Wellington - It's a capital city!

I love Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand.  Yes, sure, it has terrible weather, is built on an earthquake fault line, and is full of bureaucrats and politicians.  And, yes, flying in or out over the wind swept ocean and between mountain ranges can be hair raising, to say the least, but it is a stunning little city in so many ways.

 I love that it is compact and so easy to get around.

Much admired, and often painted, houses
 overlooking Wellington Harbour

 I love the brilliant waterfront walk studded with art works and poetry quotations carved into stone.  I love Kircaldie and Staines, the grand old department store, an essential port of call for my every visit to the city.  I love the fact that because it is so windy nobody owns an umbrella yet everyone owns a full length rain coat.  I love the wonderful supermarket in the railway station.  I love the (relatively!) efficient public transport systems.  I love the bizarre place names like Scorching Bay and Worser Bay and Stout Street which conjur up visions of a burning beach, a horrible beach and a fat street waddling along. I love Days Bay's quaint tearooms and old world atmosphere.. I love Old St Pauls church, a glorious example of colonial wooden architecture.  I love the wealth of art galleries and museums.  Goodness, I even love Wellington's self proclaimed but inaccurate boast of being the cultural capital of New Zealand.  I love its insecurity when it eyes big brother, Auckland and its "look at me, look at me," little brother attitude. I love the cable car and the stunning views of the city and harbour from the top. I love the light traffic flow on the streets during the day. I love the cafes, my favourite - Smith the Grocer in the sublime Old Bank Arcade.
I love the scruffy, funky bohemian feel of Cuba St with its much loved by some and and hated by others, but nevertheless mesmerising, bucket fountain. I love the artificial nikau palm pillars at the city library. I love its vast number of old but character filled houses. .....And I especially love that several members of my family live there so I can visit often.   Please don't change Wellington, you are lovely as you are.

Artificial nikau palms

Cuba St bucket fountain

Poetry on the waterfront walk

                                                                                                          

                                                                                                             

Mt Maunganui - Big Mountain

A couple of weeks ago I had a brilliant weekend with my two sons and their wives in Mount Maunganui, a small seaside town about 3 hours south of my home town, Auckland. Affectionately known  as "the Mount" and "Surf City" for its famous golden sands, excellent surf and deep sea diving and, of course, the mountain, it is a popular spot for people from all walks of life from retirees to family groups to the summertime party animals.  Its hard not to like its laid back, holiday atmosphere,beautiful beaches and thriving cafe culture.

View from "The Mount"

One  son and his wife were visiting from England so our objective was to have some fun quality time together and visit a part of New Zealand my Irish daughter in law had not seen before. Once settled into our accommodation we were all keen to climb the mountain, an extinct volcano.  Maunganui means big mountain in Maori but at 232 metres it isn't really very big by mountain standards.  Nevertheless I can tell you it looked mighty big from the bottom looking up and anticipating the climb!  The last time I had climbed the mountain was around 20 years ago and then it was quite a job to scramble up the rocks to get to the top.  It is much easier now with well developed tracks and stairs winding up the side.  It still took a bit of effort, though, not helped by the many smarty pants fitness freaks who sprinted up and down the mountain beside us as we trudged our way ever upwards. The climb is well worth the effort, though, the rewards are stunning views from the top, a sense of satisfaction....and, maybe, justification for that big fat muffin we all had for morning tea.

With my wonderful family on Mt Maunganui

 The Mount is also known for  its hot salt water pools at the base of the mountain, the ideal relaxant after the sweaty climb.  We didn't go there this time, though, because our hotel had its own hot pools where we spent a blissful, relaxing time  basking and chatting in the comforting water.

The next day we took a walk along the golden sand beach and out to a small offshore island, accessible at low tide.  Fishermen were perched along the rocks casting huge surf rods into the navy blue sea and hauling in fish for their evening meal.  I reckon the island would be a perfect picnic spot with its sheltered bays and grassy clearing, ideal for whiling away a lazy I-wonder-what-everyone-else-is-doing-at-work kind of day. 

My late husband talking to an old gold miner 
Karangahake Gorge 1970s

The trip between Auckland and The Mount is worth doing for itself.  Typical New Zealand countryside of rolling farmland is punctuated by stretches of flat plains, bordered by mountains and cute provincial towns.  Worth mentioning is the Karangahake Gorge, a ravine which cuts through a mountain range and was once the site of a gold mining frenzy a hundred and thirty or so years ago.  The winding road through the gorge follows the beautiful Ohinemuri River which twists and bubbles its way along the ravine floor.  Many years ago my husband and I were traveling through the gorge when we spotted an old gold miner's hut on the far side of the river.  We made our way across and whiled away an hour or so chatting to the old timer who lived, very happily, in his old shanty forever dreaming of striking that rich seam in the hill side one day.  His hut is long gone now and I feel very privileged to have had this tiny contact with the colourful gold mining history of the area.  Further on is the town of Katikati, one of the major kiwi fruit growing areas of New Zealand.  In an effort to entice more tourists to the town someone came up with the idea of painting murals on many of the shop and public buildings facades.  Well worth a stop they are fantastic, portraying the history of the town and scenery from around the area.

