘So, what is the plan from here,’ Cally’s voice broke into the darkness.

‘Yeah dad, what are we doing tomorrow’ added Edward, pleased to be distracted from his memory.

They were parked in a paddock on their cousins Simon and Kerry’s farm to get used to all the technology of the sophisticated motorhome. But tomorrow they would move on.

‘I thought we’d see if this thing,’ he tapped the side of the motorhome, ‘will get over the pass and down into Totaranui. It’s a great camp-ground down there and at this time of year should still be pretty quiet. What do you think?’

‘And what’s at this camp-ground?’ Prue asked.

John explained it was a place his family came to often when he was a boy. It was very isolated so didn’t have much of anything, but with the sophistication of his boss’s motorhome they didn’t need much.

‘Totaranui has a great beach and there are heaps of walks and we can take the Otterpod out and fish. It will be a real back to nature holiday,’ he said. He didn’t see the look on Prue’s face in the darkness. She slumped down in her chair and crossed her arms.

‘Great!’ she thought. ‘Another boring break.’

Gemma loved to fish and was already imaging the big one hanging on the end of her line. Edward was also away in his own thoughts, but he was thinking about exploring unknown bush and maybe finding artifacts from history. And unlike their older sister they were both looking forward to moving on tomorrow.

‘By the way’, John mentioned, ‘the Wi-Fi coverage isn’t great. I’ll need most of what we can get for the motorhome, so I suggest you do all you need to do either now or first thing.’

There was a collective groan from all his children. He felt Cally’s hand on his, offering him her support.

Edward quickly forgot about the lack of Wi-Fi and asked his father what the best thing was that he’d done when he went there as a kid.

‘There’s an easy walk over to Anapai bay. We did that almost every time we came. It has a heap of great rocky outcrops to climb and the beach is beaut. The water’s really clear over there as well. One trip we saw a big pod of dolphin. That was pretty special. But probably the best time was when me and your grandad walked right over to Whariwharangi. There’s a ghost that lives in that bay.’

‘For real? Did you see it?’ asked Edward in awe.

‘No. But what we did do is we walked to Taupo point and that has a huge significance to local Mãori. We had a bit of a dig in the ground and found a couple of interesting bits.’

Edwards ears pricked up.

‘Like what dad?’

‘Well your grandad Hathaway found a broken bone fishhook and I found some small chips of Pounamu. We gave them to a local historian. I think they ended up being sent to the national museum. But it was fun fossicking about.’

‘Yeah, that’s what I want to do,’ said Edward now ready to up sticks and head over to Totaranui that very minute. But of course, it was far too late for that, so he had to sit tight.

‘Anyone for a hot chocolate?’ Cally asked as she headed up the steps into the motorhome.

There was a unanimous response and Prue headed in to help her mother as the others continued to talk about their plans for Totaranui.

‘And what about you Gemma? What do you have planned for our short holiday?’ John asked.

‘I want the weather to stay fine so we can go out fishing. And it’d be great to explore some of the bays in the Otterpod as well. Do you think we’ll see any dolphin? Is it safe to swim there still?’

‘Sure is,’ John replied. ‘Looking at the weather App I think we’re in for really good weather, so we should be able to do all the things we all want to do.’

The hot chocolates arrived and as they sat in the dark and sipped at them Edward asked about the ghost at Whariwharangi.

‘I’m glad you asked Eddy boy because it’s a really interesting story.’ John took a long sip of his hot chocolate to increase the anticipation. It worked.

‘Hurry up dad. Get on with the story,’ Prue demanded. She wasn’t scared of any ghost story, but she wasn’t so sure about her younger siblings. She was hoping they’d be bug-eyed when they went off to bed. Especially Edward who had insisted on being a ‘man’ and sleeping in his scout tent.

John took another sip and began.

‘Way back in the late 1800s there was a farm in that bay and naturally a farmhouse. But the place was abandoned by the farmer sometime in the 1920’s. The farmhouse was turned into a trampers hut. The story goes that the hut is haunted by the ghost of an 18th century sailor. The guy met a grisly death when he peeved off a local Mãori guy. Not long after the sailor was killed his ghost was seen roaming the bush.

‘Then later on when the hut became popular with hikers and trampers there were several reports of strange goings on there. On the night of a full moon someone staying at the hut said they saw the spectral form of a young man bending over a sea chest appear right in front of them.’

‘Do you reckon there could be a treasure hidden somewhere?’ Edward asked in excitement.

‘Anything’s possible,’ replied John, all the while thinking that Edward would now have something to occupy his time on the short break. He was also thinking that none of his children seemed overly spooked by his ghost story, so he tacked on a little made up piece.

‘And then not so long ago a group of scouts were staying at the hut’ John explained, his voice hushed and deep. ‘One of the scout masters went for a wee walk before settling in for the night. No one saw him go into the bush, but they sure heard him come out. He was running helter skelter, flailing his arms about his head as if warding something off. If it wasn’t for another master he would have run clean passed the hut and into the sea.

