Tuesday 6 October 2009

I remember our New Zealand trip.

Thirteen years ago we paid a month's visit to friends in New Zealand. The friends were penpals, whose address I had come across in a newspaper on which I was preparing onions for the stew when I was in my early teens. New Zealand had fascinated me since childhood and now I had a connection. We corresponded for a good few years but eventually it dwindled to about 2 letter exchanges a year. In the late '70s the couple, Roma and Eric, came over and stayed for a month in our cottage at Nethybridge , then again they visited when we were in Glenfarg village, not far from where we now live. Now it was our turn to visit them.
We lived with them for a fortnight, visiting all over the lovely North Island then we set off on our own, travelling by train and bus ..and ferry!...to South Island and hired a car in Christchurch to tour the south and west of that island.
In the photograph above Chic and I are at the bus station in Whangerei, in North Island, ready to leave for the south. You'll notice our perfectly matched, co-ordinated set of luggage!!!! Four holdalls that we could easily carry were all Chic would allow..."You don't need a lot of clothes!" Good job I'm no sophisticate!
We had a wonderful holiday in a most beautiful part of the world, looked after, for the first half, by a very generous couple. Sadly Eric passed away a few years ago but Roma, now almost 90, seems as spry as ever, judging by the writing on her Christmas 2009 card.
Other people share their memories on this site.
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7 comments:

Gail said...

I have a case of Ireland envy.

Gaelyn said...

What a delightful memory and trip. Now we make friends by blogging instead of penpals. Thanks for sharing.

Kilauea Poetry said...

This was charming and fascinating..especially finding the address while preparing onions..through watery eyes perhaps? I think its amazing this relationship bloomed and you could actually visit one another. Nice read-

Unknown said...

Fantastic how friendships develop. I had a few penpals when I was young but we lost touch after a while. Thanks for sharing your story.

Unknown said...

How wonderful to have made friends due to an onion for the stew! I am so glad you got to go and visit them. Great memory.

Janie said...

That is a beautiful memory and sounds like a great trip with interesting friends.

Gennasus said...

And the pair of you haven't changed a bit!