Sad things happen when you least expect them. Afterward life is never quite the same.
Pip was playing in a much anticipated golf tournament in Pennsylvania when he heard his Dad died very suddenly back in New Zealand. Stranded without a car in the Pocono mountains, he borrowed wheels and hightailed it back to our dear friends Mac and Jennifer Hartshorn in Hoboken to await a flight out of Newark to San Francisco where we met up, traveling on together to New Zealand.
It was the kind of call you dread when you live so far away. It was the kind of homecoming you hope you never have to make.
Aotearoa seemed a hell of a long way across the Pacific that night! The crew on Air New Zealand were very caring and Pip's brother, who'd also been in the States working that day, had organized an upgrade for us. The thirteen hour flight was instantly made more bearable. Once we see the Koru at the AirNZ gate its like being halfway home already. I always touch the outside of the plane as I board, its a familiar routine now, like saying 'take me home'! Though both numb and tired from flying all day, we couldn't help being comforted by the Air NZ crew, with their soft kiwi accents, stylish gray and teal uniforms and kind service offering French champagne and fab kiwi wines to help while the night away. Unremembered movies were watched and not a lot of sleep was had, though the extra leg room was greatly appreciated by my lanky husband.
Our friend Andrew picked us up at dawn and whisked us through the sleeping streets to Orakei. After a quick hello with my parents and son Matt we sped north in my dads zippy red Toyota.
Map of Whangarei Heads (McGregors Bay is at Taurikura), views of Parua Bay on road to Heads
The next three weeks were spent with Pip's mother and family at her home at Whangarei Heads in the north of New Zealand. There was a great gathering of Shona's family, cousins and friends all coming together in the place that Pip's Dad, John, had loved so much. Shona was supported by her sisters, friends and Pips cousins Kate and Kirsty and sister-in-law Linda who cooked all day and night to feed us a all while a nasty equinoctial storm beat up most of New Zealand for several days.The sun came out again, as it always does. which helped us all enormously and the weather warmed up enough to enjoy the beauty around us with walks on the property and beach.
In the six years we've been away Pip's parents had added on a room to the house, built a fab outdoor fireplace and turned their beach house into their home. The property has matured, tall poplars line the drive, olive trees bristling with olive buds rise on the slope above the house and native cabbage trees, Pukas and Grisselinas line the banks of the stream that runs down to the sea. It looks gorgeous. Like a little slice of heaven nestled in the shadow of Mt Manaia, a towering rock shrouded in Maori legend, with the face of a chieftain hewn in its peak by nature.
Pip spent his days mowing and weed-eating the large property until it was manicured like a park. Hitting golf balls onto the paddock or bay just for kicks! I attacked a clump of aggies up the drive (agapanthas are now deemed noxious) producing two huge loads to cart away. The birdsong was amazing, Tui's in particular are unique to the country, their chiming bell like warble a sound that tugs at all Kiwi's heartstrings. I could hear chooks across the road, local eggs with divine and deeply orange yolks are available at the local dairy(store). Divine divine!
We watched with interest as a chopper flew in materials for the new walkway encircling Manaia. DOC (Department of Conservation) have created a system of coastal walks around Bream Head, Smugglers Cove, Manaia and Reotahi nearby. They've also brought back Kiwis (the little feathered kind) to the area, releasing breeding pairs of the small brown flightless bird with great success in areas cleared of rats,wild cats and stoats. I've learnt that the male kiwi is responsible for incubating and hatching the eggs, some of these guys are achieving super-dad status in the Kiwi fancying world by raising big families!! My Craig cousins at McLeods Bay have Kiwis on their property and hear the calls each night. We look forward to that at McGregors Bay.
Gannets, Gulls, Shags, Oystercatchers, migrating Plovers and even a couple ducks are in constant movement over the bay, the Oystercatchers midnight cries as haunting to me as the cry of the Loon in Canada. It's a familar sound of the beach in NZ. There's nothing better than sleeping with windows and doors wide open,(winter or summer) bringing the night sounds of these birds and the bay into our room.
McGregors Bay is sheltered by a little humped island with ancient Pohutukawa trees overhanging rocks. These trees will be covered in bright red blooms when we return again. Our native Christmas Tree. From time to time dolphins or Orca's chasing stingrays come into the bay,none during our trip though one day we saw a shark swim in at low tide then turn around abruptly in the shallows and disappear. Der dum Der Dum,Der dum Der Dum!
