Sarah, John and James were ushered out of the house early as the second hand shop was coming to collect the furniture. On one of the hottest days of the year they arrived and we all huffed and puffed as we took the furniture down the many steps and loaded our items into the truck. It’s all a bit final now.
Post removal we swooped roles and James retuned to clean the house whilst I had lunch and played minute golf with Sarah and john. Later we returned to an empty house and amused ourselves thinking of the holiday catchwords which are as follows:
How do How do – James standard and very annoying greeting.
Titty sprinkles- not sure where that came from
Le Bo chauffer- James issuing his old business cards whenever driving anywhere
Will Bruce make it?- Our worries about the old boy on the many day trips out.
The tree oh the tree- after imbibing this is funny we assure you.
Post depositing S&J at the airport we had our final Friday evening staying with Tory as he has a bed and we don’t!
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Luke and James have a Hippotastic time Luke and James have a Hippotastic time
17/2/12-23/2/12 Luke and James have a Hippotastic time
Well what and honour and a privilege it is to be blogging with the travelling adventures of Luke and James. We were welcomed at the airport by L&J and a ‘Sarah Hippo Hughes and Jon’ sign with pictures, like celebs. After travelling for 20 odd hours it was a slightly surreal experience but after settling into de chateau Rushby-Barnett and being fed and sleeping in a comfy bed. Some of my favourite things.
Jon and I amused ourselves for the first few days. You may have heard about the cycle ride and my pained labia (thanks Luke, that boy doesn’t know when and when not to share information). The city of Napier has a fantastic art deco style and Kiwi’s appear to be incredibly polite and cheerful – I’m totally envious.
We arrived in art Deco week where the whole town dresses up in 30’s gear – there were flyovers, posh 30’s picnics, depression themed dinners and splendid weather. I did see some heavy NZ rain though it’s nice to see rain in a new environment We also hopped down to the national aquarium and saw a Kiwi bird in captivity. It was bigger than I expected, much bigger than a hen…not as big as a badger.
We had 2 road trips which rocked. 1 down to taupo with le bo chauffeur were we saw lots of volcanic activity, mud pools (which much to my dismay I could not roll in), lakes in volcanic craters, took dips in hot spa pools (mmm), then a second with L&J for and overnight in Gisbourne, where they were intending to live when initially planning. Thank god Alice put them off, it a cool place to visit and according to Luke the surf is good, but it’s not as pretty as Napier.
Let’s not bore your pants off here….Time for a list…
Positives
Hot spas
Beautiful, beautiful scenery everywhere
Bird and cricket song
Ross’s wine tour
Kiwi’s do café’s/ food really well
Trees. Big, small, eucalyptus, tea tree, fruit. Wowsa, I love trees <3
Negatives
L&J will be marked down on trip advisor for the lack of fresh towels.
Mos-blooodly-quitos – I just can’t resist the itch.
Water slides. I will never be convinced again!
Despite my towel based concerns, I have to thank Luke and James from the bottom of my heart for inviting us to come and stay with them in the Southern hemisphere. They have been gracious and accommodating hosts and we have both had a fantastic time. Hard to think of a holiday that would surpass this really, a perfect mix of relaxed and seeing the best local sites from our ‘native’ hosts.
As I sit here on Thurs 23rd Feb surrounded by boxes, I realise that not only my short NZ adventure is coming to an end, but also Chimp and Koala’s. The UK will be glad to have you back, as will many people in it
Well what and honour and a privilege it is to be blogging with the travelling adventures of Luke and James. We were welcomed at the airport by L&J and a ‘Sarah Hippo Hughes and Jon’ sign with pictures, like celebs. After travelling for 20 odd hours it was a slightly surreal experience but after settling into de chateau Rushby-Barnett and being fed and sleeping in a comfy bed. Some of my favourite things.
Jon and I amused ourselves for the first few days. You may have heard about the cycle ride and my pained labia (thanks Luke, that boy doesn’t know when and when not to share information). The city of Napier has a fantastic art deco style and Kiwi’s appear to be incredibly polite and cheerful – I’m totally envious.
