Volume 21, No. 4

JUNE 2008

RICHARD BANGS RATES NEW ZEALAND

Adventurer Richard Bangs came to New Zealand to explore the guardianship concept of ‘Kaitiakitanga’.

He found it amidst the giant kauri trees of Waipoua Forest. He found it watching whales off the coast of Kaikoura. He found it heli-hiking in the Southern Alps. And he found it eating paraoa rewena (Maori bread) in a Wellington café.

He writes:

“For me the temptation has been unsuccess fully resisted many times to return to New Zealand. . . there is something ineluctable about its natural beauty, something ever-alluring about its deep culture; and something enigmatic about how it seems more pristine with each visit.

“On my most recent journey across the enchantment that is New Zealand, I passed through a magic glass that offered a partial explanation... an ancient Maori concept known as Kaitiakitanga, a notion that promotes guardianship of the earth as a key responsibility, a belief that we need to steward towards a better future not just for our children, but for all things, and for all time. This concept imbues much of New Zealand, transcending politics, landscapes, cultures, even eras to exist as a contemporary national ethos, and a proud explanation of why the country seems to get better with every look, and why it is be coming a model for the world.

“It is a land of heroes, myths, of rich story telling and grand adventures, and of inspiration, and it is a place to which I vow to return again and again if just to be awed and renewed by its wonders, and to know more of the secret map that may lead the way to a bright and sustainable future for the whole of the world.”

(www.richardbangs.com. Find out all about Richard Bangs and his exciting adventures).

(www.mtsobek.com. Mountain Travel Sobek is an adventure travel website that includes itineraries to New Zealand).

BLACK SHEEP NO LONGER SHUNNED IN WORLD OF FASHION Los Angeles Times)

Their wool is in demand for luxury fabrics, thanks to a New Zealand breeder.

Snowflakes are swirling through the Waihaorunga Valley, clouding Fiona Gardner’s vision as she leaves her Jeep and heads toward a flock of merino sheep on one of the hilly ridges on her 1,500- acre New Zealand farm.

But the snow does not obscure the animals; rather, they stand out starkly against the landscape. The sheep, you see, are not white but black.

Forget mink and sable. The ultra-fine wool from so-called colored sheep is the newest luxury fabric—and much more rare. Wool from Gardner’s flock can be found in a line of clothing called Pecora Nera in stores in Milan, London, Madison Avenue and Aspen, Colorado.

Yet, for centuries, black sheep were shunned for polluting the pure white coats of their brethren. It wasn’t until Gardner took up their cause in the early 1980s that things began to change. In many ways she has single-handedly altered their place in the wool industry and in consumers’ wardrobes.

“They are the proverbial creatures that weren’t wanted,” said Gardner, 49, who struggled for years to showcase the black wool in Europe and the U.S. “But black sheep are so gorgeous. I love them dearly. Their wool is so beautiful. There’s no dye, no chemicals. I didn’t want their wool used for tourist socks. I wanted them in the finest stores.”

After all, the first sheep—of biblical times and before—were not white. They were black, brown

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and tan, with occasional splotches of white. Sheep were domesticated about 10,000 years ago and over centuries selectively bred to be white because white wool is easier to dye.

Still, the colored gene could never be completely eradicated, which is why a black lamb is sometimes born in a flock of white sheep.

Gardner, a native of Warwickshire, England, fell in love with black sheep and their wool after she left Britain at 23 to marry a New Zealand farmer and settled in the remote Taranui Farm on New Zealand's South Island.

"I was the odd person out," she said. "People still think of me as that English girl. The woman's place was still in the home, but I needed something to do. When I first spotted a black fleece and got interested in breeding colored sheep, I knew it wouldn't threaten anyone."

Gardner knew nothing about sheep, but her husband came from a family of breeders.

"I started learning about colored sheep. I joined a local spinner's group and they started buying my wool," she said.

Gardner wanted to perfect her colored wool so it would be high enough quality to sell to an upscale company, not just local spinners. So she began looking for black sheep for her nascent breeding program, which included just three ewes in 1984.

"When you have a minority breed, your stock is very limited," Gardner said. "I wrote to all the stud farmers and said, 'I'll take any of your black lambs.' I enclosed a stamped, self-addressed envelope and sent out dozens of letters. I never got any replies. Later I heard from some people who said they thought I was mad."

