The Land of the Long White Cloud (Part 2)

When we first threw out our plans to visit NZ, Pat and Shirley got in contact to say they would be away, but that we could have their house as a base in Rotorua. It was a fantastic offer, and we had a great time in that lovely old, stinky city. Jane and MacK say they never quite got used to the smell of the sulphur during our stay, but I found it oddly comforting (Jane would just mutter ‘weirdo’).

When we arrived, it was to find a lovely cheese plate in the fridge, and Christmas bags for the boys. I can’t stress enough how relaxing it was to have a home to base ourselves at for a couple of days. Being able to do washing, or for the boys to just be able to relax was brilliant.

On our first day in Rotorua, we headed off to the East Coast – to Ohope Beach, where Pat and Shirley, Rhonda, Briar, Robbie and Brent were staying. It was a beach I had stayed at as a kid, and it is a lovely, safe beach. On our drive over, Jane would look at road signs and some she would try to pronounce, whilst with others she would just give up! We had a really nice lunch with the cousins and made it home to a wet Rotorua just in time to pick up some really good Kiwi fish and chips!

 Pat and Shirley in Ohope. We can't thank them (and the kids) enough for their hospitality.

 We spent a couple of hours at the 3D art Gallery - great fun.

We had promised MacK that we would do the Luge on Mt Ngongotaha, so took the break in the weather to head up the gondolas to have a little luging fun. It was great fun, and again reminded me of experiences of my youth (which I like to think I still have some of). We did see an absolutely ridiculous mountain bike track as we travelled up the hill. I think the term “steel balls” would be used to refer to anyone mad enough to ride those tracks and jumps!

Clockwise from top left: The Redwoods tree walk; Jane and MacK on their first run down the scenic track; Liz, Alistair and MacK on a massive old Redwood; The beautiful forest walk; NZ bush is moist and earthy, not dry and dusty; Jane and the boys at "Whaka", waiting for corn cooked in the boiling ponds.

In the afternoon we had a very relaxing walk through the Redwoods forest. Patrick and Kelly (with family) joined us, and the boys had a lovely play. The forest is now a reserve, having originally been planted as a research facility (to see what might grow in NZ). The serenity is lovely – noise just seems to be absorbed within the density of the trees.

Day three was mostly a rest day to give the boys a chance to rejuvenate, although we did catch up with Isy Kennedy and Phil Carson for lunch and a drink respectively. Whilst we didn’t do too much, it was a good way to spend a rainy day. Up until this part of the trip, Jane was gobsmacked by how steep the countryside is. I think I had forgotten too, having become much more used to the rolling undulations of rural Australia. From here, the country lived up to its name, hiding the view behind a mass of cloud.

Day four was great – we went to the thermal village of Whakarewarewa for the cultural tour. This is a very authentic experience, with people still living in the village. Some of the memorable experiences were MacK learning his new favourite Maori word – Korotiotio (it means “grumpy old man”), and the explanation of the Anglican/Catholic divide in the village (a chief drew a line through the village, with those living on the high side being Catholic, and on the low side being designated Anglican. Quite sensible if you ask me!). The cultural show was excellent, and a bit of an eye opener for MacK!

 Michael - our guide, who was born in the village. The cultural performance was a highlight

Imagery of the village

We drove out of town for the afternoon, headed for the Waikite thermal pools – again a memory from my youth. MacK and Hugo were both asleep when we arrived, so we sat in the car until they woke. The pools are naturally heated by a spring that runs at about 99 degrees Celsius, and are incredibly rejuvenating.

Well rested, our next destination was Taradale in the Hawkes Bay, staying with Paul and Kirstin. On the way I wanted to show Jane and the boys the farm where I grew up (Atawhai). We called in and I was reminded of why you should never go back. The gardens have been reclaimed by weeds, and the rock BBQ area that my granddad built no longer exists. Where you could once stand on the front lawn and look down to the woolshed through manicured trees, the view is now obscured by scraggly, unkempt trees. The rose gardens are gone, and the Macrocarpas lining the drive way should have been milled and replaced many years ago. I felt a little deflated as we left…

We stopped in Taupo for lunch – again another town that doesn’t appear to have changed in 20 years or so – before heading to the Hawkes Bay. Highlights of our time with Paul and Kirstin were the trip to the Havelock Markets (Brilliant), visits to the Church Road and Mission Estate wineries and the introduction to fine Gin (I am now building a collection).

During our visit to the Mission Estate, I was able to identify a couple of the Marist brothers who I knew from our Highden days, so had a lovely trip down memory lane. I had told a story the night before of one of those brothers – Br. Marty, who used to run tours of the Mission winery. Apparently he used to use his stick as a prop, making out he needed it to move. When the tours were over, he would hang up the stick in preparation for the next tour. The Cellar Door Manager came out and I mentioned Br. Marty’s stick – he had given it to the Mission not long before and she was able to show us. That was a great afternoon!

 

          Br. Marty's stick - quite extraordinary                          Br. Joachim - 1955, before his permanent move to

                                                                                                                         Highden. A true gentleman.

We also had a lunch with old friends from the Atawhai days – the Coxes. We had a lovely afternoon, hosted by Deborah and Steve. Mack was incredibly lucky on this trip – almost everywhere we went there was somebody at or about his age he could play with.

 

Clockwise from top left: Lunch with the Coxes - thanks Deb and Steve for hosting; With the Thompson clan. We would have included Paul, but he flew out at a ridiculous hour!; MacK and Campbell were 'cleaning out the drain', as only small boys can; Victoria and Alexandra struggled with babysitting duties; and we had a lovely day out at the Mission and Church Road wineries with Paul and Kirstin

On our drive out of the Hawkes Bay, we caught up with another old school friend we hadn’t seen since our wedding (Hamish and Abby) on our way to the Manawatu (more to follow). Again, it was really good to be remaking those connections after so many years.

More of those feral boys.