We arrived in art Deco week where the whole town dresses up in 30’s gear – there were flyovers, posh 30’s picnics, depression themed dinners and splendid weather. I did see some heavy NZ rain though it’s nice to see rain in a new environment We also hopped down to the national aquarium and saw a Kiwi bird in captivity. It was bigger than I expected, much bigger than a hen…not as big as a badger.
We had 2 road trips which rocked. 1 down to taupo with le bo chauffeur were we saw lots of volcanic activity, mud pools (which much to my dismay I could not roll in), lakes in volcanic craters, took dips in hot spa pools (mmm), then a second with L&J for and overnight in Gisbourne, where they were intending to live when initially planning. Thank god Alice put them off, it a cool place to visit and according to Luke the surf is good, but it’s not as pretty as Napier.
Let’s not bore your pants off here….Time for a list…
Positives
Hot spas
Beautiful, beautiful scenery everywhere
Bird and cricket song
Ross’s wine tour
Kiwi’s do café’s/ food really well
Trees. Big, small, eucalyptus, tea tree, fruit. Wowsa, I love trees <3
Negatives
L&J will be marked down on trip advisor for the lack of fresh towels.
Mos-blooodly-quitos – I just can’t resist the itch.
Water slides. I will never be convinced again!
Despite my towel based concerns, I have to thank Luke and James from the bottom of my heart for inviting us to come and stay with them in the Southern hemisphere. They have been gracious and accommodating hosts and we have both had a fantastic time. Hard to think of a holiday that would surpass this really, a perfect mix of relaxed and seeing the best local sites from our ‘native’ hosts.
As I sit here on Thurs 23rd Feb surrounded by boxes, I realise that not only my short NZ adventure is coming to an end, but also Chimp and Koala’s. The UK will be glad to have you back, as will many people in it
Friday, 17 February 2012
A comedy of Errors.
11/2/12
Fir a leaving gift Roger, James David and I climbed aboard the shiny roger Mobil and headed to le-chatto or LC for short as I can’t really spell it. LC is a old old building well old for new Zealand being over 100 years old. It is built at the base of a still active volcano and a fantastic skiing place during the winter. In short it’s the place to go in the North Island.
So go we did until an hour into our journey rogers care blew up. Amazingly we had phone coverage and called in a tow truck but alas there was only space for 2 people in the truck so we had to call Ross who collected us and deposited us next to Bruce. We were all a little apprehensive when climbing into Bruce as the journey is four hours and Burse is not the newest car. Not to be deterred we set off and twenty minutes later decided to stop for a coffee, we had after all bee on the go for over two hours by this point. Coming to pay for the coffee Roger realises he has left his wallet in his car. With stifled politeness we turn round and head to the garage to retrieve said wallet. Guess what… the car was not there but in fact at another garage in the next town. At this point we agreed that it was likely that someone would die if we had to chase after the wallet so some three hours after our original start we were on the way.
Four hours or cumitivly seven hours later we arrived at LC. The sun was shining and the rooms came with complementary champagne so all was good. Booze relaxed us all as did a fantastic dinner and more wine followed by sitting in club chairs drinking Gin and Tonics. Good things come to those who wait.
12/2/12- SARAH AND JOHN IN DA HOOD
The return journey was uneventful. David and I walked up the mountain road, James and roger had a hot spa. The four hour return trip presented no great mechanical problems and before long it was time to collect Sarah and John.
Upon arrival at the airport S&J looked surprisingly sprightly. Much hugging and chatting consumed the night before falling into to bed.
13/2/12-17/2/12
With James and I still working albeit our last week Sarah and John were left to their own devices in the daytime. I would slope off from work to meet them for lunch and normally pick them at the end of the day to save Sarah the walk up the hill. Evenings were spent if typical S, J, L & J fashion… not doing very much.
It was with concern that I watched this pattern of events unfold. What would I fill my blog with? Salvation came when S&J announced they were going on a 20km bike ride. I knew this would provide some anecdote to replay but I was not quite ready for Sarah’s description of the negative effects bike riding caused on her body. “well all the pressure of my body is channelled down to the saddle and my labia are on fire.” Not quite what I expected.