Pete Innes, 59, a third-generation sheep farmer and owner of the 45,000 acre Black Forest sheep sta tion, remembers hearing about Gardner 20 years ago.

"Yes, we thought she was mad," innes said. "But I have to band it to her. What she's done is very difficult. It goes against everything we do. Black sheep have always been the rejects."

"Any black fiber that got into the white wool could destroy someone's reputation," Gardner said. "From a breeder's point of view, you didn't want any one to hear you had a black lamb."

Eventually farmers began co-operating. Gardner recalls driving through small villages with her car full of the bleating black lambs she would pick up and bring back to Taranui Farm.

Her determination, spurred in part by the scorn of veteran breeders, including her father-in-law,

led her to win an exclusive contract with the world's most high-end clothing companies, Loro Piana of Italy.

"In the early days, our wool was not that great," Gardner said. "But I was like a mad scientist"-helped, she said, by Roger Lundie, a sheep-breeding geneticist-"and slowly, these beautiful blacks and browny blacks and silver grays and blue grays began showing up. I always knew there was someone out there who was going to want this fabric."

That someone was Pier Luigi Loro Piana, who with his brother, Sergio, is chief executive of the extra-luxury Italian house. "A woman saving these animals and showing the world how beautiful they are at the same time," Loro Piana said. "She is a rebel, the same way the black sheep are."

NZ SEES RECORD TOURIST NUMBERS - Stuff

A record number of visitors came to the country last year, new figures from Statistics New Zealand reveal.

By the end of the year just over two million tourists had come into the country, up two per cent from December 2006. In the last decade, visitor numbers had increased by almost one million visitors.

However Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said visitor numbers bad softened towards the end of the year, largely because of the economic situation overseas.

Arrivals from the United Kingdom and the United States were showing some strain from slowing domestic house prices, rising fuel costs and higher debt servicing levels.

The figures showed Air New Zealand's direct flights to Vancouver, launched in November last year, had boosted numbers from Canada with arrivals up 15.4 per cent in December and up 4.0 per cent for the year as a whole.

But New Zealand's high dollar was making it expensive for Japanese tourists to travel here.

However visitors from Australia were still keen to come over with visitor numbers up 5.2 per cent for the year.

KIWlphile FILE needs your stories. If you've visited New Zealand recently (or long ago), others will enjoy whatever you have to say. Thanks.

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TAKE THE HOLIDAYS SERIOUSLY

By Judy Miller

If you intend to be in New Zealand over any of the major holidays remember that Kiwis take their time off seriously. Unlike the U.S. where most shops, eateries, gasoline stations, etc. are open 24/7, Sundays, weekdays and most major holidays-that distressing trend hasn't become the norm in New Zealand.

In March/April of 2007 my sister and I were once again in New Zealand with our parents, this time celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. In most ways it was a reprise of the trip we enjoyed to celebrate their 50th year of marriage. Traveling up the West Coast of the South Island, we arrived in Motueka on Easter Friday headed for our night's lodging in Collingwood. Motueka is a good size town and the gateway to the popular holiday destinations in the far north of the South Island, so while we did not expect to find any banks open, we did expect to be able to find something to eat, it being lunch time. We made no less than two full passes through the main business district before finding a small restaurant open.

We were booked into a comfortable old char acter villa right on the ocean in Collingwood, where in retrospect we should have spent at least two nights. This part of New Zealand is way off the beaten path but well worth a visit, and even with it being a holiday, there were minimal numbers of people about. We had booked in advance in the smaller towns but didn't expect to have any problems in the larger places, so Saturday found us back in the Information Center in Motueka which, happily, was open. These centers are found in most New Zealand towns of any size with some being larger and better equipped than others, but all will have clean toilets and helpful staff. They are marked with distinctive green and white signs with a big letter "I". The center in Motueka is large, well staffed and we threw ourselves on their mercy while they called accommodation all the way from Nelson to Kaikoura in an attempt to fmd a room for Saturday and Sunday nights.

As it turned out we were dealing not only with the long weekend, but with the Easter Weekend Airshow that takes place in Blenheim and there did not appear to be a room available in all of Marlbor ough. So the only real option we had was to spend the night in Nelson which turned out just fine and we were able to pre-book wonderful rooms in Kaikoura for Sunday night.

