Neither rain, nor snow - nor sleet, nor hail - has kept Kurow school bus driver Ray Warwick from his appointed round for the past 30 years. Only in the worst of conditions did he not get through. David Bruce caught up with a man who is a bit of a Waitaki Valley institution.
The first term next year will mark 30 years of Ray Warwick delivering children from their homes, to the Kurow Area and now-Waitaki Valley School, then back home again.
During that time, the school bus driver has become, out of necessity, adept at reading the weather and road conditions.
Safety comes first for his precious cargo - some of the children are the second generation he is carrying from one of the Waitaki Valley's families.
He recalls days when conditions were so bad he turned back.
One time he was heading up the Otematata Saddle in snow which gradually got worse until it was about 15cm deep.
A quarter of the way up, he decided to go no further.
He backed the vehicle more than a kilometre down the hill after the children were transferred to a four-wheel-drive driven by a parent.
The 4WD delivered the kids to Omarama as planned.
Another time, on the morning run, the saddle was so thick with ice the children could skate at the top.
He returned the children to Omarama and was ''lucky to get home'', driving over the saddle in low gear with one set of wheels in the gravel. He arrived about 1.30pm.
''There's not a lot of room for error,'' he said about the saddle.
During all his time driving the bus, he has had no major problems with children or had to put anyone off the bus.
He has never had a complaint from a child or a parent and plans to keep that record, driving for as long as he continues to pass the required medical examination.
Referred to as ''Ray'' by the children, they miss him when he has a rare day off.
One ''wee lad'' refused to get on the bus one day when he was not driving, telling the woman replacement: ''It's not my bus because Ray's not driving.''
As a school bus driver, he has also taken pupils on trips other than the regular run.
For 15 years, he delivered Kurow junior rugby teams to games in Oamaru - including All Black captain Richie McCaw.
He remembered first taking McCaw to Oamaru, the 6-year-old's father Donald lifting him up so he could get on the bus' step.
''I've never forgotten that. He was a wee fellow then - he's a whoppa now.''
Other well-known rugby players he has carried include Tim Boys (Southland) and Hayden Parker (Highlanders).
Other trips were end-of-season rugby outings to Lancaster Park and school camps to Dunedin.
Mr Warwick (78), who was farming at the time, got into driving school buses almost by accident.
The mother-in-law of one of his brothers used to drive the school bus, but retired.
His brother was not interested in taking over, but Mr Warwick was.
He has driven for the Education Board, and when runs were put to tender, drove for Pearsons, and now Richies.
At first, he drove the Otekaieke route for six years, carrying more than 40 pupils on a full-sized bus.
Then he was on the Otematata-Omarama route, again with about 40 pupils.
Now he drives to Otematata and back, with about 15 pupils, using a small bus, the morning run starting at 7.45am and arriving at school at 8.45am; then the afternoon run, arriving at school about 2.50pm and getting home about 4.10pm.
He also has an 18ha block at Kurow, near the school on Settlement Rd, where he built a house after retiring from farming.