Sarah and John have not been sloths whilst being here they have bike ridden, been to Toupo with James for a magical mystery tour, been on an art deco walk, eaten lunches and mooched around and cooked rather nice meals at night.
During this week James and I have both had our last days at work and are now unemployed. It was therefore fitting that on Friday night we went to a depression dinner as part of art deco weekend. James and I donned 3/4 length trousers, collarless shirts and waist coats and followed behind our lord and lady who were in there finery. Top hat, braces and frilly dresses. We hit the town and it felt like we have been transported back in time. Everyone was in Art deco clothing, the cars were art deco, the music art deco oh and the town is always art deco.
We arrived at the meeting point and were handed a tin cup for our soup starter. Next up was a walk through Napier following some bagpipes and passing by the wealthy people eating dinner in the street and waving to us from the veranda. This of course encouraged much rattling on our soup cups in the search of some spare change. Dinner was served in a big tent, on trellis tables accompanied by a 3 piece band. The food itself, meat stew, veg and potatoes was served on a tin plate which had to be washed before you were served your desert. Post dinner there was singing and old fashioned dancing which the older ladies really seemed to enjoy. I of course wanted to join in the gay gordens dance which was a cross between ring a ring of reses and spinning around on each other’s arms. As a young (ish) man I have never been in so much demand by old ladies who suddelny had a determined glint in their eye.
After dancing we were entertained by old planes doing loop the loops before heading up to the sound shell to soak up the atmosphere and watch a bit more swinging music before heading back to our colonial porch to watch the world go by.
Fir a leaving gift Roger, James David and I climbed aboard the shiny roger Mobil and headed to le-chatto or LC for short as I can’t really spell it. LC is a old old building well old for new Zealand being over 100 years old. It is built at the base of a still active volcano and a fantastic skiing place during the winter. In short it’s the place to go in the North Island.
So go we did until an hour into our journey rogers care blew up. Amazingly we had phone coverage and called in a tow truck but alas there was only space for 2 people in the truck so we had to call Ross who collected us and deposited us next to Bruce. We were all a little apprehensive when climbing into Bruce as the journey is four hours and Burse is not the newest car. Not to be deterred we set off and twenty minutes later decided to stop for a coffee, we had after all bee on the go for over two hours by this point. Coming to pay for the coffee Roger realises he has left his wallet in his car. With stifled politeness we turn round and head to the garage to retrieve said wallet. Guess what… the car was not there but in fact at another garage in the next town. At this point we agreed that it was likely that someone would die if we had to chase after the wallet so some three hours after our original start we were on the way.
Four hours or cumitivly seven hours later we arrived at LC. The sun was shining and the rooms came with complementary champagne so all was good. Booze relaxed us all as did a fantastic dinner and more wine followed by sitting in club chairs drinking Gin and Tonics. Good things come to those who wait.
12/2/12- SARAH AND JOHN IN DA HOOD
The return journey was uneventful. David and I walked up the mountain road, James and roger had a hot spa. The four hour return trip presented no great mechanical problems and before long it was time to collect Sarah and John.
Upon arrival at the airport S&J looked surprisingly sprightly. Much hugging and chatting consumed the night before falling into to bed.
13/2/12-17/2/12
With James and I still working albeit our last week Sarah and John were left to their own devices in the daytime. I would slope off from work to meet them for lunch and normally pick them at the end of the day to save Sarah the walk up the hill. Evenings were spent if typical S, J, L & J fashion… not doing very much.
It was with concern that I watched this pattern of events unfold. What would I fill my blog with? Salvation came when S&J announced they were going on a 20km bike ride. I knew this would provide some anecdote to replay but I was not quite ready for Sarah’s description of the negative effects bike riding caused on her body. “well all the pressure of my body is channelled down to the saddle and my labia are on fire.” Not quite what I expected.
Sarah and John have not been sloths whilst being here they have bike ridden, been to Toupo with James for a magical mystery tour, been on an art deco walk, eaten lunches and mooched around and cooked rather nice meals at night.