So that was pretty much our weekend....walking, drinking, eating, browsing the wide range of attractive shops at The Mount and hanging out drinking coffee in a few of its excellent cafes.  It was the perfect get-away weekend and such a joy to be together  enjoying each others company.

My five minutes of fame

On my recent trip to England I was killing time at the railway station in Bath, waiting for a train connection.  A woman on the platform kept catching my eye and smiling at me.  It was a little unnerving.  Eventually she bounded up to me and our exchange went like this:
Woman: "Hello! How are you?"
Me, smiling: "Hello!  Very well thank you"
Woman: "How did you enjoy your holiday?"
Me, becoming bemused: "I had a lovely time, thank you"
Woman: "You went to Spain, didn't you?"
Me, becoming more bemused: "No, it was Italy"
Woman, a bit crest fallen: "Oh, I read it was Spain"
Me, the penny dropping: "No, it was Italy"
Woman: "Don't I know you off television?"
Me: " No, I'm a New Zealander visiting my family"
Woman, blushing furiously: "I'm terribly sorry!"
Me: "Don't worry, it will be nice to imagine being rich and famous for a little while"
Woman beats a hasty retreat down the platform and stands as far away from me as possible.
I stand there smiling and reflecting that if I really was rich and famous I would not be standing on a draughty platform waiting half an hour  for a suburban train.

Later my daughter-in-law trawls through anyone she can think of on television who looks remotely like me and comes up blank.  She concludes I must resemble someone off a daytime soap or some similar programme she never watches.  Now it's my turn to look crestfallen, my hopes of a lucrative career as a celebrity look-alike dashed.

Hong Kong - Fragrant Harbour


Now my time with the family is at an end it is sad farewells and I am on my way home.  I've got a couple of nights in Hong Kong which is always fun.  I love Hong Kong, the hustle and bustle, the interesting street life, the food, the shopping, the buzz.  I have decided to splash out and stay at the Sheraton right by the harbour in Kowloon.  My room is in the Towers, the executive floor, and has a magnificent view of the harbour and Hong Kong Island opposite.  The view is so lovely and the room so good that I am tempted to just sit by the window and watch the activity on the harbour, reputed to be the busiest  in the world,  instead I head out for a long lazy stroll up Nathan Rd.

View from my hotel room.........

....and another view from my room

  I traveled to Hong Kong many times for work and know the good shopping spots and markets so make my way to a favourite market which is largely unfamiliar to tourists.  I wander up and down  the market not seeing  anything much I want to buy. I have found lately that  I am less and less interested in actually buying things but do still enjoy looking. I buy my grandson a shirt and forget to bargain, paying twice its local value It still seems  a reasonable price, though. Further on is the famous tourist trap, the Ladies Market.  I walk up and down buying a few small gifts for friends and family AND remembering to bargain with good success.

T shirts for tourists - Ladies Market

Chicken for dinner anyone?

Later, back at the hotel, I take advantage of their generous Happy Hour which offers free drinks and plenty of finger food in the guest lounge. Goody, no need to buy dinner tonight!  I meet an interesting Singaporean man and his son-in-law and we have an enjoyable evening talking about everything under the sun from politics to geography to history to children. Back in my room I take a bath which has a clear view to the television and right across the bedroom to the harbour.  I lie in the foaming bath watching the CNN news and the nightly laser and light show on Hong Kong Harbour....how decadent is that? Luxury! The next day it rains so I take my time at breakfast and watch the harbour activity before a walk around town.  I stroll through Kowloon Gardens, an oasis for the teeming millions who live in the city.  It is verdant and pleasant with winding paths, quiet contemplation areas, a large walk-in bird aviary and flamingos on the lake.  Then it's back for a complimentary afternoon tea in the hotel lounge while looking out at a grey and drizzly city and later another happy hour before walking down to the sea front, to watch the light show again.  I have seen it many times but still enjoy it.  Loud speakers along the sea front play music synchronised with the lights and lasers which run up and down the sky scrapers surrounding the harbour.  When I watched it from my room last night the show was greatly diminished by the lack of music.  The rain has stopped and it is a beautiful evening.  I find a perfect spot and wait for the show to start.  Some friendly Australians are standing near by and we have a good chat.  The show is, as always, excellent.

The light show..a feeble attempt at photographing it!

