Another whirlwind

Quick trip

Because our trip back to New Zealand in October seemed so pushed for time and rushed we decided to do it all over again. Only thing is, it became a bit the same – not enough days.

Air New Zealand for some unexplained reason changed our flight from late afternoon to early morning which just messed up the plans we had had to do things before leaving. The night before we had been to Hanson’s String Theory at QPAC (Queensland performing Arts Centre) and it was amazing. But having to rush home and make sure we were packed for a 5.30am departure from home just took the edge off the whole evening.

We made it though and before we headed north to Blenheim we had a quick look around Christchurch and Lyttelton at the changes, and also at some things which are still yet to change, and caught up with a couple of friends. Then we hit the road next morning, stopping for the occasional photograph and then coffee at Cheviot, eventually making it to Blenheim mid afternoon.

We managed to catch up with people and gave ourselves an extra day in Wellington too. But the week still ended up feeling like a half visit when you factor in the half day travel at each end to get to and from the airport in Christchurch.

When we had booked flights last year I was dismayed to learn that my favourite Canadian rocker, Bryan Adams, was going to be touring Australia and New Zealand at that exact time. Typical, I had thought, I will miss out on seeing him. But that dismay turned to joy when I looked at the dates – no show in Brisbane at all BUT a show in Wellington the week which we would be in New Zealand. WIN. Then tickets – and as luck would have it my friend Jill had bought two but hadn’t got as far as finding a friend to go with her. What a great night it was too.

Then, on the Friday afternoon while filling in time, waiting for the flight back to Blenheim came the unfolding news about the massacre in Christchurch. First thoughts were to my friends who lived there and others who had travelled there that day.

Were they safe ?

Why Christchurch?

What the H  E  double hockey sticks ?!!

Those last days in Aotearoa were a little sombre, people were numb and outraged. Still, some made racist jokes and didn’t hear the irony in their speech. Sure, some of us have different beliefs or ideals but they have never come between us outwardly before; fuelled by bigotry and xenophobia. Everyone gets along with everyone – right ? Extremism has no place on the planet and definitely is not welcome in this small island nation. This is New Zealand, Aotearoa, we are better than that. Love is Love. We Are One. You Are Us.

We left early Sunday to drive to Christchurch and that plane. Stopping on the way to see the seals at Ohau Point in their new, redeveloped post earthquake home and a bit further on stopped again, captivated by the largest pod of dolphins I have ever seen from the shore. A fellow observer loaned us his binoculars and said that the day before there had been whales doing the same. There must have been some mighty fine dining out there on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

We had enough time when we got to Christchurch to take flowers and lay them along the fence of the Botanic Gardens where people of all ages, walks of life and nationality walked and stood in quiet thought. Supporting each other and those around them. News crews lined the streets reporting on the atmosphere and talking to people. We tore ourselves away, feeling a little like we should be staying to help in some way like we felt leaving Blenheim after the 2016 earthquake.

And then we were home.

#52Ancestors, Week 39, On the Farm

There were lots of farms in different branches of my family. Sheep farmers, dairy farmers and orchardists. I remember going to visit some of Dad’s aunts who lived on farms near Hamilton, but only to visit for afternoon tea, on our best behaviour.

In February 1965 my grandmother remarried, to a farmer from Southland who had been a bachelor up until then. They had met on a cruise which Nana had gone on with a couple of her sisters and their husbands – part of a group of members of Federated Farmers. (Hope I have these bits right).

 

 Anyway, after they married Nana moved with Bert to his farm at Spar Bush, near Invercargill. SO far away from her family, sisters, nieces, nephews, sons and grandchildren. We stayed in contact by writing letters – well Mum and Dad did more than us. We also used to record our news on to Dad’s reel to reel tape recorder and they’d be packaged up and posted to Nana – then we would get one in return from her.

In December 1965, we left on the biggest school holiday trip we had ever had. I am sure I remember coming home from school and Mum was packing the car, shoving bits into little nooks and crannies. I think it might have been raining. I can’t remember though whether we left after Dad came home from work and drove to Whakamaru to stay with Nana and Grandad, or whether we left really early the next morning. I do remember though, that we stopped for a breakfast picnic by the side of Lake Taupo; at Mission Bay. Was this the time Dad forgot to pack his razor ? Or did Mark forget his jammies ?