During this week James and I have both had our last days at work and are now unemployed. It was therefore fitting that on Friday night we went to a depression dinner as part of art deco weekend. James and I donned 3/4 length trousers, collarless shirts and waist coats and followed behind our lord and lady who were in there finery. Top hat, braces and frilly dresses. We hit the town and it felt like we have been transported back in time. Everyone was in Art deco clothing, the cars were art deco, the music art deco oh and the town is always art deco.
We arrived at the meeting point and were handed a tin cup for our soup starter. Next up was a walk through Napier following some bagpipes and passing by the wealthy people eating dinner in the street and waving to us from the veranda. This of course encouraged much rattling on our soup cups in the search of some spare change. Dinner was served in a big tent, on trellis tables accompanied by a 3 piece band. The food itself, meat stew, veg and potatoes was served on a tin plate which had to be washed before you were served your desert. Post dinner there was singing and old fashioned dancing which the older ladies really seemed to enjoy. I of course wanted to join in the gay gordens dance which was a cross between ring a ring of reses and spinning around on each other’s arms. As a young (ish) man I have never been in so much demand by old ladies who suddelny had a determined glint in their eye.
After dancing we were entertained by old planes doing loop the loops before heading up to the sound shell to soak up the atmosphere and watch a bit more swinging music before heading back to our colonial porch to watch the world go by.
Thursday, 9 February 2012
Views of New Zealand
06/02/12- 10/02/12
Ok so our time is coming to an end in New Zealand and as I look at the news reports of the weather in the UK I find myself asking why oh why would we want to return to that? Our friends and colleagues also take great delight in reminding us that we will freeze upon our return. Well I think they may be right. After 12 months in almost constant temperatures of 15-30 degrees I think we will need some form of re introduction programme. Please can all the people we will be staying with take the lagging of there hot water tanks and have them ready for us.
So New Zealand. It’s warm but also on the other side of the world. Now if we did not have family and friends we liked back home I would be the ideal place to avoid people. As that is not the case we are rather looking forward to catching up. As you can imagine a good plan of activity is being formed. Night with family and friends being booked, job applications being made and slots found to catch-up with old employers to see if they have a job they need to be filled. James thought about going on the dole but soon realised that the housing business somewhat precludes him from drawing that.
Ok back to New Zealand. It’s fantastic even if geographically remote. The people are really very friendly, the lifestyle relaxed and the sun shines quite a lot. We have good friends here and we have got so many social engagements that we now plan our nights and weekends around when we can stay in as opposed to when we can go out. We have also learned that gay men can be ok. Previously I was rather sniffey about spending time with them as those who I had encountered were rather queeny for my taste. No so we were just meeting them in the wrong place… the gay village of Manchester. As Amy said “are you being homophobic?”
The things that are less good about Kiwi land has to be the driving. Put simply they can not drive. There are signs ant intersections advising people to “merge like a zip.” For goodness sake it’s not hard to combine two lanes of traffic. Our friend Ross suggests the problem may be that the lack of traffic in a huge country combined with a macho approach to driving (“only puffs give way”) has resulted in the derisible driving style.
The houses are also rather odd. All wooden construction, now insulation, not double glazing, no central heating. In other words impossible to heat! Leaving NZ in summer may be a blessing really as whilst winter may not be UK cold we would require some heating. The upside of the houses are that they are all on quarter acre plots and have an obligatory lemon, orange and other fruit tree. The vast expanse of grass is nice but by god it grows quickly.
Other then pondering our return to the UK we have been as usual working and gyming. A few second hand dealers have been around the property and after some negotiation I have sold the furniture for $1000. It will be collected the Friday before we leave and considering it cost just over $2000 to buying the first place it’s not a bad deal. Next up is trying to sell the car. Fingers crossed on that front!
Ok so our time is coming to an end in New Zealand and as I look at the news reports of the weather in the UK I find myself asking why oh why would we want to return to that? Our friends and colleagues also take great delight in reminding us that we will freeze upon our return. Well I think they may be right. After 12 months in almost constant temperatures of 15-30 degrees I think we will need some form of re introduction programme. Please can all the people we will be staying with take the lagging of there hot water tanks and have them ready for us.
