I have these wonderful relatives in New Zealand who don’t mind getting up before dawn, driving to Auckland airport and fetching me into a warm, welcoming family. After Rob went to work and we dropped the girls off at school, Carley and I talked for hours and hours – almost till it was time to pick them up again! The last time I saw them they were living in Kent, UK and came to visit me in Barry with the grandparents from South Africa. It’s a very small world.
I spent three days with them, catching up with news of other family members, hearing tales of school and the trips they’ve had since moving to New Zealand. They live just south of Auckland, in Pukekohe and thereby hangs another tale. When some of my neighbours at home heard I was going away for some weeks, they mentioned that their relatives from New Zealand were visiting and asked if they could sleep in my house in my absence. We do things like that in our neighbourhood. Of course I said yes, as that meant that my housesitter would have a bit of a break too. So before I left for Canada I made up the beds and left warnings about the shower, strange light switches and rubbish collection. And wouldn’t you know it – my house guests, who I never met, came from a little place south of Auckland – Pukekohe! So the next time I go the
re, I must visit…
The weather wasn’t the best while I was there – just like in Canada, I seemed to find myself rained upon. But we did manage a trip to the beach on the west coast where the sands are black and the sea thunders over the rocks. 
There had been considerable erosion over the winter and the car park had partly fallen onto the beach with chunks of tarmac sticking like gravestones out of the sand, or overhanging the beach with nothing to support them. 
We intended to cross the island to the more gentle east coast but never made it – the rain grew heavier and thunderclouds rolled in, so after a snack and a look around some nice little shops, we headed home. The countryside was absolutely beautiful – such a lush landscape, with rolling hills and shrubs and trees everywhere. The roads are winding and curl around the hills and down to the valleys – a
nd everywhere you look, there is vibrant green interspersed with colour. Of course, when I was there, they were just coming out of winter, but I imagine in spring and summer it must be fantastic.
That evening, Saturday, Carley’s brother Matt and his wife Natalie who I had last seen in South Africa about seven years before – and about two years before they moved to NZ – came over for a barbie. Or a brai (is the spelling right?) if you’re talking South African. 
As it was pouring with rain, we ate inside – but what a great catch-
up session! They are so close to Australia it’s a shame we don’t get together more often. Maybe that’ll change in the future.
The following day, Rob went off fishing – after giving me four beautiful large Paua shells – and Carley, Rebecca and Chlie gave me a lift into Auckland to the hotel I’d booked for the remaining four days. I was a bit dismayed to be on the 17th floor with only one floor above me, and couldn’t face going onto the balcony. Not good with heights! But the girls made the most of it, and found my dinky little room, cute with its pod of a shower room (you had to remove the toilet roll before showering as the entire room got sprayed) and its microwave, kettle, fridge and sink.
The reviews were varied, with most guests complaining about the lack of space. However, as a single person in a double room it was just right for me. There was even a desk and desk lamp so I could write.
So, after coffee, hot chocolate and cake at the coffee house next door, I said goodbye to the family and, closing my eyes as the lift shot skywards, went back to my room to plan the next few days.
Patamateria 