Anyway, we went all over the place – we had Christmas in the snow at Milford Sound, and then went and stayed at Nana and Bert’s farm. I don’t remember too much about the operation of the farm at all. There was milking happening in the cowshed next door, on a farm run by one of Bert’s grand nephews. Their son Robert used to come to see us when he didn’t have work to do around the farm. His parents – or perhaps the people on the next farm – had Shetland ponies which I remember going to see one afternoon.

There was a monster vegetable garden, and sheep and cattle. And the kitchen seemed enormous with windows looking out to the farm and the morning sun pouring in.

Bert had a sheepdog, Tip. I suspect from other holidays there that there were different dogs, but they all seemed to be called Tip. Bert could whistle instructions to him so that he would round up the sheep and direct them to the paddock or pen that he wanted them to move to. There was a fluffy cat too – named Fluffy. She seemed to have kittens in tow each time we visited.

 One night a bull got through the gate and into the vegetable garden. I remember a bit of consternation among the adults, but he was steered back to the correct paddock and the beans and peas were a little worse for the wear on inspection in the morning.

So there you have it – on the farm. There is probably more, but it is all a bit muddly in my memory so I will need to spend some time getting it all into chronological order for another time.

#52Stories, Week 50, Which of your childhood holiday traditions have you carried on into adulthood. What new traditions have you started ?

Making a fruit cake is the obvious tradition which I have continued. (Although it has been missing the last couple of years since I became a bit of a gypsy.)

I still send cards each year, not as many as I did once. Not because there are less people to send to; more that I make my own and lack of organisation often means I run out of time. It is also more costly these days as postal services struggle to run their businesses. But as connected as I am on the web, I still believe in snail mail. If we all give up and don’t use it – it will be lost forever. (In New Zealand anyway. Other countries who complain about their services still have effective services operating today. Don’t get me started on the indefinite amount of time it takes to send and receive mail on three teeny islands.)

So, making cards is a new thing and there have been many different designs over the years (I just found about 15 or 16 years of photos !).

Packaging. This has become a real part of the process for me. The thought which goes into the gift and then the presentation.

Writing a Christmas newsletter to update friends and family of the happenings during the year.

Decorating with a theme. This too has gone a bit by the by since moving around more. White tree/Red & green tree/Gold tree/Silver tree/Red & white tree

I have a bit of a thing about snowmen – like Frosty who I made some years ago.

I have a couple of other snowman ornaments packed away. I like penguins too – not so many of those ornaments though. Santas too – big fat round ones, tall skinny wizardy looking ones; and then houses. “Claire’s Card Shop” which was given to me one year as well as a gingerbread house and others lit by led lights run on batteries.

Then there is bunting – nowhere really to put this up this year so it is safely in a box with the others waiting for “one day” to arrive.

Carols by candlelight, or just carols in the park. One thing I miss from Wellington is the Onslow Brass Band. They would walk around the streets, stop at intervals and play carols, collecting for charity at the same time. Hearing the strains of a carol played across the valley or at the bottom of the drive always had that “feelgood feeling”. Like Christmas really is here.

Going to church for Christmas Eve carols, sometimes going to the same church each year, other times going somewhere else, a new faith or a church in a different suburb.

Checking out the Christmas light displays. This probably started when we lived in Hamilton when Lauren was 2 or 3 and we went to the lights at the Temple in Tuhikaramea. Lots of late night driving to streets and suburbs far afield ensued. Sometimes we’d go after the Christmas Eve church service as well. This year, no car, so it will depend how far we need to walk.

Some traditions have gone for now; retired – letters from Santa, snowy footprints under the tree, cookies and milk left on a table and water outside for the reindeer.

#52Stories, Week 49, What were some of your favourite holiday traditions from childhood ? How far back do these traditions go - to your parents or grandparents' generation or even beyond ?

For these traditions I am sticking with Christmas. Apart from Easter there aren’t really other specific holidays that we celebrated growing up in New Zealand, unlike Thanksgiving or Independence Day in the States.

Making a fruit cake seems to have been something which has happened every year. Standing on a chair, stirring (with a bit of help sometimes), making a wish. I remember helping Nana and Mum, and then I remember Lauren helping them both – and me, in later years.

Where did that start ? Did Granny Fuller make them as well, and so my Nana continued that tradition and passed it on to some of us ?

We used to get an orange or another piece of fruit in our stockings from Nana and Granddad – never coal though, so that was good.