So New Zealand. It’s warm but also on the other side of the world. Now if we did not have family and friends we liked back home I would be the ideal place to avoid people. As that is not the case we are rather looking forward to catching up. As you can imagine a good plan of activity is being formed. Night with family and friends being booked, job applications being made and slots found to catch-up with old employers to see if they have a job they need to be filled. James thought about going on the dole but soon realised that the housing business somewhat precludes him from drawing that.
Ok back to New Zealand. It’s fantastic even if geographically remote. The people are really very friendly, the lifestyle relaxed and the sun shines quite a lot. We have good friends here and we have got so many social engagements that we now plan our nights and weekends around when we can stay in as opposed to when we can go out. We have also learned that gay men can be ok. Previously I was rather sniffey about spending time with them as those who I had encountered were rather queeny for my taste. No so we were just meeting them in the wrong place… the gay village of Manchester. As Amy said “are you being homophobic?”
The things that are less good about Kiwi land has to be the driving. Put simply they can not drive. There are signs ant intersections advising people to “merge like a zip.” For goodness sake it’s not hard to combine two lanes of traffic. Our friend Ross suggests the problem may be that the lack of traffic in a huge country combined with a macho approach to driving (“only puffs give way”) has resulted in the derisible driving style.
The houses are also rather odd. All wooden construction, now insulation, not double glazing, no central heating. In other words impossible to heat! Leaving NZ in summer may be a blessing really as whilst winter may not be UK cold we would require some heating. The upside of the houses are that they are all on quarter acre plots and have an obligatory lemon, orange and other fruit tree. The vast expanse of grass is nice but by god it grows quickly.
Other then pondering our return to the UK we have been as usual working and gyming. A few second hand dealers have been around the property and after some negotiation I have sold the furniture for $1000. It will be collected the Friday before we leave and considering it cost just over $2000 to buying the first place it’s not a bad deal. Next up is trying to sell the car. Fingers crossed on that front!
Monday, 6 February 2012
A Maori adventure
30/1/12- 3/2/12 Monday-Friday and some fancy dress!
Well it was a rather uneventful week. We worked, gymed and had friends over for dinner. One exciting trip out was to the fancy dress shop to rent our Art deco weekend outfits. Oh I am in the wrong era. I want to be in the 20's the clothes were fantastic and even if I do say so myself both James and I looked rather splendid in our chosen outfits. What What old thing. Tally ho!
4/2/12- 6/2/12 A Maori adventure
Tory took us on a trip to where he grew up and to meet his family. On the way we stopped to buy an enormous amount of meat for our POYA. More on that later. Once on the road Tory gave us our instructions for meeting his family. Don't leave things unlocked. never lend your stuff out, say no if you want to and don't drink too much. Oh my what had we signed our self's up for or was Tory being over the top? Well we would find both to be true.
Upon arriving at his sisters house we found her in the aunties garden (every is related) drinking beer. This was an intense introduction to Maori lifestyle as drinking was the main item on the agenda. I also let slip that I worked for Housing New Zealand and alas the garden of the house we were sitting in belonged to them. Oh well skirting round that topic and agreeing not to mention the 3 dogs to to corporation on my return to work. Now Tory does not exactly fit in to the general Maori family way. He does not drink, is very slim and is a gay as the day is long. That said he is still an uncle and the children will respect him and he bosses them around in accordance with his status.
Post meeting the family we were off to the tribal hot pools. Now being local and part of the tribe Tory knew an aunty working on the door so we got in for free. The other tourists and outsiders all had to pay! So before long we were reclining in a private hot pool socking up to our necks in natural hot springs. Next up was a trip to the UruPa which is the cemetery for Maori people. Here we visited Tory's granddads grave which was due to be unveiled shortly. Now an unveiling is the erecting of a head stone about a year after death to allow for grieving to take place. Unfortunately his wife was not ready and the ceremony was 2 years overdue. Leaving the cemetery we washed our hands and flicked wather over our heads to stop the spirits following us. The next stop was the family marae. This building is the hub of the community where ceremonies and events take place. Tory complain that his marae was in need of some renovation and needed the TV show DIY Marae to do its good work there.
