After staying put for nearly three weeks on the Cook Islands, it was time to get moving once again. Astrid, one of the German volunteer dentists, and I were on the same flight which left Rarotonga at 2.40 am on Friday 4 September. We were taken to the airport by taxi at 12.30 and the check-in was quick and easy. Jake Naimanga was there to sing to us as we left – Astrid for the over 40-hour trip back to Munich and me back to New Zealand – this time to stay on the north island.
Val Morgan was there to meet me off the plane at 6.00am on SATURDAY – another day lost as I went back over the International dateline! We found a lovely place near a bay and had breakfast and then went back to her home for a bit of sleep! I was given another tour – this time to see some of the extinct volcanoes and beautiful bays. Auckland is certainly a very spread-out city. Val and I had the pleasure of meeting one of my primary school fiend’s for lunch on Devonport Island – Sharon Kirby now Swinfen! We had last seen each-other in 1970 – nearly 45 years ago! Oy vey! We caught up quickly and I must say Sharon is still the pretty, unpretentious and kind person she always was. I think Val is enjoying meeting all my lovely friends, because when I leave she has new friends! Unfortunately, Caroline Cherry Schwerin, also from our same junior school, couldn’t make it.
After lunch, Val and I went to the Botanical Gardens which were beautiful. We then went to the bus depot for Val to collect her coach – and for me to have a quick nap on the back seat while she got ready for her next job of fetching a group from the airport. So – lucky me – I got a free lift to the airport as the only passenger in her coach! Val has been so kind fetching and carrying me!
I flew to Rotorua in a very tiny plane – only 19 seats and no door to hide the pilot – or the bathroom which was behind me! Quite handy when I needed to blow my now though – I just leaned back and helped myself to toilet paper as I was in row 10! The flight was a little bumpy but fine and waiting for me in Rotorua were… Penny and Tim Simpson! Those were very big, happy hugs! Penny and I last taught together eleven years ago! She is a really special friend – and we go back 24 years!
Rotorua is a very beautiful city, surrounded by lovely lakes, lots of redwood trees and greenery – and, of course, and those infamous guyzers/geysers! There is hardly any sulphur smell at all – it probably does get worse in a storm, but the nickname of “Rottenrua” is a misnomer! Penny was still teaching, but she made so much effort to take me around and show me her town. I also met her mom, Rose, who stays with the family, her son, Dane, now 27 and all grown up! I made the mistake of asking who he was when he came for lunch! Oops! Her second son, Ross, is an engineer working in Australia, and her youngest, Josh, is twelve. It was also good to spend time chatting to her mom. To my delight, Penny has two lovely exchange students staying with her – Vanessa from Hong Kong is 18 and Michelle from Chile is 17. It was lovely getting to know them and seeing how well they fitted into the family. So Penny has two lovely “daughters”! There will be many tears when the girls go home in December, I’m sure! Tim took me around Lake Rotorua and to a pretty Maori church. Penny took me to the museum which not only tells the history of the geysers and the former hot baths (similar to those in Bath in England), but also relates a lot of Maori and early Rotorua history. We visited the famous pools too – the ones near the museum and the ones used by the public. Because of all the geysers, water is heated easily in the city.
We went to Taupo to see the huge and very deep lake there (and enjoy coffee and cake!). On the way we stopped at the Huka Waterfalls and on the way home, we stopped at some geysers. The water is very weird – lots of noisy bubbling and Macbeth-like mist – or steam really – swirling around. The sucking mud is also noisy and jolly scary! Sometimes you just see smoke coming out of the ground and that is the start of a new geyser! I walked to the redwood forest nearby and enjoyed that. There are also two lakes near the Simpsons’ home – the Green and the Blue Lakes – one of which belongs to the Maoris.
On the Thursday, Penny took the day off and we all went to Hamilton to see the famous flower gardens! Of course, that was the only day it rained! We still saw the Waikato River and stopped at the Hobbit information Centre – not many people know that JRR Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein and that our Hogsback Hobbiton is the “real “one! The beautiful, lush New Zealand countryside is so perfect for the setting of the Hobbit and Lord of the Ring movies though. We did some shopping in Hamilton and I managed to re-stock my toiletries! Penny even took me to her school – 1 600 pupils – and again I realised that I am not ready for school again!
On my last day in Rotorua, Friday 11 September, I managed to fit in a hair appointment and then Penny and the girls took me to the airport for the next leg of my journey. The same titchy plane was there to take me to Auckland where I caught another Air New Zealand plane for san Fransisco – and, you guessed it – another trip over that jolly International dateline. 9/11 lasted for two days for me. I left Auckland at 19.30 on 11 September and landed in San Francisco at 12.30 – still on Friday 11 September! I cannot start to explain how confusing and disorientating this is!
