Land of the Long White Cloud or Nieuw Zeeland

The first name was given to the island by the first inhabitants, the Maoris who came from Polynesian in the ninth century.  The second name was given by the first European explorers, the Dutch, who stayed only a short time being rebuffed by the Maoris.  The great British explorer, Captain James Cook arrived in 1769 and chartered both islands along with the Australian coast line.  He built up a good relationship with the Maoris and settlements began, mainly from Britain.  Currently 75% of the 3.8 million population come from England, Scotland and Ireland, 10% are Maoris and the rest from Europe and the islands. 

I’d always wanted to visit New Zealand and Australia and thanks to my friend Cathy it was finally going to happen.  I had met Cathy about 25 years ago in an English pub in Cupertino.  She was a New Zealand nurse working her way around the world and I admired her courage so much and envied her adventures.

Cathy and me in 1988 

February 2012

 

Cathy decided to stay for a while, got a job and rented a room from me for about six months before she continued her wanderings.   Eventually she married an English boy, had three children and settled back in New Zealand.   Through the years we kept in contact sporadically and I remember her hand written letters with photographs of the children; two blond boys and a dark haired girl.  About three years ago her daughter, Chelsea, found me on Facebook and our contacts were renewed.  Often I planned a trip to Australia and New Zealand but nothing ever worked out.  We had another friend from those days, Ming, English and also a nurse.  I had seen Ming often on my trips to England but I had not seen Cathy.  It is Christmas and I’m at my daughter’s house in Virginia and talking to Chelsea on Facebook, “Does your mother have Ming’s new address?”  “No, but I’ve got her phone number” Cathy calls out.  She adds, “I’ve got a spare room if you want to visit, my elder son has moved out.”   This was the motivation I needed.  “Oh I’m coming” I reply and so started the planning.

Tours in New Zealand are very expensive, they have a high standard of living (minimum wage is about $16/hour).  I decided that the South Island, although very beautiful, may be too strenuous for me to tackle, with mountains and fantastic scenery.   There seemed enough in the way of museums to keep me interested in Auckland and I really wanted to know about Cathy’s family and life. I had met her parents, Margaret and Clive Lawrence when they came over to California  many years ago.  But I really needed a tiny taste of Australia and I wanted to see where Judy (Garland) had performed in May 1964.  “Will you come to Sydney with me for a few days?”  “Sure” she replied, “but Chelsea wants to come too”  Naturally, why wouldn’t a 15 year old want to go.  Then started the planning.  I had joined a new writing group and they had a meeting on the Saturday so I planned to leave on the  Sunday.  Two weeks later my son had a big concert on the Monday at his high school so I would fly back on the Sunday.  Just two weeks!  I found a flight from San Francisco to Auckland – just 13 hours, I could manage that.  I would leave on Sunday afternoon and arrive at 5 am on Tuesday (New Zealand is 21 hours ahead of us).   We figured Cathy could get the time off work for three days and Chelsea could manage missing school that amount of time so we would fly to Sydney on the second Wednesday of my visit – they would return to Auckland on Sunday afternoon and I would fly back to Sacramento that evening.  So Cathy went ahead and booked our trip from Auckland to Sydney.  I found a flight home, through Honolulu to Sacramento.

Now to find a hotel.  We needed to be as near to the important places in Sydney, such as Opera House, Iron Bridge and Botanial Gardens I had left all my maps in California but I remembered that Kings Cross and Potts Point areas seem central and I started looking on line.  I found the Macleay Hotel in Potts Point within walking distance of Kings Cross Station and near the Gardens. It seems reasonably inexpensive and an area with loads of places to eat and two double beds, kitchen etc.  One reviewer said, “please get a room with Harbour Views,” which I did and it was worth it, particularly on the Saturday night when they decided for “whatever” reason to set off fireworks for fifteen minutes over the Habour. 

I get to San Francisco airport early and start to check in at Air New Zealand.  They look at my papers.  “Where is the evidence of your flight leaving New Zealand?” they ask.  Although Cathy had sent me this information I had not thought to print the out the flight details.  I show them my hotel reservations in Sydney and my flight home from Sydney to the States.  “No that is not enough. We cannot let you fly.”  I was in shock and could not remember which airline the flight was booked on.  But I had Cathy’s address and phone number with my passport.  They called her – Chelsea answered, her mother was at work and she gave them the number – they called and Cathy mentioned Air New Zealand and within minutes they had found the reservation and were content.  The printed it out for me, with instructions, “not to lose it otherwise you won’t get it”.  Naturally when in Auckland no one asked for the information!

The flight is easy and I slept some of the way.  As I wheel my suitcase out I meet and talk to a nice man collecting people for a tour – English - naturally,  who had came there years ago.  Cathy and Chelsea rush up, hugs all around and we go to find the car and visit her parents who live near the airport.   It is still early in the morning there and Margaret is in her night gown, but a cup of tea is quickly forth coming and some toast.  Clive comes out fully dressed and we stay for a couple of hours.  They have a delightful modern bungalow with tidy front garden and a camper in the drive way – they like to travel having just come back from back-to-back cruises around the islands and Australia. Chelsea is wilting and she has to get to school so we start off for Browns Bay where Cathy lives – about 20 miles north of the city.   I am taken with the beautiful vegetation and flowers and trees everywhere.  I also observe the little shopping centres in every town or village – averaging about 25 shops, coffee shops on either side of the road, all with overhangs, presumably to protect the shoppers from the showers of rain will come often.  It is a tropical climate, I never realized this before. Rain falls all year but January and February are summer and plants and bushes flower all year and most trees are evergreen.   

Cathy in her garden

Cathy takes Chelsea to school; usually she catches a bus and all the children wear school uniforms in New Zealand and in Australia.  Cathy’s house is up in the hills and her gardens weave downwards covered in trees, bushes and plants.  Everything grows wildly.  Her 18 year old son, Ben lives in a small house built by his uncle.  They have a Jack Russell terrier called Chloe, so my like my son's dog, Poppy, and two cats.  One cat lives in the garden and the other, who comes into the house, is called Charley and is a very strange cat, I fed her stickie buns.       

I am in a charming room that Cathy had decorated for who --  I don’t know.  Chelsea is in the downstairs bedroom, but inbetween inviting me Cathy has decided to rent the room to a friend of one of her sons. Renier is such an interesting character and quickly becames a new friend on Facebook!  So sweet natured Chelsea is sleeping on the couch and all her clothes and stuff is down in Renier’s room.  He doesn’t care.   These New Zealanders or Kivis as they call themselves are so easy going and pleasant.  Cathy is constantly doing laundry and bring up clothes which she sorts into baskets for the two boys and Chelsea.  The house is full of young people coming and going.  Suddenly it reminds me of my house in Sunnyvale in the 1980s.  Cathy’s marriage has ended and she is living with two teenaged children – my marriage had ended and I was living with two teenaged children with I invited Cathy to live with us for a while.  “Cathy” I said one day.  “You have turned into me!  No husband and a house full of young people.” 

Cathy, Renier, Sam, Maryanne and Chelsea