The evening was spent and Nana Sarah's house out in the country. Nana is a strong and aging matriarch who Tory was clearly close to. She has live on the farm since the 1950's where her husband managed the farm station. A huge expanse of farmed land. Much of the family life revolved around the farm including all the kids and grand kids taking there turn in the wool sheds or shearing.
The next day was the much talked about poya which is a traditional way of cooking using that lands natural resources namely steam from the geothermal activity in the area. The huge quantity of meat is wrapped in oven bags along with whole chickens and vegetables and steam puddings. All the food is placed in a metal crate and then taken out to the hot spring pits. The cage is lowered into the hole, covered with blankets and weighted down with wood. Some four hours later it is cooked and amazingly no one has stolen your food, in fact someone had opened up our pit and added there own food for cooking. Once cooked the crate is collected and retuned to the family house for the feast. Word of such an event spreads quickly within the family and a whole host of aunties and cousins arrive to join in the Kia (food). When buying the meat I thought we would have far too much but alas much was eaten and the rest used the next day for breakfast.
Post feed it was time for a nap back at nanas' before Tory and I headed to the lake leaving James to recline at the farm. The lake is normally calm but the wind was up and there waves sizable but in homage to Hilary I striped down and swam the 200 meters to the pontoon and back. Cold yes, but fun never the less. Tory did not quite see it that way and opted to hold my towel. The evening was spent looking at old family photos before having a bath the water from which we all 3 of us shared as the boiler did not produce that much.
Next morning it was bright and breezy so Tory and I headed to his old school. Tory donned a pair of gum boots, some shorts, a old hat and coat and looked like he fitted it once more. Not much later he was back in his own creations looking fashionably and fashion student like. After a round of good buys James Tory and I departed from our Maori weekend. Both James and I really enjoyed the experience as meeting the family and engaging in real Maori culture was really rather exciting and made us feel like we had experienced more of New Zealand.
As our time is running short in New Zealand we decided that on the way back to Napier we had really better engage in an activity for which New Zealand is famous... Bungee jumping. I opted for the full on 50m plunge over water and due to James back he opted for the Bunge swing which is swings you in an arc as opposed to you plummeting to earth secured only by your ankles. I was first up and once all harnessed up began to get really rather nervous. On the edge I was told to put my hands above my head and dive into the abyss. I did this rather rapidly thinking the sooner I did it the sooner it would be over. As such Tory missed my jump only managing to take one photo of the event. That said it was an exhilarating and truly terrifying experience. The initial decent caused an involuntary scream of ffffffffuuuuuuuuuuccccccckkkkkkkkk which lasted until I reached the first extension of the cord. Then I was rebounding towards the sky followed by some terrifying weightlessness before heading to the water once more.The boat then came to unhook me by which point I was hyperventilating and frozen solid with fear. After some seconds I was unhooked and being driven to land where I vowed never to do such a things again. James had a similar experience of abject fear and exhilaration and was also of the opinion that this was not going to become the new activity of choice for us both. It is very much Bungee Jump tick Bungee Jump DONE!
Well it was a rather uneventful week. We worked, gymed and had friends over for dinner. One exciting trip out was to the fancy dress shop to rent our Art deco weekend outfits. Oh I am in the wrong era. I want to be in the 20's the clothes were fantastic and even if I do say so myself both James and I looked rather splendid in our chosen outfits. What What old thing. Tally ho!
4/2/12- 6/2/12 A Maori adventure
Tory took us on a trip to where he grew up and to meet his family. On the way we stopped to buy an enormous amount of meat for our POYA. More on that later. Once on the road Tory gave us our instructions for meeting his family. Don't leave things unlocked. never lend your stuff out, say no if you want to and don't drink too much. Oh my what had we signed our self's up for or was Tory being over the top? Well we would find both to be true.
Upon arriving at his sisters house we found her in the aunties garden (every is related) drinking beer. This was an intense introduction to Maori lifestyle as drinking was the main item on the agenda. I also let slip that I worked for Housing New Zealand and alas the garden of the house we were sitting in belonged to them. Oh well skirting round that topic and agreeing not to mention the 3 dogs to to corporation on my return to work. Now Tory does not exactly fit in to the general Maori family way. He does not drink, is very slim and is a gay as the day is long. That said he is still an uncle and the children will respect him and he bosses them around in accordance with his status.