I want to add something about air new Zealand – it is one of the best airlines I have been on! What I really like about it is that the air hostesses and stewards are all ages and sizes – and that feels good! It is nice to be served by pretty, slim Singaporean ladies, but there is something real and honest in having ordinary people doing these jobs. They are super friendly and so helpful. They also have a lovely system of employing pensioners to assist people in the airports –so you get a lovely greeting and someone to answer any dumb question. Arriving so early in the morning, I was greeted by a lovely elderly gentleman and, to make my day even better, the lady at Customs was a lovely Zimbabwean – a Lovie Muzorewa look-alike and we gave each-other a big hug – two displaced Zimbabweans!
Altogether, I spent seven weeks in the Antipodes – two in New Zealand, two in Australia and three on Rarotonga. My time has been relaxing and happy – largely because I have been hosted by lovely friends – Merlene and Wayne in Airlie Beach, Theresa and Brian on the Gold Coast, Leane and Ben in Sydney, Jurgen and Grace in Christchurch, Val in Auckland, Pete and Megan in Dunedin and finally, Penny and Tim in Rotorua. I am very grateful to all of you for looking after me, washing my clothes and feeding me – and spoiling me! It has been absolutely wonderful to visit you all and to see you happily settled in your new countries – sad loss for us in South Africa though! I also greatly appreciate my two new American buddies from Rarotonga, Fran and Elaine – and I know we shall keep in touch!
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| A statue of someone I should know, but whose name can't remember from Lord of the Rings greeting new arrivals in Auckland |
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| Val with Auckland in the background |
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| One of the volcanic craters - looks quite tame! |
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| Lovely view of Auckland |
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| Val just leaves her keys in the car - with all my worldly possessions inside! |
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| Lunch with Val and Sharon - I left my scarf in Rarotonga! |
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| Strange tree on Devonport island |
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| Some of the flowers in Botanical Gardens in Auckland |
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| More orchids |
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| Ornamental cabbages - I think I should try these |
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| Val really does drive a coach! |
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| Inside the tiny plane bound for Rotorua |
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| With my friend, Penpen - I even "borrowed" her fleece! |
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| Blue Lake, I think - or maybe Green Lake |
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| Just to show how quickly houses go up in New Zealand - frame then cladding - hardly any heavy brick houses |
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| Lake Taupo |
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| Maori church |
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| Lovely window inside the church |
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| And a geyser starts smouldering.... |
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| Maori waka - different to the Cook Islands vaka |
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| Beautiful (rather colonial) Government House |
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| Geyser boiling |
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| Look at the temperature - 212 degrees celcius! |
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| Eerie geysers |
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| Gorilla in the mist? No - Christalla in front of the geyser |
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| And Penny poses too.... |
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| All the blossoms are out - Penny's suburb, Lynmore |
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| Look - no fences, no burglar bars and no alarms! |
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| Cleverly disguised toilets in the redwood forest |
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| Redwood trees |
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| It was great to visit Pina and Peter Pearse in Rotorua - parents of my friend, Grace, whom I have also known since 1971! Pity I blinked - never mind! |
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I'm not obsessed with cemeteries! But I am impressed with the way the dead are respected - there are no fences
around this cemetery are clean and pretty
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| Huka Falls |
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| Penny and I at the falls - now I've pinched her red coat and managed to button it incorrectly and my phone charger is hanging out!! |
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| Lake Taupo - a very deep lake |
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| Boats at the jetty |
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| More geysers and lots of activity |
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| Penny on the roof of the museum - Lake Rotorua in the background |
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| Interesting info about volvanoes |
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| View from the museum roof - looks very Grahamstown! |
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| An interesting painting in the museum - the story of mankind? |
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| Poster advertising new Zealand long ago |
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| Model man taking a mudbath |
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| Mudbaths - electrodes were added too! |
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| I found this interesting - Polynesian migration patterns |
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| Maori architecture |
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| Museum |
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| Outside the Hobbit information centre |
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| Vanessa, Josh and Michelle |
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| Lovely New Zealand countryside |
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| Ornamental cabbages in Hamilton |
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| New Zealand - home of the ug! |
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| Waikato River |
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| Another geyser being born |
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| Geysers in the rain |
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| Rotorua swimming pools |
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| This geyser is very near the swimming pools |
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| Two ladies in purple - I'm so over this polar fleece! |
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| So I have something else - my one and only jersey! |
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| Me with the girls - in their uniform. Hair doesn't have to be tied up and any colour ear-rings may be worn - one pair only though! The big smiles are because we are going to get Subway meals for supper! |
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| Hello Gollam! |
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| Rose, Penny's mom, Wendy, Dane and Penny |
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| Penny and her laatlammetjie! |
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| Josh with his parents, Penny and Tim |
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And here's Ross on the right
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| Leaving Rotorua on the tiny plane again! |
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