In addition, not only is Easter Friday celebrated, Easter Monday is celebrated which makes

for a very long four day holiday if you are short of cash, need a bank for any reason, or even in some places looking for a restaurant that is open. Each town is different and I'm sure that in the larger towns more places are open. You just need to be aware of the problems that can arise for travelers over these holidays.

ATMs of course are open 24/7 and most, but not all, accommodation and restaurants take plastic but you can get in trouble if you aren't careful. For instance, our accommodation in Collingwood only took cash.

There used to be no problem playing trips by ear, but more and more now it is essential to pre-book especially if you want to stay in a particular property on particular dates. I would suggest checking for public holidays and school holidays and avoiding those dates if at all possible. Kiwis take their holidays very seriously, and over some periods are out in force. There are a variety of websites that list both public and school holidays-just google New Zealand public holidays.

Now some recommendations:

Christchurch: The Grange-located on Armagh, a 5 minute walk to downtown and all of the central restaurants, tourist attractions, Arts and Craft Center, Botanical Garden and Canterbury Museum. It is one of several restored residences on this street and one that I have enjoyed greatly.

Website: www.thegrange.co.nz

Collingwood: Bluebird Cottage-old style villa-type house right on the beach. $120 for four-cash only.

Kaikoura: Gateway Motor Lodge, $155 for 2 - self contained with cooking facilities. New and modern.

New Plymouth: My sister and I made a quick trip to the Taranaki Region after our parents returned home, and again accommodation was hard to come by. We were directed to One Burgess Hill just outside New Plymouth, and made a particularly bad decision to continue on instead of overnighting there. The setting is lovely and the price reasonable ($140-$210).

www.oneburgesshill.co.nz

HEDGEHOG GETS POLICE ESCORT - Stuff

Why did the hedgehog cross the road? Because police stopped traffic to prevent it from being squashed.

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Palmerston North police were faced with a prickly problem during a drink-drive blitz on Milson Line on Friday night when a hedgehog tried to cross their checkpoint.

Traffic was stopped and the animal was escorted across the road.

"His reason for crossing the road was not ascertained and he was not breath-tested," Senior Sergeant Brett Calkin said.

PENCARROW LIGHTHOUSE: Silent Star

Pencarrow Lighthouse, on the edge of Wellington harbour, was the first permanent lighthouse in New Zealand. It was cast in England and arrived in the country in June 1858, exactly 150 years ago this year.

The lighthouse shone for the first time on 1 January 1859, amid great celebration-and you would imagine, great relief from the seafaring community. At one time Pencarrow was run by Mary Jane Bennett, New Zealand's first and only woman lighthouse keeper.

The New Zealand Historic Places Trust has maintained the building, which is surrounded by a recreational reserve since 1966. The property is now a popular destination for hikers and bikers.

NEW ZEALAND FOR THE HOLIDAYS

- Robert A. Ringgenberg, D.D.S.

Two weeks 2007-2008:

From Cincinnati (CVG) we flew Delta to Los Angeles (LAX) Friday afternoon 12/21/07. Overseas they write the date 21/12/07. You can't complain about the food on Delta because there is none. Flight was delayed over an hour, resulting in our checked luggage not getting on the Quantas flight, most likely, as it did not arrive in Auckland. Quantas round trip per person, US$2,100.

Lesson to be learned: Put anything essential in carry-on bags even if it means an oversized carry-on that they load onto the plane at boarding. At LAX (and likely other airports) allow 4 hours to change planes. I allowed 2 1/2 hours and that was not enough due to late arrival from Cincinnati. Every plane on this trip was full and late by at least an hour. All were 3 seats to the row. Check in,

security, crowded terminals, under-staffed airlines all contribute to a nerve wracking time of it. Over 30 passengers were missing luggage from our flight to Auckland (AUK). We did get the bag back when we returned to Auckland on the way home.

We like Rick Steves' fabric roller for carry-on along with a back pack to carry onto the plane. Magellan's @ 1-800-962-4943 sells electrical plug converters (EA23MEG works for New Zealand). Take several. Magellan's also sells many handy items for travel such as a mini credit card-size flashlight for your pocket.

