Summary of time:
· Arriving in a new country
· Kawakawa – trains & markets
- Getting to know the locals
Handy hints –
§ Embrace the weather, be prepared for anything.
Leaving the USA, where has the last 6 months gone, is it really time for me to move on. The journey day is all part of the adventure. It was time to pack my bags again, for a plane journey, so making sure the liquid stuff was in all the right places, etc. As I didn’t need to check out till 10am I took the opportunity to catch up on emails etc, then took my bags to the luggage store, and headed off to the park with my book to enjoy the fresh air, and sunshine.
When I got back to the hostel, another guest was also collecting their bags to get a taxi to the train station, so we shared (I had every intention of walking, but it certainly made life easier).
It was nice to catch the train back upto LA in the daylight, as it meant that I could see the coastline…last glimpses of the Pacific Ocean on this side anyway. Arriving at LA, Grand Central Station, it was dark, but I helped a fellow passenger get his bearings to where they needed to go, but then couldn’t find where I needed to be. There is a shuttle bus to the airport for $6, and I got there just as one was about to leave…. although it would mean getting there at 7pm for an 11.30pm flight.
No worries, got my bags checked in, after having to rearrange a few things to get my suitcase below the limit…I’m glad I was there early and not many people in the queue!!!!
All of a fluster I went through security and forgot to put my laptop through separately, d’oh! There was not really much before or after security in the ways of shopping or food outlets. I changed my Canadian and US dollars for New Zealand dollars, then didn’t leave myself enough for a hot chocolate, although I had checked the prices I’d forgotten about the tax to be added to the quoted price! But the very kind lady let me off the 25c I was short.
The seating area was filling up, with a few kids running around. There was a slight delay in the loading, but we were soon on, but as the last of the passengers were getting on, there was an announcement to say that a passenger had taken ill and we were waiting for the paramedics.
Unfortunately they left the plane and we had to then wait for their bags to be found!!! In the delay, we were handed our entry to NZ cards and filled them out. We eventually left at 12.45am, but due to the turbulence the cabin crew couldn’t serve us dinner until 2am…by this time I was ready to sleep, as had not slept well the night before. I did slightly worry that after leaving LAX we were then over the ocean, and would be until we landed….oohhh! Food and then sllleeeeepppp zzzzz
I woke up after 3 hours before we were due to land, watched a film, had breakfast etc. I had the aisle seat, and the person on the inside of me had climbed over me in the middle of the night and id slept right through.
We landed about 45 mins late, into a grey and wet Auckland…. body clock was on the right time. Going through immigration was worrying but no problems, then it was time to collect my bags, which seemed to be almost the last ones off, and then join the long queues to go through customs.
I had ticked a box to say that I had hiking boots, and yes id been in a forest within the last month…I was wearing them, and had made sure that they were totally clean before I had left USA. So when asked about answering yes, I lifted my feet to show the boots, the guy was satisfied (NZ are very strict about no fruit, seeds, etc I heard a story later of a lady who had binned the bag of tangerines she had, but hadn’t realised the bag was split and a tangerine had fallen out, she was charged $200).
You then had to take your bags to be x-rayed, and eventually I was out. Shirley and her friend Terry were there to meet me. They had a couple of things to do in Auckland, before we headed north. We stopped at a mall for a couple of things and lunch. It was grey and raining, but Shirley assured me it would be dry up in Northland, even though they needed the rain.
Driving up it was still cloudy, although by the time we got to Kawakawa, it was clear and dry…. they had had no rain. I was met by two enthusiastic dogs, Perro and Pip, as well as Mike.
Kawakawa is famous for 2 things… the train and the toilets. The public toilets were designed by Frederick Hundertwasser, a renowned Polish artist who lived locally, and they are photographed a lot. The train is a Vintage Railway, which line is down the centre of the high street, or I should correctly say that the high street has been built either side of the train track. A few years ago, the railway was stopped running, due to lack of maintenance, but it is slowly being repaired, and restored. The train was going about 4kms, before returning, although the next station, Taumarere, was almost ready, when the engine could move from the front to the back of the train, to pull it back into town. The plan was to have it open for summer season (which did happen). Mike and Shirley are involved with the railway, so I would be helping out. During the school holidays, the train runs every day (3 days diesel & 4 days steam), but the rest of the time it is diesel Friday and then steam Saturday and Sunday.
Friday I was down helping out. As it was approaching Christmas, they had given local schools the opportunity of riding on the train, for the “price” of singing songs / carols as the train was going through the town. This would be the first of 6 days when we would have local schools, and we had 3 trips. The first was a local playgroup, which all had their faces painted, a primary school, and then a Maori primary school. They sang for the whole journey (from station to end of high street, back to the station, and then most of the normal route, which took around 40 mins). They sang in Maori and English, but mainly Maori.
As it was the last train of the day, when we got back to the station, they sang and signed a song for us. One of their schoolkids (which only around 30 kids) was deaf, so the whole school had been learning sign language, and some one had written a song, which they had recently performed at a Maori gathering. It bought tears to my eyes… even though I didn’t know what they were singing!
That night we ate at Trainspotters Café, which are open Friday evenings. Kawakawa has several take-away’s but not many places to eat out in the evenings.
I woke up early the next morning around 6.30am and then heard the Fire Station Siren going off… it is only a couple hundred yards down the road, but it needs to call people in, as all the fire people are volunteers (I have since learnt to sleep through it).
Shirley and I went to Whangerai (WH is pronounced F in Maori), to the ANP show – an Agricultural show – for the morning, did a bit of shopping, and when we got back, Mike was just finishing work so it was time to do some DIY. Mike was building a shed, and I was his labourer. I would spend much of my time in Kawakawa, being involved with the railway or doing DIY.
Sunday it was an early start, as there was a market, at which the Railway had a stall. It was the last market before Christmas, so a lot of mince pies, Christmas hampers etc. Early start was 6am, and it was foggy, which had burnt off by 8am! The market was open from around 7.30 til about 11.30/12
I got to leave early as I was going to church (first time in a little while), a small congregation but I was part of the “family” very quickly. I was invited to lunch with the Pastor and his wife, I love getting to know people over food.
Monday we had 2 of the school trains, and then it was upto Taumarere Station to do some painting.
Tuesday we had the Kawakawa Primary School and a playgroup on the same train. The playgroup was in 1 carriage, and the kids (300 of them) and teachers of Kawakawa PS were in the other 2 carriages, it was a bit of a squeeze. Many parents / relatives were in town, and at times, the shouts of hello were louder than the singing!!! Another trip up to finish the higher parts of the station (although I missed the top of one side of a corner post and it’s still wasn’t done by the end of feb!)
We went to the Lions Christmas Dinner, and I won the 1st prize in the draw…. a Christmas Hamper!
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