Wellington, New Zealand
by Myrna James

March 3-5, 1998

What a wonderful place, New Zealand! I knew it would be. Wellington was first stop so I could meet this friend-of-a-friend-in-Chicago, Craig Melcher. Though I had his phone number for months, I didn't get hold of him until I landed in Wellington. He wasn't free to show me around until the following evening, but told me about the hostels in town. When we did get together, at a place called One Red Dog (which is suspiciously like Brown Dog Tavern in Chicago) it was great to talk with someone from the midwest, with a few friends in common.

Craig recommended Beethoven House, which was established in 1977, the first hostel in Wellington and the third in New Zealand. (There are now 220 listed in the Budget Backpacker Hostels of New Zealand network.) It is unique in many ways. They provide free breakfast if you show your face between 8:00 and 8:20. The owner, Allen, serves fruit, rolls and something hot, like grilled cheese sandwiches or porridge, and gives a classic speech each day. He welcomes new guests and gives a bit of philosophy about how to be happy, then expains some Beethoven House traditions. One of these is classical music being played always. It gets a bit loud in the morning, when he's waking everyone up for breakfast. He often had no beds available, but did not turn anyone away. We had people sleeping in the music room (where he has a piano!) and on the balcony outside! The rate is the usual $20/night (though with the New Zealand dollar worth only $.58 US, that's only $11.60/night!) The number is 04-384-2226 and the house is at 89 Brougham Street.

Just a short walk away are downtown shops and activities, including the hot new Te Papa Museum of New Zealand. Wellington is proud to host this exciting new national exhibit, which is free to the public and offers interactive technology on the cultural heritage and natural environment. About 160 million years ago, Australia and New Zealand were one continent, now called Gondwanaland. Then about 60 million years ago, New Zealand split off into the ocean. The islands are located on two of the earth's plates, the Australian and the Pacific, each moving in a different direction. The Pacific plate is moving down under the north island. In the south island, two sections of continent meet along the Alpine Fault. East of this fault, the land on the Pacific plate is rising about a centimetre per year. West of the fault, the land on the Australian plate is moving northwest about 3 centimetres per year. These phenomena explain the volcanoes and earthquakes, as well as stunning mountains, glaciers, lakes, natural springs and shoreline.

Profiles of the first immigrants to the islands including the Babich family, are found in the museum. This family started a winery in Henderson, near Auckland, in 1929, when Mara Grgic came from Croatia and married Josip Babich. She just died in 1994, and one of their brands is named Mara after the matriarch. The Mara Estate Syrah was rated second among New Zealand reds by Cuisine magazine this year. The average price of the top ten in that tasting is about $35 NZ ($20 US), but Mara Estate sells for about $18 NZ ($11 US).

When you were a kid, did you used to make those string designs, usually with thin yarn? I recall one called Jacob's Ladder, which you had to turn inside out at the end. This was done and studied by the Maori's in New Zealand, who are the nation's indigenous people. They call it "whai" and a photographer named James McDonald did a series of photographs of Maori String Figures in about 1920. The children attended a school called "whare wanaga" to learn this skill.(top)

NEW ZEALAND, LAND OF ADVENTURE?!?

Well, I didn't swim with the dolphins, black water raft, walk on a glacier or sea kayak. I swam with the seals, learned to juggle, and stayed at an apple orchard. I simply didn't allow enough time to do all I wanted to do here. I knew when I decided to attend my friend Steven Bell's wedding in Los Angeles that I would be cutting into New Zealand time, and I don't regret that. I am having a wonderful time here and have accomplished one of my goals: I am meeting the locals. I had the truly unique and wonderful experience of getting to know some gypsies in New Zealand.

ADOPTED BY A BAND OF GYPSIES

On the recommendation of Allen at Beethoven House, (who was selling hard and getting a nominal commission) I flew from Wellington on the very southern tip of the north island to Picton, just across to the top of the south island on a tiny airline called Soundsair, "Cook Straight's Commuter Airline." The plane had four rows of three seats, and before takeoff one of the two pilots strained his head around and mentioned that we should get ready for a bumpy ride. No cocktails on this flight! Let's just say that most people take the ferry! The dark clouds were swirling when we took off, but we stayed below them and were treated to an amazing view of the coasts, rugged and mountainous. I could not believe the "airport" in Picton. It was a strip of asphalt in a field with a tiny shack for shelter, possibly smaller than the one in Hoxie, Kansas, my hometown of 1,500 people.

I was hitching a ride with Jan from Germany (being too hesitant to do it alone, though everyone says it's quite safe). We stood on the road near the landing strip not four minutes before we were picked up. Jan saw the housebus approaching and said, "Oh, he'll be stopping." And stop he did! Gerar, my first gypsy friend, pulled over straight away and said he was only going as far as Blenheim. Little did he know, he would be stuck with us for days! Jan is the one who asked if he could pitch his tent near their campground, so I went along for the ride, more out of curiosity than anything.

Soon I was having handstand contests with the children, washing the dishes, and minding the shop while Gerar juggled fire! Gerar is a photographer and "imagist." He takes quotes or writes concepts and places them with photographs to further enhance the meaning. Here are a few samples:

"Reality is for those with no imagination."

"Acceptance is the art of letting go."

"Does the chicken need a reason?"

"I always wanted to be somebody but I should have been more specific."
--Lily Tomlin "Freedom is living each moment spontaneously."

And my favorite is Mark Twain's: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrowmindedness."

Gerar should know. He has been traveling for 15 years, many of those around New Zealand and Australia in this type of environment. He sells t-shirts, cards, magnets and such with his philosophies and photography merging to enhance the image. He has written a book about his life, which is very interesting. His website address is www.reaction.co.nz/imagist.