The next day I am heading home.  The transport system in Hong Kong is brilliant.  A free shuttle bus takes me to the Kowloon train station and a $20NZ train trip takes me to the airport...quick, efficient and painless.  The new(ish) Hong Kong airport is lovely, bright, modern and spacious.  A quick check in, a short wait and I am on my way home.  I love visiting Hong Kong but wouldn't want to live there.  The skyscraper apartment blocks are packed in to the tiny land mass and the streets are crowded.  I am now looking forward to the green,  space and beauty of New Zealand.

A Village Fete

  My last day in London is also the day of the Richmond festival. Although Richmond is a suburb of London it is surprisingly rural with a real village feel about it.  My daughter in law has a meeting to go to so Jacob and I take Eddie to the festival.  Today Richmond Green is covered in stalls representing  schools, scout groups, sporting groups and many other clubs and societies.  We meet up with some friends and wander along the rows of stalls  eventually coming to the fun fair area. 

Richmond Meadows, London

I am captivated by the beautifully ornate  fairground organ, dating from the 1880s which runs on a pianola card system and the fairy tale old merry go  round with its magical painted horses. I can't resist temptation and just have to have a ride myself....ahhhhh childhood memories!  Eddie loves the model cars and has four rides on them, his smile growing wider and wider with each ride. The festival atmosphere is wonderful, with candyfloss, barbecued sausages and steaming mugs of tea sold by disorganised but smiling volunteers. The community spirit of the day is uplifting.

Eddie loves the car ride.....

Catherine arrives and we decide to walk along the river to lunch at Steins...no, it is not Rick Stein's it is a German restaurant on the edge of the river which serves generous portions of sausage and sauerkraut at very reasonable prices.  It is a great place to take a two year old with its fenced in play area  which Eddie loves. We enjoy a leisurely lunch and a final walk along the river path to Hammerton's ferry...one pound to cross the river....and home.  It has been a          lovely way to spend my last day.

...and I relive my childhood

Then, sadly, it is off to the airport for my flight to Hong Kong.  It has been a fantastic trip.  I've especially enjoyed spending time with my family and my delightful, lively grandson, Eddie.

Tracing the ancestors - Bradford on Avon

For much of 2010 I worked on my sons' family tree.  The New Zealand side of the family had never tracked their ancestry back much beyond 3 generations and I decided that since I now have a grandson it was timely to prepare a family tree for him and for future generations.  Although I am not the same family by blood I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process and became very involved in the history of my late husband's family.  By good fortune I made contact with a distant  relative in England who was good enough to share his family tree to the point where his side branched off from ours.  The common ancestor was William  who died in 1802.  My job was to work forward from there which I managed to do with the aid of the many brilliant on-line ancestry websites.

2nd building from left is the ancestral home

Being in England gave me the opportunity to visit at least one of the ancestral homes and villages so this particular day I took the train from London to the delightful and picturesque Saxon Cotswold town of Bradford on Avon, the home of my sons' great grandparents.  Bradford on Avon is 8 miles from Bath straddling the river which meanders through the town.  I was captivated from my first moment there.  Unlike some of the more well known Cotswold towns Bradford on Avon is not over run by tourists allowing for a blissful day wandering the quiet streets and lanes soaking up the history and atmosphere of the town.  My first aim was to find the home of Winifred, my sons' great grandmother so I headed to the main street, Church St.  Now a solicitors office, the building  was once both her family's home and their haberdashery/tailors shop and dates back to the 16th century.  Two doors away is the attractive 16th century hotel, The Swan.  Adjoining Church St is The Shambles, a short quaint alley now filled with pretty tea rooms and gift shops, once the home to the town's butcheries. I loved the idea of the lock up for the drunk and disorderly in the middle of the 13th century town bridge, we could do with a few of those these days.

The Shambles

Bradford on Avon was a centre for wool and cloth for six centuries and some of the cloth mills still line the river.  Now used for general office space they are handsome buildings.  High above the town are rows of simple weavers cottages.  I enjoyed strolling the tiny lanes through and past these cottages with their rambling roses, hollyhocks and panoramic views across the town, the valley, and across to the giant white horse on the hillside at Westbury. Once humble workers cottages they are now sought after by trendy young things who commute to the cities of Bath and Bristol to work.  At the end of the rows of cottages I gently pushed the door open and let myself in to the tiny peaceful medieval pilgrims chapel of St Mary's, its modern stained glass window behind the altar coming as something of a shock. In the hour that I wandered the lanes I saw only one person, a man walking a dog, I relished the peace and tranquility.

