I always look forward to
returning to New Zealand to see how things are progressing and to catch up with
family and friends. It was a large family re-union that initiated this trip to
NZ. Helen and I availed ourselves of a new AirAsia route that went form KL to Auckland
via the Gold Coast. It is a no frills airline where blankets, pillows and coffee
are yours for a fee. We were not sitting together but in the same part of the plane where
the fuselage narrows and three seats go to two on the edge of the plan. I had
an isle seat but plenty of external legroom. We picked up a rental car at
Auckland Airport and made our way through darkness, rain and commuter traffic
to David and Lyn’s house where we stayed three nights. We watched rugby and
shopped in a gender-specific fashion. We walked and explored a part of the
North Shore in often dull and windy conditions. We took in a local film ‘Hunt for the Wilder people’ which I see is number 2 in the money accumulation stakes for NZ films. I certainly thought it was a number 2.
Part of our mission in NZ was
to explore Northland as a possible next move ‘back home’. We had targeted 3
bases; Kerikeri. Whangarei and Warkworth. We decided to work from top to bottom
so drove up to Kerikeri.
We were impressed with the Northland countryside and
found a modest motel on the outskirts of the town where we stayed 2 nights. (Note; we found motels to be comfortable and reasonable but in 3 out of three cases...the internet was poor). We
explored the township and surrounds and later went to the estuary to look
around the Stone House and nearby chapel. We generally found some nice
restaurants in the town for lunch but there was little open at night. Several
restaurants had Monday off and others were ‘out of town’. In essence we liked the town but thought it was a bit on the small side. We looked at some real
estate 'from the road' to get a picture of how far the buck would stretch. We
dined in the evening at a local pub.
Next morning we checked out a
nearby waterfall and walked for an hour along an adjacent track.
We had decided
to visit the Treaty House at Waitangi and have lunch at Russell.
Weather-wise it was perhaps the worst day we struck. We were most impressed with
the displays at Waitangi that explained the treaty and it’s implications very
well, using electronic media to great effect.(the museum had only recently been re-opened). A Japanese film crew were filming in damp and challenging conditions.
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| A warrior with full range of weaponry |
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| The real original flag |
We caught a ferry to Russell
and had lunch in the small but drenched maritime township.
We returned to base
later after checking out a ‘Man Cave’….which is essentially expensive,
nostalgic junk and the local chocolate factory.
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| 100 bucks for 6 milk bottles!! |
In general Kerikeri ticked a
number of boxes but we were not ‘over the moon’. One of the criteria we have
for a location is that there is good walking territory in the vicinity. I have
always envisioned myself walking a dog along a long beach at that stage of my life.
The next day we travelled to
Whangarei and found a nice motel that was ideally located to supermarkets,
access roads and a needed launderette. On the outskirts of town we visited the
Whangarei Falls and saw where Rayma, Lyn’s mother has her house in an adjacent retirement
village.
The weather was nice as we
drove along the northern roads overlooking the estuary. There were nice views
and locations but the beaches were for birds and boats and not for me and a dog.
Some nice little bays overlooked the oil refinery at Marsden point across the
inlet, which we found less than desirable.
The next day we travelled south to
Ruakaka, Waipu and Laing’s Beach. The weather was great and we really enjoyed
our morning walk along Ruakaka Beach. We later checked out the local shops and
had lunch near a new development around a Marina near Marsden Point. The oil
Refinery is not a highly desirable neighbour but it soon ‘disappears’ with a bit
of distance.
We later drove through Waipu to Laings Beach, which was also nice.
In essence we really liked aspects of Whangarei but were especially taken by the southern
ocean beaches…..my dog is excited too.
We had only one day left
before we were due in Masterton for the family reunion. We decided we could not
do Warkworth justice and it was possibly better to break our southern journey
in Taupo. We planned to cross Auckland around 11am in the morning to avoid
commuter traffic but were able to have a quick look at Omaha and drive through
Warkworth Town. We were impressed but house prices were likely being inflated
with a spillover from the over-priced Auckland. The surrounding landscape with
its vineyards and orchards was particularly appealing. Despite our best intentions we had a very disjointed passage through Auckland.