It is a 12 hour flight from LAX to AUK, and you lose a day because you cross the International Date Line. Jet lag isn't so noticeable because there is only about 4 hours difference in the time of day. So leaving LAX Friday, we arrived AUK Sunday morning.

We spent part of the morning trying to locate our bag, filed a report with Quantas, and then went to a bank of phones which has a listing for hotels and rental cars. We picked up the courtesy phone and called Britz auto rental, and they instructed us where to get their van.

The rental cars are located away from the airport for Britz, and it is quite difficult to find upon returning the car at the end of the trip. Other agencies seemed to be closer to the terminal. This was the second time we rented from Britz-the first time in Christchurch which was much more pleasant. Overall they are good, but this time we had to wait for what seemed like forever, and later discovered wiper blades were shot and no washer fluid (which I replaced myself).

Cost for car for 2 weeks including insurance was US$1200. You can phone from the States by dialing 011-64-9-255 0620. The 64 number can be dialed from your US based cell phone even while in NZ. The toll free 0800 number must be dialed from a local NZ phone such as your hotel room phone.

Lesson to be learned: Be sure and get a map showing the major roadway leading into the area of the airport (Route 1 in Auckland) to the rental car return station. Check everything on the car before departing. In New Zealand, of course, you drive on the left so the turn signal is on the right side and the windshield wiper stalk is left of the steering wheel.

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If you see a car with the windshield wipers going and no rain, watch out. It is a tourist and not used to driving on the left. If you hear your wife screaming, change lanes immediately.

While on the subject of lessons to be learned, be sure and have reservations and confirm them. Not just the hotels, but any excursions. We rented a station wagon just in case we had to "camp." "NO VACANCY" SIGNS are everywhere.

So we are off to Rotorua on Route 1 which turns into a two-lane just south of Auckland. If you have the extra time, the Pacific Coast Highway, Route 25, turning into Route 2 along the coast is likely a more scenic and interesting drive. It was cool and overcast. I would suggest doing this trip a little later, like February. New Zealand has two days off, Christmas and Boxing Day. And also the same for New Year's. Some stores and services are shut down and you miss that warm fuzzy feeling of Christmas Eve at home with your dog. The trade off is you get two weeks for the lost job time of one week or so.

A roadside fruit stand supplied us with welcome snacks. We stopped at the small town of Canterberry for lunch and a purchase of a bottle of red wine. The wines really hit the spot, but the California wines are hard to beat. New Zealand has many small towns and you MUST stop and explore. They are so fascinating, checking out the stores, people watching, buying snacks-really fun.

We arrived at the Royal Lakeside Novotel in Rotorua around 4PM for a 2 night stay which cost US$300. This hotel is a MUST. Perfect service, facilities, location, views of Lake Rotorua. Tel. 011 64 7 346 3888, located at the lake end of Tutanekai Street, one of the main streets. The town itself is not a must, kind of a Barillochi and not an Aspen or Zermatt. Lots of ethnic eateries and gift shops, but lots of activities surrounding it. Novotels are very well managed and highly recommended. We stayed last year for one night at the Novotel in Queenstown, and experienced the same fabulous service, location, and facilities.

After checking in, we drove out to Te Puia Maori Cultural Centre. They offer guided tours, craft demos, and a walk to view the hot bubbling mud pools and geysers. We were not impressed. We were impressed with our dinner at Ali Baba's kabob take out. You can eat in also. Located at 1146 Tutanekei Street, phone 07 348 2983. It is a one-man operation hole-in-the-wall, run by a man from Tunisia with perfect English who reminds you

of Babu from Seinfeld. Inexpensive and really good. You sit there and watch him put together your lamb and veggie wrap that he calls a kabob, or try the salad made to order. He has lamb and chicken on rotating skewers under hot lights. No alcohol, but this is a MUST. We ate both dinners here.

The next day, Monday, December 24th, 2007, up at 6:30 am, coffee and tea in the room. All New Zealand hotels have an electric pot and tea and coffee in the room, very smart. They also have washers and dryers for the guests to use and an ironing board and iron in the room. Since we were living out of our carry-on bags, this was handy. Actually the missing luggage was a blessing. We realized how little we really needed, and saved lots of time not having to pack and unpack.

