I do feel like this has become a wee tradition. I land, stay, visit and then my folks offer to drive me back to Auckland (via the scenic route) for the flight back Stateside.
We left New Plymouth with a good plan I think. It was time to reintroduce me to the path less traveled... The Forgotten Highway that runs from Stratford to Taumarunui, through Whangamomona and with a slight diversion, through Ohura too.
It had been almost 35 years since I traveled these unfamiliar but peaceful and colorful roads. Each turn more winding. The hills rolling, dotted with farm animals, a stone's throw from precisely nowhere!
Back in Colorado lichen grows slowly and this little forest-on-a-stick would be 20 years in the making. Here in King Country, lichen seizes every chance to smother any kind of wood that is undisturbed for a few months!
Good advice, I'd say.
We stopped in Whanga for a flat white and bathroom break. The old hotel smelled like an English pub, the food was homemade and of the 5 people we saw, 2 were doing as we were... just passing through.
The town is "blink and you miss it" small. But what it lacks in population and all sorts of other things, it makes up for in character and history.
When I die, I'd like my headstone to read "unique and lovely thing from New Zealand". Kidding... I'm being cremated so no-one has to frown while they carve the word "lovely"!
A couple of gems from the Whangamomona Hotel:
Also good advice!
We headed toward Ohura, stopping only to show me the grave site of a surveyor who died of suspected appendicitis (turned peritonitis) back in the day when the pony ride out of this place took so long that a person died before help could be fetched. He was a relative of my grandfather on my mom's side - if I'm not mistaken.
R.I.P Joshua Morgan
Ohura. Now just 120 people. My great grandparents had the general store once upon a time and my grandmother was their oldest child of 11. My grandfather worked in the coal mining industry. They raised 4 kids of their own here... my mother being the youngest daughter.
My father got his first job in Ohura, working for the bank and moved here from Taumarunui - about 50km away. This is where my parents met. I also learned that their respective grandparents had known each other for a long time prior to the meeting. Small towns... everyone knows everyone and nothing is a secret for long!
Now the store, the bank and the coal mine are all just part of this towns history. Time has not been all that kind to the dwellings I saw here and rumor has it, it's the most affordable place to buy a house in all of NZ. It doesn't seem to be stopping people from being happy here and enjoying the perks of living away from the hustle and bustle of ... Taumarunui!
A quick stop in Taumarunui for coffee and cookies. A bit of a drive-by to see the former houses of my dad's parents (nana and pop Tylee) and my dad's youngest sister (the late aunty Marilyn). Both places I spent a lot of time at as a kid. Memories that are lovely and I feel deeply connected too but strangely don't match up very well with what things actually look like.
This is nana and pop Tylee's house: It was warm with underfloor heating and heavy drapes. On Sunday's it smelled like roast chicken. The dining room had a giant heavy black phone on a hutch and it rang loudly. My nana hummed along to a Richard Clayderman record playing from the living room. Our beds had feather quilts and more often than not we had porridge for breakfast before heading out into the back yard to play with the neighbors guinea pigs. My grandparents had no problem giving 7 year old me a knife and a few empty glass essence bottles so I could chop and smoosh plants and acorns up in the yard, to make potions! The house always seemed bigger than it is in this picture.
Aunty Marilyns house was where my sister and I played with our twin cousins and their neighbors. I almost lost my brand new front teeth jumping out of one of those front windows. They had a vintage fridge that fascinated me and there always seemed to be little buns with jam inside them coming out of the oven. None of us had all that much... but I don't remember that mattered.
Leaving Taumarunui, we stopped at a lookout. The 360 degree view went for miles. We were in the heart of NZ. The heart of New Zealand is an unfolding landscape that is rich in trees, farmland and very small towns. The roads are narrow and winding. The smell is fresh and on a good day, the sky is blue. Today was a good day!
I'm a shadows and reflections focused photographer. And lucky for me, my parents are good with playing along.
Lake Taupō. New Zealand's largest lake - located in the caldera of Taupō volcano. A great place to end the day at sunset and begin tomorrow with a lake walk.
I come by my questionable sense of humor, honestly!
Looking across the lake to Mounts Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe.
Kiwis are known for their ingenuity. One of the things that delighted me about Taupo was the bicycle repair station positioned along the path of the lake. Complete with tools and a bike pump, this is just downright genius... and kind! Two of my favorite things!
This is my dad . Now in his mid-70's he's still rocking it as my model and delighting in all thing cycling! I hope I'm half the person he is when I get there too.
I was pretty sure this guy and I were going to be BFF's. Alas when he found out I had no snacks, he rejected me. Rude mallard!
A bit of cultural art and for me, musings on how different cultures share similarities. This Maori 'tree of life' sort of thing was fascinating. Deep down our different cultures actually have more in common than we probably realize.
Arrived in Tauranga. Shoot it was warm! I took off my boots and barefooted it to the beach (directly across the road from the sweet Airbnb we had). The sand was soft, the shells washed up were pretty and the surf was gentle - yet loud.
Soooo many questions about shrink-wrapping a house in plastic in order to do construction undercover! NZ is a pretty environmentally friendly place so it surprised me that all this plastic was to be dumped after use.... leaving behind a more efficient and updated house at what environmental cost?!
My parents. Married 51 years.
I ended my trip with a Jandhe visit, as I often do. We met and worked together in London about 25 years ago. Where has the time gone?
It seems funny to me that I forget to take a selfie with her almost every single visit. Our friendship has been like this forever. The moments together are rich and rewarding - and I literally stay present in those moments. What a gift! And now I get bonus gifts. Her daughter Abi and I get along like a house on fire and I look forward to seeing her too. Plus Jandhe has a Chris now.... This guy makes her smile brightly and clearly cherishes her.
That makes me smile too. :-)
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