The weavers cottages

Sauntering back down the hill I was astounded to see the Piha Surf and Ski shop on a side street.  Piha is a Maori word and the name of a beach in Auckland.  I simply had to find out two things; why it was called Piha and why there would be a surf and ski shop in the middle of Bradford on Avon, so called in to ask.  It turns out that the owner is a New Zealander who still dreams of home and that many of the locals go to Cornwall to surf or Europe to ski and find it convenient to buy their gear in Bradford before they leave for their holidays. The owner told me that business is brisk.

Lunch time called and so did The Bridge Tea Rooms, a higgledy piggledy former blacksmith's cottage dating from 1675.  With thick walls, deep set windows and a low door, that even I had to stoop to enter, it is as copy book picturesque as you could wish for.  The waitresses dress in serving maids outfits and the cream teas are delicious and substantial.

Once fortified I walked  beside the river and through pretty fields to Barton Farm and the stunning Tithe Barn.  This took my breathe away.  Dating from 1341 it is 168 feet long and has a colossal timber roof spanning it. The building is still in perfect condition and is so vast it inspires  awe and wonder.

Bradford - on Avon thatched cottage

 Bradford on Avon is a delightful town and it was balm for the soul after the hustle and bustle of London.  It was also satisfying to look at some of the places I have researched and thought about so much for the family tree. I now look forward to passing on my knowledge of the town to other family members.
 



White Swan Hotel 1500..
ancestral home 2nd building to the right




 



The Bridge Tea Rooms 1675

 

  

The old cloth mills beside the river







Up North to Leeds

My son commutes from London to Leeds to his work each week so one week I went with him to spend some time with him and also to get an idea of what his commuting life is like.  He leaves London  each Sunday night and returns late on Thursday night.  All going well it takes three to three and a half hours each way.  Our trip north entailed two train trips and one on the underground taking a total of four hours, due to work being done on the railway tracks. I found it tiring and am pleased it is not something I have to do every week, however, I do like the way the trains in England have Quiet Carriages where the use of cell phones is banned and any conversation must be kept low and to a minimum.  It is restful, peaceful and Jacob finds he gets a lot of work done during the commute.

This was not my first trip to Leeds but nevertheless I had first impressions. We arrived at around 11pm and it was cold, much colder than London, and I was struck by how dirty the pavements were.  Not littered, just looking as if they needed a really good steam cleaning.

From my son's flat in the heart of the city it was easy to wander around the city centre.  I love the way the main streets are pedestrianised and Leeds has some stunning, perfectly preserved, Victorian shopping arcades.  In fact Leeds is pretty much a shoppers paradise with the only other Harvey Nicholls outside of London and every other shop you can image from tiny exclusive chocolatiers to Moorcroft to the usual high street chain stores.  Shame I'm not a shopper!  Still, it was fun to look. I had expected to find an air of depression in the north, due to the world wide recession which has hit Britain pretty badly, but there was no evidence of it.  This, no doubt, has something to do with the fact that Leeds is second only to London as England's leading business, legal and financial services centre.   The city market, contained within a large building, is like a step back in time.   Stalls there sell everything from craft supplies to meat, clothes, flowers and jewellery with the usual shouting, barrow boy patter filling the air.  This is the working man's realm and here you can buy a thick, steaming mug of tea for 44p at one of its many glassed in cafes.  If you prefer you can wander along to Harvey Nicholls and pay an outrageous price for coffee in more glamorous surroundings.  The choice is yours.

I always enjoy a visit to Leeds' fine art gallery which, apart from an excellent selection of paintings, has the world's biggest collection of their famous son, Henry Moore's, sculptures.  Adjoining the art gallery is a magnificent tiled hall, now a cafe and a favourite coffee stop of mine.

The Royal Armouries, further along the river, is famous for its collection of weaponery both old and new.  Housing over 8500 items which include war, tournament, oriental, self defence and hunting weapons it is a weapon enthusiast's delight.  Adjoining the Armouries is a new development, Clarence Dock, poorly designed it is a bleak place.  Although it contains large sparkling new apartment blocks and moorings for canal boats it is cold, windswept and of the twelve shops originally opened there only one is continuing to trade.  The others look sad and neglected with abandoned fittings lying about.  Somehow the designers got it wrong at Clarence Dock. What could have been a vibrant and happening place is sad, neglected and depressing.

Leeds is largely devoid of green spaces.  What they call gardens are generally paved areas with a few large trees in tubs.  This is disappointing and makes the city somewhat of a concrete jungle.   The other thing that strikes me when I am in the north of England is the northerners' complete fixation on high visibility vests.  Everyone seems to wear one. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a large school group walking through the town centre, every student kitted out in one.  

Unfortunately I developed a tummy bug and for most of my time in Leeds lay around my son's apartment feeling sorry for myself but I did enjoy the little time I had wandered around, looking forward to going back to the warmer south nevertheless.