Day 2 Hamilton to Rotorua Mon June 23
Got the sad news this morning that my ex sister-in-law Jackie died at the weekend. She was only 62, had early onset Alzheimer’s, had a fall, and then refused to eat, so everybody thought it best to just ‘let her go’. She didn’t recognise anyone, and was a vegetable really, so it’s upsetting but probably a relief. Of course I won’t make it back for the funeral, but Emma and David will both go. Only my ex, John, left, of the 4 children, I wonder how he feels?
Fred very kindly gave me a lift to collect my rental car, it was still pouring and very cold. This time they didn’t ask for my staff rental letter, of course I had it with me! I had planned to visit the Botanic Gardens in Hamilton, but the weather was so horrible I just drove straight to Rotorua. I stopped for coffee (‘morning tea’, though most Kiwis drink coffee not tea) en-route, at the suggestion of the Avis agent, at Tirau, ‘many cabbage trees’ in Maori. They used to catch pigeons for food who nested in the cabbage trees, the cafe was called ‘Cabbage Tree’ and was also fascinating because the tables were old school desks, with lift-up tops, brought back memories!
I decided to visit the Museum in Rotorua and leave the thermal park till tomorrow, because of the weather. The museum is well worth a visit, I spent over 3 hours there, it is the old Bath House, very famous in its hey-day, and now being extended back to its original size. I had a guided tour all to myself, and watched a couple of very good films. One actually gives you a ‘jolt’ when you watch about theTarawera volcanic eruption which destroyed the Pink & White terraces and a complete village in 1886, with about 120 people killed, the exact figure is unknown because complete Maori villages were buried.
Fred and Diana had ‘passed me on’ to Judy, another ex-farmer in the B&B book, who now lives in a villa on the edge of Rotorua. She is 74, and very chatty, I was her first guest for some time, nobody except mad English ladies holiday at this time of year! I went for a meal at Cobb & Co, and was not that surprised to see it decorated for ‘Christmas’, with tinsel and twinkling lights. I had heard that some Kiwis celebrate a ‘traditional’ Christmas in June, since the weather is more like a Northern hemisphere winter. Judy’s house was extremely cold, no heating at all in the bedrooms or bathroom, thank goodness for an electric blanket!
Got the sad news this morning that my ex sister-in-law Jackie died at the weekend. She was only 62, had early onset Alzheimer’s, had a fall, and then refused to eat, so everybody thought it best to just ‘let her go’. She didn’t recognise anyone, and was a vegetable really, so it’s upsetting but probably a relief. Of course I won’t make it back for the funeral, but Emma and David will both go. Only my ex, John, left, of the 4 children, I wonder how he feels?
Fred very kindly gave me a lift to collect my rental car, it was still pouring and very cold. This time they didn’t ask for my staff rental letter, of course I had it with me! I had planned to visit the Botanic Gardens in Hamilton, but the weather was so horrible I just drove straight to Rotorua. I stopped for coffee (‘morning tea’, though most Kiwis drink coffee not tea) en-route, at the suggestion of the Avis agent, at Tirau, ‘many cabbage trees’ in Maori. They used to catch pigeons for food who nested in the cabbage trees, the cafe was called ‘Cabbage Tree’ and was also fascinating because the tables were old school desks, with lift-up tops, brought back memories!
I decided to visit the Museum in Rotorua and leave the thermal park till tomorrow, because of the weather. The museum is well worth a visit, I spent over 3 hours there, it is the old Bath House, very famous in its hey-day, and now being extended back to its original size. I had a guided tour all to myself, and watched a couple of very good films. One actually gives you a ‘jolt’ when you watch about theTarawera volcanic eruption which destroyed the Pink & White terraces and a complete village in 1886, with about 120 people killed, the exact figure is unknown because complete Maori villages were buried.
Fred and Diana had ‘passed me on’ to Judy, another ex-farmer in the B&B book, who now lives in a villa on the edge of Rotorua. She is 74, and very chatty, I was her first guest for some time, nobody except mad English ladies holiday at this time of year! I went for a meal at Cobb & Co, and was not that surprised to see it decorated for ‘Christmas’, with tinsel and twinkling lights. I had heard that some Kiwis celebrate a ‘traditional’ Christmas in June, since the weather is more like a Northern hemisphere winter. Judy’s house was extremely cold, no heating at all in the bedrooms or bathroom, thank goodness for an electric blanket!
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