Post meeting the family we were off to the tribal hot pools. Now being local and part of the tribe Tory knew an aunty working on the door so we got in for free. The other tourists and outsiders all had to pay! So before long we were reclining in a private hot pool socking up to our necks in natural hot springs. Next up was a trip to the UruPa which is the cemetery for Maori people. Here we visited Tory's granddads grave which was due to be unveiled shortly. Now an unveiling is the erecting of a head stone about a year after death to allow for grieving to take place. Unfortunately his wife was not ready and the ceremony was 2 years overdue. Leaving the cemetery we washed our hands and flicked wather over our heads to stop the spirits following us. The next stop was the family marae. This building is the hub of the community where ceremonies and events take place. Tory complain that his marae was in need of some renovation and needed the TV show DIY Marae to do its good work there.
The evening was spent and Nana Sarah's house out in the country. Nana is a strong and aging matriarch who Tory was clearly close to. She has live on the farm since the 1950's where her husband managed the farm station. A huge expanse of farmed land. Much of the family life revolved around the farm including all the kids and grand kids taking there turn in the wool sheds or shearing.
The next day was the much talked about poya which is a traditional way of cooking using that lands natural resources namely steam from the geothermal activity in the area. The huge quantity of meat is wrapped in oven bags along with whole chickens and vegetables and steam puddings. All the food is placed in a metal crate and then taken out to the hot spring pits. The cage is lowered into the hole, covered with blankets and weighted down with wood. Some four hours later it is cooked and amazingly no one has stolen your food, in fact someone had opened up our pit and added there own food for cooking. Once cooked the crate is collected and retuned to the family house for the feast. Word of such an event spreads quickly within the family and a whole host of aunties and cousins arrive to join in the Kia (food). When buying the meat I thought we would have far too much but alas much was eaten and the rest used the next day for breakfast.
Post feed it was time for a nap back at nanas' before Tory and I headed to the lake leaving James to recline at the farm. The lake is normally calm but the wind was up and there waves sizable but in homage to Hilary I striped down and swam the 200 meters to the pontoon and back. Cold yes, but fun never the less. Tory did not quite see it that way and opted to hold my towel. The evening was spent looking at old family photos before having a bath the water from which we all 3 of us shared as the boiler did not produce that much.
Next morning it was bright and breezy so Tory and I headed to his old school. Tory donned a pair of gum boots, some shorts, a old hat and coat and looked like he fitted it once more. Not much later he was back in his own creations looking fashionably and fashion student like. After a round of good buys James Tory and I departed from our Maori weekend. Both James and I really enjoyed the experience as meeting the family and engaging in real Maori culture was really rather exciting and made us feel like we had experienced more of New Zealand.
As our time is running short in New Zealand we decided that on the way back to Napier we had really better engage in an activity for which New Zealand is famous... Bungee jumping. I opted for the full on 50m plunge over water and due to James back he opted for the Bunge swing which is swings you in an arc as opposed to you plummeting to earth secured only by your ankles. I was first up and once all harnessed up began to get really rather nervous. On the edge I was told to put my hands above my head and dive into the abyss. I did this rather rapidly thinking the sooner I did it the sooner it would be over. As such Tory missed my jump only managing to take one photo of the event. That said it was an exhilarating and truly terrifying experience. The initial decent caused an involuntary scream of ffffffffuuuuuuuuuuccccccckkkkkkkkk which lasted until I reached the first extension of the cord. Then I was rebounding towards the sky followed by some terrifying weightlessness before heading to the water once more.The boat then came to unhook me by which point I was hyperventilating and frozen solid with fear. After some seconds I was unhooked and being driven to land where I vowed never to do such a things again. James had a similar experience of abject fear and exhilaration and was also of the opinion that this was not going to become the new activity of choice for us both. It is very much Bungee Jump tick Bungee Jump DONE!
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