A Tee for Two

I've been studying a 1941 map of Auckland, kindly sent to me by fellow detectorist  J C Allen, looking for potential detecting sites. I found a few, a disused brickwork site with the remains still visible on Google earth, a couple of wharves that no longer exist and a few other interesting anomalies that need to be investigated. 

The North Western motorway has since been constructed cutting through the center of the map and changing a few land marks. It reminded me of what I knew, that the municipal golf course, Chamberlain Park, was partly dissected by the new motorway. It was a course I played many times during my youth. The clubhouse and first tee and from memory a practice putting area and maybe the eighteenth green were all stranded on the North side of the motorway. A new clubhouse, situated on the far side of the course, was built and the holes rearranged, totally changing the course.

The old club house, white building, 15 mm left of the red badge, top centre.

After a waiting for a day when we could visit it together Gareth and I were finally both free today. The previous weeks downpours would have softened the ground nicely and under a beautiful blue sky we set off late morning to check it out.

Ye Old Club House Under a Vivid Blue Winter Sky

The Old First tee shelter interior, home now to graffiti exponents 

The ground was soft and the old stone shelter was sadly in disrepair. The roof was collapsing and it was a blackboard for graffiti artists.I remember sitting in there, rain teeming down, waiting to tee off. That would have been 37 years ago.
Ahhh memories.

Well it was one of those days that didn't pan out as I expected. We arrived full of expectation and began to swing over the small area I had defined by research and personal knowledge. 

A happy Gareth on arrival at the first tee, unsuspecting of the fate that would befall him.

The targets were very few and Gareth with his better discrimination (AT Pro) only picked up a couple of promising signals. I usually dig everything, excepting bark in parks, so my first two signals produced a bit of twisted wire and a nail. I also dug down to concrete slabs in two different holes which maybe we thought pointed to an old pathway. I was beginning to think that the land had been scraped and refilled when the motorway was built. Lots of small scoria rocks and loose stones. None the less after three holes, the last, revealing an old squashed tin can I was still happy to dawdle on.

The old first hole fairway, a par 4, now a 4 lane motorway.

Not so Gareth who suddenly on his first hole was struck down by a rash on his forearm. It was so limiting for him he could not dig another inch. He stopped and put his stuff away and came to watch me. After a while, to get him involved again, I suggested that we visit a park close by that I have yet to search. No digging required and it's a popular park. He was still uncomfortable but I talked him into it.

We were there 2 minutes and Gareth's arm obviously was giving him a lot of pain. I saw a few scratches on it but otherwise it looked fine. He left to sit in the car. I was reluctant to stop as the day was amazingly beautiful and this park was proving loaded with signals but a minute later Gareth needed a Doctor and can we go now please. Grrr. I was just in a happy park mood. I had my home coin, a $1, so we actually could go home, but I had only traveled a few steps into the bark and uncovered the coin, a part of a brooch, a Zip puller, a watch clasp, my first four targets that did not require a dig. It promised so much. 

The Park I will visit Tomorrow, With or Without Ol' One Arm.

It was hard to leave but mates is mates and one dying of 'poison ivy ' or 'something that might have bit me' or 'the Velcro strap on the AT Pro' or 'scurvy' or ' arm flu' needs attention so I took him to a chemist. Where surprisingly he was not put down but emerged with a tube of savalon.

We arrived home, being gone only a couple of hours. Not a complete waste of a day just a tad disappointing that the old first golf tee did not show any great signs of being laden with treasure and with the overall brevity of our hunt. If anybody with better detectors and fitter mates go and have a look at the golf tee off area let me know how you got on. I think myself the area either has been previously detected or noting the composition of the soil, it is more likely been filled since the motorway came through. So a lot of research, well a little bit, high expectations and a bit of twisted iron to show. But hey tomorrow I'm free so I'll go back and finish the park and maybe spend the day in other parks in Mount Albert. Will Gareth come? It all depends on how the amputation goes.

A couple of minutes work. Before my audition for Shortland Street.

See you out there.