So I was adopted by a band of gypsies! They spend the summers going from town to town, about 35 housebuses and trucks on the south island, and 60 on the north. They do Gypsy Festivals every weekend, providing entertainment, art, exotic clothes, and many handmade items for the locals. It is a combination of art fair and street theatre, because in addition to selling their goods, they provide entertainment all day long. There are dancers and singers, with people of all ages performing. Sherab dances beautifully and is the choreographer for the children's dances and the fashion show. She is raising her two sons, about 9 and 11, on the road with correspondence courses. The clothes she sells are her own designs, manufactured in Bali.

The most exciting performances are the fire acts. New to the gypsies in the last few years, fire juggling and twirling are very popular now. A former ski shop owner in Aukland, Woody is the one who introduced them to fire at a time when they needed a drawing card. They had been traveling around the north island for years (this is the first year for the south island) and were increasing the entertainment in both quantity and quality. In fact, a new requirement this year is that each vendor in the fair must have an act in addition to goods to sell. Organizing the all-day show is heaps of fun, and brings the folks together in many ways. Jahl and Toi are 3 years old and they are performing with batons and pois (balls that swing around on ropes, one in each hand).

The upcoming fire talent is 11-year-old Cody, who is learning from the Master, Woody. They have a few routines together that are synchronized and amazing. Another upcoming star is 3-year-old Jonathan. He is the son of the Master of Ceremonies, and often starts an inconspicuous side show of balancing the Devil Sticks or twirling batons until his father calls to the crowd with pride and Woody begins to perform with him. "Ladies and Gentlemen, little Jonathan is only 3 years old, learning from the Master, Woody. That's a 3 year old with a 49 year old, performing for you here today at the Gypsy Fair. Be generous with your tips. As you can see, we have children to feed."

But my favorite of them all is my dear little friend Benjamin, who is 3 1/2, about the same age as my niece, Hanna. He doesn't know any tricks yet; he rides his little scooter or bike (with the training wheels freshly removed) over to our "house" to see what I am up to about every hour. As I was washing the dishes one morning, he noted that the floor of the housebus needed to be swept, so he found the broom and swept it all around. I will miss his sweet voice in that New Zealand accent; they say "no" all drawn out like "noooi." In this little community of housetrucks and buses, his face just lights up when he sees me.

When the crowds are all gone, the gypsies perform for each other, practicing and learning, saving the best fire shows for themselves in the darkness. Each Saturday night they have a pot luck dinner and congregate in the performance area, sitting on the bleachers and the ground. This is when the little kids are learning to use fire, "having a go" at night. I saw Toi with a poi that hit her on the side of her face. She didn't really get burned; it just scared her a bit. I had my first go at poi, and at juggling. The kids are the best teachers, getting so excited. Nina is a lovely blond 8 year old, Toi's sister, who was my cheerleader when I was learning poi.

After dark, when most of the kids had gone to bed, Benjamin and I chased each other around, threatening "tickle tickle tickle." When his dad gave the sign, I chased him over to their house and said "See ya in the mornin'" knowing I would probably wake up to his little voice, which I did, in the tent.

The adults sit up in small groups under the stars, drinking Hanna and Achmed's tea and eating Gerar's digestive crackers (most of the gypsies are vegans, and with aging have learned to eat healthfully) discussing the advantages of using pegasol versus kerosene for the fire acts. It is more expensive but less dangerous. They agreed that they let the kids get too involved with the fire this night; there were too many having a go all at once. It was the excitement of having Woody there, who only joins them occasionally. I had stumbled upon the people who were the heart of the gypsie's the most influential and most caring of the group, the core. I believe I could find this group on any weekend and join them for awhile, if I work on my juggling. Handstands don't count as talent!

"Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway..." I can't get this line from Willy Nelson's "On the Road Again" out of my head! It just seems so unreal at times.

I left the gypsy camp to stay at an apple orchard in Motueka, and then go to Abel Tasman National Park, where I swam with about 40 seals in the c-c-cold water (with a wetsuit) and did some treks, then went to Golden Bay. I stayed at The Nook, a quaint, clean hostel on a quiet road on Pohara Beach, just a few miles from Takaka, a tiny artists' town. (Gerar's cards were for sale in the famous Whole Meal Cafe.) And at The Nook, behind the main lodge, there was a housebus for people to stay in! I couldn't believe it. And two friendly horses grazed nearby.

I met a German girl named Heike who drove me all around for a few days, checking out waterfalls and caves, just following the maps. She then drove me all the way back to Motueka, where I had left some stuff, you know, making my load a bit lighter for a few days.

The following exchange demonstrates how New Zealanders view hitching rides. I was waiting at the bus stop when a woman in a van pulled up. "Need a ride?" she said to some guy. (Mind you, this is at the bus stop. Of course he needs a ride, but he's not hitching!) He says, "We'd give you a package deal and all three come with you, but you don't have any windows in back." So she says she'll go have some put in and be back soon! Now that is exactly the attitude here. Of course she was joking but isn't that great? That's New Zealand!

Myrna left the professional world of national magazine ad sales in Chicago to travel around the world! She sought eternal truths and true beauty, and found them. She left in January 1998, going to Australia, New Zealand, around Asia (Japan, China) then to Thailand and Nepal. The rest of the year was in Europe, mostly Turkey. She returned in December, then left again for five more months to do Habitat for Humanity Global Village in New Zealand and Alaska in 1999. She now resides in Denver, Colorado, near her hometown of Hoxie, Kansas.

You can visit Myrna's web site at www.GoGlobalGirl.com, and email Myrna at mljames@attglobal.net