I have long been fascinated by
New Zealand. I don’t know why. I do not have relatives or ancestors there. In fact, until recently, I had not even been there. It might have been the
curious Tiki pendant my father once brought me back, or the lure of untamed
landscapes, or the people and politics – I really can’t say. Happily, I have finally been to Aoteroa and that ancient land affected me. I stayed on a farm, in a little
‘batch’ at the edge of the water in the Te Moana-a-Toi (Bay of Plenty).
The nearest town is Tauranga. The farm belongs to the family of my travel
companion, Janet. The family grows hydrangeas and organic avocados and the most
scrumptious golden plums I have ever tasted. Those are the commercial crops but
as we learned – the farm yields so much more. Most mornings as we sipped our
coffee, 94 year old Ian (Father of the Farm) would bring fresh plums and avocados down to us at the
batch. Sometimes he would bring fresh beans and herbs and tomatoes from his
garden. Most mornings he would stay for a coffee and entertain us with stories
from his days as a fighter pilot and a young man in love with his beautiful
wife. Each evening we swapped the hot
brew for local wines and waited for visits from other family members and
neighbours – always they would come with offerings from the land and sea.One night we were given freshly caught fish
another night an enormous bowl of plums and berries from which we made pies to
share. Nights were filled with home made
cuisine and joyful eclectic company. My dear friend Janet and I behaved as
wildly free as a holiday in a remote place calls for. There were bonfires and dances
and an evening of inking by a local tattoo artist who was called in to make
some Maori designs on the limbs of departing Mexican WWOOFers (Willing Workers
on Organic farms). In all this plenty, I felt the
roar of the land. I saw for myself the long white cloud hovering over
mountaintops. I dug and planted and picked. I sketched and photographed the
scenes around me. The spirit of this
small corner of the world is now imprinted on my heart…. And will find its way
into my paintings.