Another interesting thing: New Zealanders do not make such a big fuss over Christmas as we do here in the US. We noticed a significant number of foreigners living and working in New Zealand just as in our home town of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Today we are off to White Island, an active volcano, which is about 30 miles offshore from Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty, an hour's drive east of Rotorua on Route 30. The airport is small and quaint and easy to miss, though there is a sign just before you get to the town.

New Zealanders are quite friendly and helpful with directions. "Follow me-I am going that way." We did and he took us right to the airport. We had to ask directions while gassing up the car with over US$5.00/gallon gas.

We arranged for a helicopter tour to the island. You can also arrange to do it by boat, which takes a lot longer. Either way, weather permitting, you land and walk about the volcano. This is a MUST. The scenery and colors are fantastic. It takes about 2 hours total from airport and return. US$345 each. You are supplied an inflatable life jacket and a hard hat (in case of an eruption). Book with White Island Volcano Adventure, phone 011 64 7 34084188 from USA OR 0800 804 354 toll free locally.

There are dolphin watch boat excursions and lots of other activities along the coast of the Bay of Plenty. A really good source of information is Lonely Planet's New Zealand guidebook. Detailed atlases are available at most gas stations. The "New Zealand Map Guide" available from the New Zealand Tourist Office, suite 2510, 222 E. 41st Street. New York, NY 10017. Ph. 212 661 7088, a MUST. It shows North and South Island on one fold-out along with all the information you need to plan your trip.

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On the way back to Rotorua we stopped at Hells Gate, a thermal bath/tourist stop/geyser area that is commercialized. Lunch here was not special, and we would not recommend it unless you want to take a dip in the hot springs.

Back in Rotorua, we drove out to the airport in search for our lost bag-no luck. Interestingly, there are lots of tiny airports scattered about the country. You could fly to practically anywhere. Sky dive anyone?

True to her nature, my wife spent the remainder of the day shopping in Rotorua, where mostly basic items for locals are sold, not the place to buy Prada or Rolex. Lots of tourist shops and items related to outdoor activities. If she hasn't made a purchase by noon, a cold beer for yours truly will be hard to come by.

Dinner at Ali Baba's again and off to bed at the Novotel.

Tuesday, 12-25-07. we drove from Rotorua south on Rt 1 to the Bayview Chateau Tongariro at Mount Ruapehu, passing by Lake Taupo. The weather was rainy, cloudy and grey, and views of the mountain were obscured. Just south of Rotorua on Rt 1 is Wai-0-Tapu (Sacred Waters) Thermal Wonderland. This is a MUST. Reminds you of a mini Yellowstone, boarded walkways. a lecture-don't miss it. This is a volcanic area and you see all kinds of mounds and some larger humps, also signs of timbering. The traffic was light, Christmas Day.

The Chateau, built in 1929, looks like a smaller version of the Lake Louise Chateau. Located near a ski resort and the Tongariro National Park, with its famous track, "Tongariro Crossing." A MUST, great service and old-fashioned ambience. Cost US$100/night, and twice that for a suite in the new addition which is actually worth it.

Bayview Chateau Tongariro, Whakapapa Village, S.H. (route) 48 Mount Ruapeho, NZ, www.trek.co.nz, Email: info@chateau.co.nz. They have a Christmas buffet at US$70 each, looked good. We opted to eat in the "Café" adjacent to the hotel which was real good also, and frequented by locals.

We struck up an interesting conversation with a Kiwi (New Zealander) who had a farm. Getting involved with local people is fun and educational. Real easy to do, locals are friendly as a rule.

Idea: Take along on your trip "post-its" which are useful to mark or label pages in guidebooks and road atlases. Small plastic icebox containers, one or two, are good to put fruit, nuts, snacks, etc. in that you buy roadside.

Wednesday, 12-26-07, we are going to drive further south on Rt 1 to Wellington to catch the ferry to South Island. First we drove up to see the ski area just above the Chateau, really rocky and barren. You can ride the chair lift up for a view. The drive south is a scenic winding road, two lane as are all NZ roads except in and out of larger cities. We encountered masses of motorcycles of every description heading north to a (must have been big) motorcycle race.