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| Interesting cancer prevention method |
We had pre-booked a motel in
Taupo ahead of the Anzac weekend holiday. David and Lyn were also there in a
different motel. We had dinner together at a Thai restaurant. We had previously had lunch on
the way down at Lyn’s 'office' at Lake Karapiro.
The main target of our
journey was the centenary of what is believed to be the first Anzac ceremony
held in NZ in 1916. This occurred in the small rural town of Tinui and was
conducted by our grandfather Reverend Basil Ashcroft. Basil was incensed at the
number of local men who died in the early days of WW1 and with some volunteers
erected a cross on the summit of nearby Mt Maunsell (Tinui Taipo) after the service. Tinui boasts
a population of 25 souls but numbers swell during Anzac celebrations to the
thousands. The Grandchildren of Basil and Evelyn, together with their
descendants stayed in Masterton to meet and greet and remember events 100 years
ago. The arrival of nearly 100 Ashcroft descendants made the evening TV news. Media coverage of the event can be seen here and another one here
We were fortunate to have friends in Masterton, Gary and Di Stewart, and
we stayed with them for 3 very enjoyable nights. G and D’s nest had recently
been emptied and we greatly enjoyed their legendary hospitality and the antics
of their dog, Missy….a Fox Terrier and Jack Russell cross.
On the Saturday night a
number of us met for dinner and drinks in a local pub. This was followed on
Sunday with a dinner and function that was designed to introduce our families
and mingle. It was extremely well organized by cousin Jenny and sister
Lynette…..even the local fire brigade wanted to join in the fun.
The target on Monday was
Tinui. As official photographer I had checked out the light angles and vantage
points the day before. The tiny village church was the primary target and
images were taken of the church and cousins. The commemoration service took place outside the Memorial Town Hall and was very well done…..starting with the entrance of the pipe band and finishing
with a fly past of three vintage planes that belonged to the film producer
Peter Jackson.
After the service many made the pilgrimage to
the top of Mt Maunsell, which again was well organized with farmers lending a
hand with all terrain vehicles. The current view contrasts with the image taken of the original cross erecting (not taken by me)
Nikki and I opted to check out Castlepoint
Beach….which was impressive in its rugged grandeur. Nikki later rendezvoused
with sister Alison’s neighbour, Ross, for her return to Lower Hutt. It was great
catching up with her.
We had a farewell (to the
day) drink with Alison, Gary, Craig, Eve and Noah before returning to Gary and Di’s
for a magnificent roast.
Our final stop was to spend
two nights with Lynette and Doug at their house in Omokoroa. Alison, Gary,
Craig, Eve and Noah also headed there. It is a rare privilege …or astute
planning …... to sample two of the most legendary hospitalities on this
planet within 5 days. A day was mostly consumed with in travelling from Masterton to Omokoroa and we met with
Alison and son Gary in Taihape for a coffee and croissant.
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| There is a Kingfisher on the sign |
We had one full day in Omokora
and we targeted a visit to Gary Stewart’s dear Mum who had recently established
herself in a home. Her husband Ron who had recently had his 90th
birthday was holding out in their apartment, which is about 5 minutes walk away (10 minutes with a walking stick).
Gary’s Mum was pleased to see us but looked like she had finished second in a
cage fight……due to several falls around the bathroom and bedroom. We next
visited Ron and were pleased to hear he was about to move to the home with his
dear wife where they would have an apartment with a view not too dissimilar
from that from their residence.
The evening saw a great
dinner with Evan, a friend of Craig’s as a guest.
After a nice morning walk it
was time to set off for Auckland and our return journey.
The trip was not without
incident as Helen had her watch stolen from a tray at the security x-ray at
KLIA2. Her enquiries looked to be fruitless, even with the aid of CCTV, until
the watch was mysteriously returned to her, as the plane was ready to take off
for Penang.
It was a very enjoyable break
and so good to catch up with cousins and their kin. We also have some good
ideas of where we might start looking for the next phase of our life together.
The only negative aspect is that we realise once again how cheap living in
Malaysia is. The price of petrol in NZ is almost 300% higher than Malaysia!!!!
