After a quick visit to our friends at the beginning of 2005, we were invited back to spend Christmas and New Year with them. Our visit lasted 5 weeks and as our friends are self employed, it involved us helping them in their business (fishing tackle, bait and tools) in the run-up to the holidays. As New Zealand has their main holiday period over Christmas and New Year, which is the summer time, trade was very brisk as customers were stocking up for their fishing trips.
I helped in the office and my husband helped with deliveries until he knew his way around the customers, when I went with him and we saw a little of the surrounding area. This meant we were visiting places in the Bay of Plenty which tourists would probably not see. Lots of them were quiet seaside towns, some were inland towns where we wondered where the customers were to keep the shops going and we had to remind ourselves that New Zealand is sparsely populated compared to the UK. One of the villages we travelled through was the victim of a tsunami and the damage could be clearly seen with fallen trees, boulders and other debris.
We took it in turns to look after the business whilst the other two had the day off with us ladies walking, shopping and lunching on our days off and the men golfing on theirs. We also enjoyed visiting various sale properties as our friends were looking for what is termed a “lifestyle property” with a view to starting a boarding kennels and dog breeding business.
A lot of the new properties in The Bay of Plenty are very much like American homes. One story, three/four bedrooms and two bathrooms with small gardens, but the “lifestyle” properties are larger homes with an acre or more land – some with outbuildings complete with chickens - and a lot of them are wooden with (what look like) tin roofs. Brian (being British) was adamant he wanted a brick and tile home and these were what we toured. Properties for sale in New Zealand have “open days.” This is usually at the weekend when the Real Estate company shows prospective buyers round whilst the owners are absent. We found this a good way of viewing a house at our own pace.
In the evenings we were invited to friends or neighbours barbecues with every one making us very welcome. The weather hadn’t really warmed up at this time and there we were sitting round the garden table wearing thick sweaters and coats, drinking wine and eating burgers, chicken, etc., all cooked on the barbie. They all used to laugh at me as I was the only one who was cold and I come from a cold country.
My husband was really looking forward to his Christmas lunch eaten outside in the sun, but he was disappointed in this. The day, although sunny, was quite windy so we had to eat inside and instead of our usual British fayre of turkey, we had ham with sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips and potatoes in cream and instead of our traditional Christmas pudding, there was pavlova for dessert. We did get to open our presents in the garden. It was all different to what we are used to, but all very enjoyable.
New Years Eve was to be spent at a neighbour’s house. They were moving directly after Christmas and lots of their friends had been invited as well as neighbours, their home being literally thrown open with every guest taking a contribution of food and wine/beer to be consumed during the evening. Music was being played the whole time, tables and chairs were set outside (which seemed strange to us being used to huddling over a fire at this time of year to keep warm). At midnight we all sang Auld Lang Syne wished each other “Happy New Year” and dispersed for bed. We enjoyed it immensely, but our friends were disappointed that there were so many people there making it too crowded for dancing during the evening.
A walk round the Mount the next morning blew all the cobwebs away. This walk takes you right round Mount Maunganui and is very popular as it has wonderful water views with the opportunity of spotting a whale or two if you’re lucky. On reaching the other side and surveying the beautiful beach, which stretches for miles, again it seemed strange to see it so busy at this time of year. There are campsites at each side of the Mount, both full to bursting. The walk had given us an appetite for ice cream so we sat at one of the many beachside café’s and joined others people watching.