It was later reported that he’d seen a spear-brandishing apparition which had chased him through the bush. It seems he’d gone into the bush with a head of dark-brown hair. But when the scout master had come out, his hair was as white as cotton wool.’

Edward was now bug-eyed and before anyone else had moved he scurried into his tent and pulled the zipper up tight. From inside his sleeping bag he heard his family heading for the bus.

‘Good night Edward.’ His father called with a smirk on his face. ‘Ten dollars says he’s in the bus before lights out.’ He whispered to Cally.

Chapter 2 – The Bay

T he next day the family had decamped soon after the sun was up, and they were now winding there way over the pass and down into Totaranui. The motorhome was crawling and so John invited the kids to unbuckle and come look at the first site of the bay.

Down below them was an expanse of tended ground. It was in plots and each plot was bordered by tree hedges. Beyond the camp-ground was the sparkling sea of the bay. It looked calm and pristine and the kids immediately started to chatter excitedly.

‘Do you think we can get a spot right up the top end. Then we can be close to the track to Whariwharangi? Edward asked.

‘At this time of the year we should just about get our pick of camp sites,’ John replied. Hopefully, we can get close to the ablution block as well so we don’t overload the motorhome, he was thinking.

It was now almost 9.30 and the sun was streaming into the motorhome.

‘It feels nice and warm,’ said Gemma looking about. She was thinking that it might be a good idea to get into her togs.

John looked at the outside temperature on his control panel.

‘Yes. It’s already 19 degrees. I think it will get to a good summer temp today, so you kids might wanna have a swim.’

With that everyone scrambled for their bags and soon clothes were being thrown in all directions. John and Cally laughed as they could hear their kids fighting for the small shower room.

‘I think our children have reached the age of modesty.’

After 20 or so minutes the motorhome came to a gentle stop near a stand of tall elm trees. Before John could press the button to open the door, his three kids were jostling down the steps pushing each other for starter position. When the door finally opened all three almost collapsed out of it.

Hitting the deck first, Prue started her dash towards the sandy beach that they’d seen through the trees. Suddenly her towel caught around her foot and she went sprawling along the camp-ground lawn and her younger siblings, showing no sympathy at all, flew straight past her laughing.

Pulling herself up and dusting herself down she checked around to make sure no one else had seen her rather ungraceful mishap. To her relief both her parents had their backs to the sea and were sorting through some boxes. What she hadn’t noticed though was Will hovering high above her.

Will, the Futuristicator, had developed even further and his sophistication now saw him continually multi-tasking. The drone no longer looked to Edward for guidance or instruction and he had taken it on himself to soar high in the sky and set his PV going.

This new feature, panoramic vision or PV for short, meant he could scan and film great areas around him and at the same time edit out all the rubbish. At the end of each day a program ran automatically analyzing the footage and filing it under selected headings. It meant he could draw on a multitude of activities that had occurred around him. He could learn more about the dimension of Earth. He was, after all, still a relative newcomer to this dimension and if he was going to be at his most effective he needed to know all there was to know.

And of course, it never hurt to have a few snippets on the Hathaway kids. Always good to have leverage should he need it and he wasn’t averse to a little bribery every now and then to get what he wanted. So now he was busy storing away a short video of Prue’s mishap for later use.

Gemma and Edward had burst out onto the glory of an Able Tasman park bay. Totaranui was a shallow crescent-shaped bay with beautiful golden sand and crystal-clear water. The day was warm and fine. But best of all there was no wind, so the seas smooth surface reflected the sun as it was making its way to its apex at mid-day. The golden stream of the suns reflection blinded the pair as they looked directly into it.

Gemma turned her eyes to the south, away from the suns glare. There was not a soul for as far as she could see. Just sea and sand. She spun around to the sound of crashing, to see her sister Prue bash her way through the clump of bush that bordered the beach.

‘Wow! This is pretty spectacular!’ Prue announced. All signs of boredom vanishing from her thoughts. She stepped down onto a smooth clear part of the sand and threw her beach bag down. Then spreading her towel out, she sat down and prepared to rest, enjoy the sun, and read her book.

Gemma turn back to where her brother was. He had already started to wade out into the water. It looked just like a tropical island post card and so as not to be out done by her little brother she charged down the beach. One step, two steps and she took a head-long dive into the sea. As quick as she’d dived in she flew out.

‘Brrr! That’s freezing!’ she cried, clutching at her shoulders as if to protect herself from the cold.

Edward laughed.

‘Why do you think I haven’t gone in any further. I’m trying to acclimatize,’ he said still trying to pluck up the courage to get past his nether regions.

Gemma waded ashore and plonked herself on the warm sand.

‘When you’ve acclimatized let me know,’ she called to her brother.

Edward could see right into the water for a couple of metres around him. There was a small school of fish darting about.

‘I think the fishing will be good here,’ he called to his sister. ‘Maybe we should do that first and have a swim later this