Friends Sam and Annie came out with their boat for a scallop dive off Smugglers Cove. September is very early Spring in NZ, the water is clear and chilly and the scallops were at about 30ft. Though Sam told of a friend who dived earlier that week in just board shorts wetsuits were definitely worn on this trip! It was glorious being in a boat again, gotta love the smell of an outboard motor and the sea. When Sam was back on board, Pip slurped a still pulsing mollusk fresh from the sea, it's a little ritual of his! There are very strict quotas for scallops and those caught violating will be made to forfeit their boat, catch and gear. Sensibly each scallop is meticulously measured and counted! any undersize are chucked back. Back at the beach house Pip and Sam shucked the scallops on the lawn while Annabelle, Emily (his nieces) and Sophie (Sam and Annies' daughter) watched.We ate the scallops wrapped in bacon and others cooked in shells with wine and butter on the BBQ, they tasted wonderful straight from the ocean.
At low tide I picked a bucket full of pipi's (white oval-shelled shellfish) steaming them in a little Riesling for lunch. Another day Pip and I took the tin dinghy with the little engine puttering at full blast across the harbour to the Tuatua bank and picked Tuatuas (bigger oval shaped shellfish). The bank is only visible at low tide right out in the middle of the harbour, water all around, its surreal really! Getting wet is a prerequisite, a wetsuit a must at this time of year (for me at least), there is something totally primal about gathering shellfish like this. Some years we've seen lots of spiny orange starfish on the bank, one year we found masses of cockles (clams), another it was sea slugs, this year the sandbank was covered in a bright green sea lettuce. Luckily the tuatuas are so prolific you simply sink your hand into the sand and come up with handfuls. We have a cunning shell opener (see photo) and a system for shucking and cleaning them before mincing and cooking in Fritters. Pips mother makes the best Tuatua fritters. This time I tried a new recipe(not sure why), mainly whipped egg whites and beaten yolks, but the result was a bit too floppy, needed more flour, though the final product tasted fine.
We managed about five swims, it was bleepin freezing but wearing wetsuit helped! The air was warm in the sun, the water so clean and clear that it was a sin not to dip in. My dodgy back played up and I found that if I did some digging, tennis or whatever then soaked in the cold seawater until I was numb followed by a hot shower I was right as rain!
Just five minutes drive from our sheltered harbour bay is Ocean Beach , a favorite beach for surfing and running down dunes. The white sands and fabulous views inspire and revive. Ten years ago we came out here to watch the dawn of the new Millenium with Pips parents, popping a jeroboam of French champagne as the sun came up. Good memories.
A couple of visits that week got me thinking about cottage industry! Both my cousin Catherine and friend Jayne are into cheese-making. I was thrilled to taste Jayne's washed rind cheese, cumin Gouda, two types of feta, two types of stunning blue, brie and mozzarella while I could only gaze in awe at her Parmesan which would not be ready for several months yet. Wow! this stuff is seriously good!
Pip flew back to TO a week ahead of me but before he went we caught up with friends and family in Auckland. Then I had a lovely week babysitting Maizy, Pips brother's westie, while they had a few days in Fiji with Shona. I'd been battling the flu the whole month and just collapsed post doggie walks most days!
Saturday morning my friend Vicky flew in from two months at the Johsua Foundation an African Missionary station near Arusha, Tanzania. Arriving in full Masai dress, her two girls and I met her and whisked her home for bubbles and a catch up. Later my boys arrived and we walked down to La Cigale's farmers market, a bustling fragrant treat for foodies as good as any I'd visited anywhere.
Stalls groaned with buttery french pastries, kiwi treats like Eccles cake and pink and chocolate lamingtons, wild NZ game like mutton birds and deer, north african flavoured rubs and marinades, French wines, local veggies,French and atisnal cheeses, dayboat fish and scallops, meats, artisnal chutneys, jams and jellies.
Peonies, Eccles cakes stand, Pastries, North African flavours, Salads and tarts, Lamingtons, Iced cinnamon buns and Breads.
The whole smoked chickens a long missed fav of mine! I succumbed to a smoked garlic salt rub for meat packaged with a shaker, smoked garlic bulb and three packs of salt. Toting artisnal cheese's, salads bread, charcuterie and coffee back to Vicky's pad we brunched with the kids before I headed off to Mum and Dad's house.
It was such a treat having time with my sons and parents with a final family party for my parents 54th wedding anniversary on Sunday at sister Trisha's home.
Flying out on AirNZ was my least traumatic exit from enzed yet. Knowing I'd soon be back took the nasty edge off. Getting across the US has it's ongoing challenges! Three hours with Homeland Security in San Fran and they finally waved me cheerily on....(off the same flight Ruth Richardson was similarly inconvenienced and sat for about three hours missing connecting flights, only to be told "Sorry our mistake!" by the overworked border guard!) luckily I've got savvy, toting a mag and my patience with a red-eye flight booked much later so no stress!
To finish, it was a very sad trip downunder but the upside was that we both fell in love with our country again. Its just a little slip of land on the global scale but has enormous pulling power! Needless to say changes are afoot in the our little world, but more about that next time!!
FOR SALE
PS: I have two paintings for sale from my 2004-05 'pounamu' Series.
Two 1m x1m Acrylic on canvas located in Toronto.
Email jujuwood@gmail.com
