Great Barrier Island vignettes 2020, Part 6

 These vignettes touch on St John’s Community Church, the Barrier's night skies, and Gail's and my departure from the Island.

Friday January 17, 2020

Before dinner, the three of us went to Medlands Beach for a swim, and I noticed a sign taped to the picnic table: ‘Enjoy this table until 9.00 pm tonight. After that, you are most welcome to join our stargazing tour. Bookings can be made at Good Heavens.’ This reminded me that Great Barrier is an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, and I made a mental note to step outside before retiring for the night.

On our way home, we called into St John’s Community Church. Morning worship is offered each Sunday – Presbyterian, Anglican, Catholic, local residents, Methodist in rotation – and everyone is welcome at all services. The church also has a food bank, because there is some real hardship on the island.

St John's Community Church, Great Barrier Island. Photo Ann Barrie 2020

At 1 o’clock in the morning, I got up to use the bathroom, and suddenly remembered the night sky. I pushed open the bathroom window and gazed straight at the Southern Cross and a wedge of the Milky Way – so crisp, so close, I could almost touch it. The contrast between dark sky and brilliant stars was intense, perfectly framed for me.

Saturday January 18, 2020

Gail and I took a final walk to Kaitoke Beach, then packed our bags and made sandwiches for later in the day. We’ve enjoyed holidaying together, and will do it again. We farewelled David and insisted we could push our suitcases the short distance to Claris Airport.

‘Your flight’s two hours after Gail’s,’ he said to me. ‘I’ll drive you to the airport later.’

‘The wait doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I’ll watch the world go by. I’ve got all the time in the world.’  

Great Barrier Island. Information Centre at Claris Airport. Photo Ann Barrie 2020

Great Barrier Island, Claris Airport. Auckland plane being loaded. Photo Ann Barrie 2020

Blog by Ann Barrie. 

*Find information about Great Barrier Island's night skies at: https://www.greatbarrier.co.nz/great-skies/

*In 2013 Great Barrier Island had a permanent population of around 940, primarily in coastal settlements such as Tryphena at the southern end. Other communities are Okupu, Whangaparapara, Port Fitzroy, Claris and Kaitoke. There is no central power, and houses require their own generators. There is also extensive use of solar water heating, solar panels for electricity and wind-powered generators.

*A little gallery of photos to finish. The first one shows a quirky pine cone picked up during one of our road trips with David. The second is lovely knitwear from the Heritage & Arts Centre at Claris. And the third shows Gail's & my friend, Val, stepping into a small plane at Ardmore in 1964.

 

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Great Barrier Island holiday vignettes 2020, Pt 5/6

These vignettes touch on the Community Heritage and Arts Village,  and David's cats. 

Signpost at Claris, Great Barrier Island. Photo Ann Barrie 2020

Friday January 17, 2020

Our last full day on the island. We visited the recently opened Great Barrier Community Heritage and Arts Village at Claris.  Gail tried on a crocheted Octopus hat in brilliant shades of green, blue and purple. ‘Do you think I should buy this?’

‘No.’

Octopus hat at Great Barrier Community Heritage and Arts Village. Photo Ann Barrie 2020

Gail Watson & Ann Barrie at Great Barrier Community Heritage and Arts Village. 2020

Communications Technology. Great Barrier Community Heritage and Arts Village. 2020

 Later, over lunch, we discussed the new heritage centre with David.

‘I’ll need to find even more exhibits for my museum,’ he said, ‘now that I have competition.’

Gail shook her head.

‘Your museum is quirky and individualistic,’ I explained. ‘People will keep coming’.

Hippie outside Milk Honey & Grain Museum, Great Barrier Island. Photo Ann Barrie 2020

David’s rabbit shooting expedition last night was unsuccessful, so he went out again in the afternoon, determined to get fresh meat for his four cats. Later, he returned triumphant. His cats are not permitted in the backpackers’ area, but they roam freely in his own quarters, and have a self-feeding system for their dry food.

Self-feeding system for cat at Wiltshire Manor, Great Barrier Island. Photo: Ann Barrie 2020

Cat at Wiltshire Manor, Great Barrier Island. Photo: Ann Barrie 2020

Blog by Ann Barrie. To be continued.