The postie used to deliver masses of Christmas cards from friends and family all over the country and some even in other parts of the world. Some of these came with notes about what had happened during the year on the inside, others came with handwritten letters.

Thank you boxes of chocolate or similar were left in the letterbox for the milkman - and maybe for the postie too ?

Making crepe paper streamers and paper chains to decorate our bedrooms or the tree.

Decorating the tree – I remember some years having a biggish tree inside propped up in a bucket. We would go with a trailer to collect it from somewhere – a forest? someone’s farm? At some point though a small tree was bought and grown in a pot to come inside each year…then came the artificial ones; and no more hayfever from the pine smell.

We would leave a pillowcase on our beds on Christmas Eve and when we woke up – voila ! No idea how Santa got inside filled up the "sack" and back out so quietly.

Some part of Christmas Day would normally be spent with cousins, and grandparents at one house or another - or on holiday somewhere. One year, in the snow at Milford Sound !

#52Stories, Week 48, Let the planning begin !

In 1978 I got my first passport.

That September I went to Fiji with my friend Jo. We had both been working for a year or so since leaving school. Jo’s parents had been to Fiji before and had a network of friends there.

I travelled up to Hamilton from Wellington (did I fly ? I cant remember) and stayed at Jo’s. Next morning her sister in law Jane took us to Auckland to catch our plane. Our first night we stayed with the sisters at a convent. Interesting people – nuns.

The next morning we waited at the convent gate with our baggage for a bus and made our way from Nadi to Suva. We stayed in Suva for a few days – maybe a week ? with friends of Jo’s parents.

While we were there we met some other people and when it came time for us to head back to Nadi they gave us a ride – instead of bussing again. We spent a couple of nights on the Coral Coast and then about 3 or 4 more in Nadi. Lots of lazing about the pool, a day trip to Beachcomber and Treasure Islands, cruising the waters in a glass bottomed boat looking at the coral and brightly coloured fish.

It was loads of fun !

When I saw Jo just before we moved from Auckland this year, we were talking about that holiday and decided we are going back. For our next big milestone birthdays.

Rather than 40 years since the first time, it will 41 years instead.

Let the planning begin.

#52Stories, Week 35, What future destinations are on your vacation wish list ? Which of them do you truly believe you will see in your lifetime ?

England – all the unexplored spots and all the special places to return to

Ireland

Scotland – refer England

Wales – as above

USA – only seen 4 States, so plenty more to see there and in different seasons too

Germany,

France,

Italy,

Belgium

Netherlands,

Switzerland,

Greece,

Sweden,

Norway,

Iceland

Canada

Australia – still 2 States and a Territory to tick off the list

Fiji – it is a l-o-n-g time since I was there

Perhaps India, Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan in the spring…

I would like to think I could see half of them, but I think with careful planning and time management I might be able to see them all.

#52Stories, Week 34, What was the longest continuous vacation of your life ? How long were you gone ? Do you remember how much it cost ?

Well.

This would have to be the UK trip in 2014. It wasn’t going to be a vacation. It was intended to be a whole new life plan – for two years, maybe more. But ! Sometimes things just don’t turn out how you think.

Not sure what went wrong, probably planning and bad communication, different expectations – and all that. Nevertheless, we had a 3 month vacation in the end.

We explored almost every nook and cranny on that island. Coming from our own island nation we got a little thrill each time we crossed a border from England to Wales or Scotland to England. It just seemed so weird – no planes involved and no passports either. So unlike things on this end of the planet.

We met family members – some we had never met before. We explored villages and hamlets and churchyards and stepped in the footsteps of our forebears.

There weren’t many places we visited which we would not return to; and there were plenty we missed which are being saved for a return visit. One day.

Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex, Somerset, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Wiltshire, Powys, Montgomeryshire, Flintshire, Devon, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Shropshire, Essex, Berkshire, Norfolk, Yorkshire, Kent, Monmouthshire, Denbighshire, Radnorshire, Brecknockshire, Glamorgan, Leicestershire, Suffolk, Lanarkshire, Midlothian, Argyllshire, Inverness-shire, Selkirkshire, Roxburghshire, Dumfriesshire, Peeblesshire, Durham, Northumberland, Cumberland…some we just drove through, others we lingered for longer. Even more we wished we had had a better plan.

Still, we made some great memories and now there is the goal to get back and revisit, rediscover and just explore.