We stopped at the village of Bulls, and Ewa, my wife, visited Scullies, a shop that makes and sells skin care products made from local ingredients. She says they are real good and now has a lifetime supply. The Subway restaurant next door had delicious roast lamb subs with your choice of veggies.

We arrived in Wellington and only had to backtrack one time to find the Interislander ferry. The signs are adequate for Rt 1. We were booked on the 6:15 PM (last) trip. I made reservations for the 2 PM, and they were difficult to deal with. First they could not find my reservation-then I suggested they rebook which they did, but when I confirmed, they said I was a week late in confirming and put us on the 6:15.

It is a 3 hour ride and is dark by 9 PM in Picton where the ferry docks. And Picton rolls up the sidewalks early. Ferry costs US$50 each and is a MUST for the scenery. You can also take your car on the ferry. We did not. Parking was US$35 for 5 days at the ferry terminal in Wellington. We did not see much of Wellington.

The ferry reservation problem was due to the fact that I booked with some internet travel agent and not direct with the ferry company. This is the second time we experienced this.

The ferry is big, had a cafeteria with not so special items in the mash potato and gravy variety. The bar has a good selection of beers and wines. Book directly with the provider and not through a flashy internet ad.

As you enter Marlborough Sound approaching Picton, the scenery is great. Upon arrival in Picton we made our way to the Yacht Club Hotel near the dock, in the dark. This was the eve of Boxing Day, a national holiday and everything was closed, hotel bar and restaurant-all the restaurants. A reason not to travel on the holidays.

The lady at the hotel was not helpful at all. We were the only ones checking in, and she said she was too busy to help us locate our lost bag. The room was rather dirty, and Novotel is to take this hotel over in the future and it will be splendid then. Cost US$125 for one night for the two of us.

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Picon is really small and everything is easy to find and within walking distance.

Up to this point the trip had not been special except for the White Island excursion. The weather had been cool and rainy and cloudy. Our lost luggage also put a dampener on things. But this was about to change.

(Readers: We must leave the trip here but will be back in September!)

OVERLANDER BACK ON TRACK

Passenger numbers are up and the iconic Overlander rail service is here to stay.

Between July 2007 and January 2008 more than 26,000 passengers travelled on the scenic train journey between Auckland and Wellington. There has been an increase in passenger numbers of 20 per cent on each service for the year to December 2007.

Toll NZ General Manager Corporate Affairs Sue Foley says TranzScenic staff have worked hard to rebuild the service right down to improving the onboard menu, which now has a truly kiwi flavour.

"With the assistance of well-known Wellington restauranters Logan and Brown, we now have some great New Zealand-based suppliers onboard, with Wishbone Eve's Pantry for the great railway pie, and Kapiti for the hokey pokey ice creams.

"It is not just the cities that have backed the Overlander. Toll would also like to say a big thank you to the regions that have got behind the service as well. There has been particularly good patronage from provincial stop points including Hamilton, Palmerston North, Taumaranui and, of course National Park.

"Competition from cheap airfares has been intense in the first three months of this year, but the Overlander has responded with the recent 'Cheap Seats' campaign, which offered $49 seats to go anywhere between Wellington and Auckland."

Sue Foley says the service will move to its winter timetable of three journeys per week from 4 May. A highlight of the winter calendar will be 'Steam Saturday', when the Overlander is pulled by a steam locomotive between Feilding and Taihape.

TREES FOR TRAVELLERS

Leave a lasting memento of your visit for future generations! The project that makes it possible for you to contribute positively towards climate change and take an active role in the preservation and enhancement of Kaikoura's unique environment.

Kaikoura, well known for their dolphin encounters and incredible seafood is also an eco-tourist hotspot on the South Island of New Zealand.

In order to address the increasingly guilty feeling eco-travelers might have, Kaikoura has developed a way you can travel and still feel good about your C02 emissions. "Trees for Travelers" is a program that enables visitors, or anyone really, to purchase a native tree. The tree is planted locally in an effort to reforest the area. But the best part is you can monitor your tree's growth on-line!

The native tree species were selected as they are said to help stop erosion, sequester C02 and also offset the impact of over 1 million visitors each year.

Your tree choices range from $20 for a shrub, to $40 for a large heritage tree. Details of the native trees, along with photos can be found on their site. The Trees for Travelers initiative is designed to help Kaikoura achieve their zero waste policy, because an eco destination is all about leaving the place better than when you arrived.