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And, two more photos from Gail's & my schooldays: 

Papakura High School dance 1963. Jackie Fagan, Val George, Ann Herbert, Robyn Stuart, Annette Hawke and Gail Watson. Sixteen years old, Form 6A (year 12). We are wearing pretty knee-length dresses sewed by our mothers or aunts. The seniors from Form 6A had decorated the school hall in an ancient Roman theme:

Ann Herbert being enrolled as an Air Ranger by 'Captain' Lorna Clauson 1964:

Great Barrier Island vignettes 2020, Part 4

This post describes the Kauri Falls Walk and the Kaitoke Hot Springs track. 

Thursday January 16, 2020

This was Gail’s and my big day out. David drove us to Whangaparara, an area that was once bustling with, successively – a whaling station, a timber mill, and a gold and silver mining industry. The three of us walked to Kauri Falls (45 minutes each way) along an old tramline track that is part of a system of bush tramlines from kauri logging days. There are beautiful trees here, and signs at the entrance outlining kauri dieback precautions.

Entrance to Kauri Falls walk, Great Barrier Island, Photo Ann Barrie, Jan. 2020

Kauri Falls walk, Great Barrier Island, Photo Ann Barrie, Jan. 2020

Kauri Falls, Great Barrier Island, Photo Ann Barrie, Jan. 2020

Then David delivered us at the entrance to the Kaitoke Hot Springs Track and drove home to attend to his backpacker business. It’s 45 minutes walk to the sulphurous hot springs, and we got glimpses of the Kaitoke Swamp which has plants endemic to the island. The springs are dammed at a fork in the Kaitoke Creek and the mud under our feet felt very hot. We chatted to people who arrived as we were pulling on our togs, and one woman recounted the tale (fact or fiction?) of an elderly local who enjoyed bathing further along the river, and that’s where he passed away, wedged in his little hot pool.

Gail Watson & Ann Barrie at Kaitoke Hot Springs, Great Barrier Island, Jan. 2020

Last night we'd assured David we were perfectly capable of walking the 4 km home and so we set off resolutely along the road to Claris. At first, home was just around the corner, but as the afternoon got hotter and we got wearier, the road lengthened. We collapsed onto the bench of a school bus shelter, and I read a sign, the first we’d seen: Claris 2 km. ‘Perhaps it’s time to use the thumb,’ I suggested to Gail. ‘David said someone would pick us up.’

‘Hmmm. Some of those cars are travelling too fast for conditions. Here, have more cashew nuts and water.’

I didn't press the point.

We got back eventually, and devoured hearty sandwiches of avocado, ham and tomato followed by coffee and generous chunks of Gail’s fruit cake. Visitors arrived to yarn with David, all of them amazed we'd walked four kilometres in the hot sun. Gail mentioned the speeding vehicles, and David recounted the tale of two Japanese tourists, guests of his, who took their hired 4WD onto a windy unsealed road at night and wrote it off. They were uninjured but had to pay a $2000 excess. 

In the evening, David went rabbit shooting, and Gail and I retired early, exhausted after our walk.  

Claris, Great Barrier Island. Photo Ann Barrie Jan. 2020

To be continued.

Blog by Ann Barrie

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More snapshots from Gail's and my Papakura High School days:

(1) Ann Herbert, Gail Watson & Annette Hawke at Hunua Falls, 1963:

(2) A weekend at Jackie Fagan's place beyond Clevedon. Here we are first thing in the morning: Annette is face down, still asleep; and beyond her are dark-haired Jackie, and then Ann, Gail, and Val George: 

(3) The same weekend. At left are Ann Herbert, then Gail Watson – we've clearly been swimming in the sea and bronzing ourselves – and then Jackie and Annette. At the far right is Val, always the most glamorous of our group:

(4) And just to show we scrubbed up quite well, here is the 1964 Papakura High School photo for Form 6A (nowadays called 'Year 13'): Our teacher is Mr Lonie. The front row L to R shows Elizabeth Tremaine, Gail Watson, Valerie George, ?, Merolyn Sharp, Ann Herbert, Bev Luke and Iris de Malmanche.