Returning home brings back its memories. During the past month we have travelled to different parts of the North Island.
Auckland is an interesting city of about 1 million being built on an isthmus and some 30 volcanic domes. It seems that wherever you go you get a glimpse of the sea. However, we did not see much as it was constantly raining. However, we did meet a lot of old friends and family members.
Gisborne, the place of my birth and upbringing, always stirs some memories. One of the first stops was Waikanae Beach where we spent a lot of time every summer with picnics, swimming and fishing. We included a drive up to Whangara (20 minutes north) where the movie Whale Rider was filmed. The Marae (meeting house) used in the film was very familiar to us as our home assembly in Gisborne used it for several years for the annual Sunday School Picnic as well as for Youth camps.
The Waikato, a rich dairy farming region to the south of Auckland, occupied a lot of our time. Nancye comes from a dairy farm in the Waikato and several of her brothers are still farming there. How relaxing to look out from the dining room window to see sheep or cows grazing on gently rolling green hills. It was at Te Awamutu, a small town in the Waikato, where we celebrated Nancye’s mother’s 90th birthday with over 50 guests in attendance.
Tauranga is where Nancye’s mother used to live before Te Awamutu. We spent some time there after leaving the Waikato. Tauranga always includes a walk around Mt Maunganui (another extinct volcano). Mt Maunganui was where John Duckhorn first discussed with me the concept of STEP – the summer cross-cultural outreach in Los Angeles. That was during John’s visit in 2004.
After Bill, Angela and Jon flew out of Auckland to return to Los Angeles we travelled to Wellington for a few meetings. A highlight there was celebrating my Aunt’s 91st birthday. It seems that it is a bit contagious celebrating birthdays in the 90s!
And now we are at Hatepe, a little community of about 100 holiday (vacation) homes on Lake Taupo. Hatepe is 22 kms. south of the town of Taupo. The name in Maori means “wiped out, finished” as a famous Maori warrior Te Kooti came through here over a 100 years ago with an axe to grind. Most of the villagers were away at the time but he killed the one man who remained to guard the village and then burned the houses. Being winter time there are very few people here, and so since we have been here we have talked to no one else or been in contact with anyone else (except by telephone). With a busy ministry in Los Angeles that is a new experience for us. We are not sure when it has happened in the past as we are always surrounded by people.
However, we are enjoying the experience. Today the sky is so clear and blue and the sun is shining brightly. The house we are in is just 25 metres from the water’s edge. It is so quiet and peaceful looking out over the lake towards the western hills. We have enjoyed seeing and hearing the birds - tuis, native pigeons, fantails, ducks, chaffinches and swans. What more could you want for company!
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