Trees for Travellers

80 Scarborough St, P0 Box 107 Kaikoura, New Zealand

Phone: +64 3 319 7148 Fax: +64 3 319 7149

info@treesfortravellers.co.nz

WYSIWYG NEWS - By Brian Harmer

(Copyright by Brian Harmer, reprinted by permission)

In the cold pre-dawn blackness, the Southern Cross glittered in the cloudless sky above us. Around us the crowd of several hundred young and old was talking quietly, in little clusters around the cenotaph at the Lower Hurt War Memorial Library. A band from the Wellington South Citadel of the Salvation Army stood nearby, and at the base of the cenotaph were a team of air cadets' heads, bowed with their hands on reversed rifles in the traditional posture of mourning and homage paid by the military to the fallen.

It wasn't quite the advertised time of 6 am when the parade approached along Queens Drive. Perhaps the veterans moved faster than the organizers expected. Truth to tell, the rhythm of their marching wasn't quite as crisp as it was when these old gentlemen went off to their respective wars in 1939, or in subsequent conflicts in Korea, Malaya and Viet Nam. Their backs weren't as straight either, but no force of nature short of death itself

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was going to prevent them turning out to honour their fallen comrades. Behind them, stepping more precisely came the resplendent representatives of the modem defence establishment, and a well turned out contingent of police in their dress uniform.

When the parade came to a halt and after it had carried out the ancient ritual manoeuvres to align themselves properly, it was called to attention by the parade commander, an army officer wearing the dis tinctive "lemon squeezer" hat which has been the headgear of the NZ army throughout most of its history since it was first adopted by the Wellington Regiment in 1912.

The ANZAC Dedication was recited: "At this hour, upon this day, ANZAC received its baptism of fire, and became one of the immortal names in history ...". The Salvation Army band played "Oh God Our Help in Ages Past". After a brief eulogy (longer ones are reserved for the full civic ceremony later in the day) silence was kept as wreaths were laid. The eerie notes of The Last Post echoed back from the civic buildings as the flags of New Zealand and Australia were lowered. After a minute's silence, Reveille was played, and Binyon's "Ode to the Fallen" recited. I can never recite that without choking a little. I suppose that the ceremonies taking place in Lower Hutt and in many other small towns and villages were similar, less grand than in the main centres.

The old gentlemen braced as the national an them was played. I say "played" because hardly anyone sang. Perhaps because it was dark, they couldn't read the words. Can you imagine a crowd in Britain not knowing the words to "God Save the Queen" or Americans "The Star Spangled Banner", or even across the Tasman "Advance Australia Fair"? It was a cringe-making moment. However the ceremony moved on. A chaplain read a lengthy and to my mind excessively sectarian benediction and suddenly, as the sky lightened in the East, the parade was over. In time with the beating drum, the old warriors marched off with a spring in their step on their way to a hot break fast, and a nip of something to dispel the chill of the morning.

PEACE AND TRANQUILLITY

IN THE HOKIANGA

The headwaters of the Hokianga Harbour are framed by spectacular giant (300 metre) sand dunes - an amazing place to swim, fish, explore or go sand dune surfing. Further up the harbour is Rawene, New Zealand's third oldest European settlement and the home of historic Clendon house.

The recently completed mangrove walk makes a great stroll. Many small picturesque villages dot the Hokianga, including the old logging town of Kohukohu and the twin settlements of Omapere and Opononi (made famous in 1955-56 by Opo the dolphin).

Hokianga Harbour and the surrounding area is extremely peaceful and tranquil where you can enjoy outstanding views of the landscape of the North Island. You can walk along the Coastal Walkway and take in the sights or enjoy a swim in the warm turquoise waters. Kayaking the pristine waters of the harbour or sand boarding on the dunes are other outdoor activities to enjoy.

You will find small shops selling arts and crafts that were created by the local residents. Enjoy a fine meal at one of the many cafes or go a step higher and dine at a first rate establishment.

Whatever you decide to do while visiting Hokianga Harbour in New Zealand you will find it to be a paradise of amazing beauty and relaxation, some where that everyone should visit at least once in a lifetime.

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KIWIphile FILE

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