The Auckland region is currently in alert level 3 lockdown because of Coronavirus, and permanent residents of Great Barrier Island have their island paradise to themselves. This blog about Day 2 of Gail’s and my visit to the Barrier is a short one. By popular request, I’ve also included snapshots of our days at Papakura High School.
Monday, January 13, 2020
Gail and I were surprised how much the temperature dropped during the night, so after breakfast we remade our beds with extra blankets. Then we walked to Ocean View Road from where we could access Kaitoke Beach. As we crunched along the fine sand, our eyes were drawn skyward by the buzz of a small plane, which made five approaches to the airport before circling away. Another walker told us it will be a new pilot learning the terrain.
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| The walk to Kaitoke Beach, best done in bare feet. Photo Ann Barrie 2020 |
Later in the morning, David took us to visit a friend of his, near Kaitoke School. She lives part time in Tauranga and part time on the Barrier, and commutes between the two by Sun Air. She has installed tourist cabins on her land and is a keen gardener. She says last week was blustery and overcast, and Gail and I brought hot calm weather with us.
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| Tourist cabin Great Barrier Island. Photo Ann Barrie 2020 |
After lunch we explored David’s Milk Honey and Grain Museum. It has a waterwheel at the entrance, and activities for children such as grinding wheat. Inside, there are detailed displays on the history of Great Barrier Island’s early settlers. The museum's themes include industry, technology, and historic events such as shipwrecks. There is honey and other local produce for sale, and also David’s generously illustrated book Barrier Baches Cottages and Shacks.
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| Children's activity Milk Honey & Grain Museum, Great Barrier Island. Photo Ann Barrie 2020 |
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| Barrier Baches Cottages and Shacks by David Watson. Photo Ann Barrie 2020 |
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| Local produce at Milk Honey & Grain Museum, Great Barrier Island. Photo Ann Barrie 2020 |
By the time we returned to the house, David had another dropper-inner, this time an English friend, who had just returned to the Barrier after his twice-yearly trip abroad to far-flung family
Blog by Ann Barrie. To be continued.
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Photos from our school days at Papakura High School in the 1960s (sorry they're so large – I haven't yet mastered the updated blogger). We were wholesome, sporty girls who biked everywhere. Several times, we and our friends, cycled out to Mareiti Beach for a weekend at the bach of Gail's parents: Dr and Mrs Watson.
Our preferred activities were eating, reading and swimming, as these photos show:
Our friend Annette doesn't feature in these photos – she must have been the photographer – so here's a photo from Primary School days. Weka Junior Basketball Team 1957. Annette is at centre front, and Val and I are to her left.
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