1. KIWI BIRD CALLING
Above: Looking
out over Cathedral
Cove from the
lookout point
above Hahei
beach in the
Coromandel
Peninsula.
Left and main:
The crystal
clear waters of
Cathedral Cove.
T
HIS morning I opened
my chocolate advent
calendar stretched
out on a sun lounger.
Bob Marley hummed
in the background,
the smell of sun cream wafted
through the air and there was
absolutely no sign of a white
Christmas ‘just like the ones I
used to know’.
Now, I’ve heard about the joys
of Christmas in the sun. Heck,
I even have friends who have
vouched for its greatness. So
when I told them I’d be in New
Zealand for this period, they
tried to persuade me of its
charms. They reminisced about
boarding planes with suitcases
stuffed full of carefully
wrapped pressies, barbecues
and charades on the beach.
Call me a Northern hemisphere
traditionalist, but I’ve always
been one for tucking into the
customary festive roast on the
big day, wearing questionable
Christmas jumpers and
snuggling up by the fire with a
Baileys or five.
But I’ll try anything once...
and I must say, I could really
get used to having a tan in
December. Having mince pies
for sale during bikini season
does however, present a bit of a
dilemma.
We’re heading down to Lake
Taupo for the holiday period,
which will be a much deserved
break for David, who recently
passed his first big flight test.
I have also been pretty busy,
spending the last few weeks
racing around the region on
various video shoots.
That sounds glamorous,
doesn’t it?
Well, I worked 60 hours last
week so while it’s an incredibly
fun job, the downtime couldn’t
come soon enough. It looks
as if we’ll be having that big
BBQ on Christmas Day. I’m
putting my foot down about the
Baileys, though.
This week saw me celebrate
my 25th birthday. Whoops... I
know a lady shouldn’t impart
her age, but turning a quarter
of a century is a pretty big
milestone and I feel proud of
my 25 stripes. Time does fly
though, doesn’t it? It feels like
only yesterday that I was 15
years old, having sleepovers
with girlfriends, making up
dance routines to my Britney
Spears cassette tape and
sporting a very questionable
side fringe. So much has
happened in the last 10 years,
from exams and university to
meeting ‘the one’ and being
in New Zealand today, but I
wouldn’t change a thing. Well,
maybe the fringe…
W
e’ve been well and truly
making the most of
the summer period out
here. Most of our free days
have been spent exploring
hidden beaches, clear rivers
and discovering new walking
tracks. We recently travelled to
the east coast to an area called
the Coromandel Peninsula. It
is stunningly beautiful, with
white cliffs and the sand to
match.
We trekked along dusty paths
and clambered over large
boulders to two beaches, New
Chums Beach and Cathedral
Cove, both of which were
worth the hike. Another beach,
Hahei, was straight out of
Conde Naste Traveller – no
need for Photoshop here. I am
still amazed by the diverse
landscape, you can understand
why so many people relocate to
New Zealand permanently. You
can ski one day and have your
toes in the sand the next. Yes
please!
Last week we visited a place
called the Blue Springs, where
we trekked along the Te
Waihou Walkway which
lies alongside the upper
reaches of the Waihou
River. The actual Blue
Spring is internationally
acclaimed, its water
taking over 100 years
to reach it from the
Mamaku Plateau. It was
like nothing I’ve ever
seen before, completely
breathtaking – literally.
The water was only 11
degrees. We sucked it up
but boy, oh boy, was it
chilly. You’d think I’d be
better trained from Shell
Beach swims over the last
two and a half decades.
W
hile New Zealand is a
big country, being based
in central North Island
enables us to reach a lot of
hot spots within a few hours.
And those hours of driving
through new towns, untouched
landscapes and open roads
gives you time to think.
Something that came to me the
other day is probably a thought
that has come to you from
time to time while travelling
– in one form or another. You
might have been gazing out of
a busy train carriage, staring
out of a plane window or
just strolling along the west
coast of Guernsey on a breezy
December afternoon.
It was this: whatever you do
in life and wherever life leads
you, there are an infinite
number of new beginnings
and novel experiences to be
had. If you feel trapped in a
certain lifestyle, outlook, job,
relationship – anything – then
make a journey. That journey
could be to the gym, to another
continent or even into the
pages of a book. It could even
mean to the shops to buy the
ingredients for mince pies.
Keep moving forward and
searching for the ‘new’.
Everything out here is new
(not only the hot Christmas)
and it’s those out-of-the box
experiences that will form
your most precious memories
– the ones you will impart
one stormy evening to your
grandchildren over a glass of
sherry. For you, that is, not the
grandchildren. I know that’s
what my nana did, anyway.
S
peaking of storytelling,
while out hunting for a
Christmas tree the other
day, we came across a farm
where you could choose yours
from rows of thousands of
little green sentinels. We got
chatting with the British
owners who told us how they
had been passing the farm one
day a few years ago during
a short trip to New Zealand.
They had turned to each other
and said ‘why not’? The rest
was history and now they run
the whole thing. Now that,
as Kate Winslet says in my
favourite festive film, The
Holiday, is gumption.
Until next time.
Happy Christmas
and see you in 2016.
Love, The Kiwi Bird
‘Go outside. Don’t tell
anyone and don’t bring
your phone. Start walking
and keep walking until you
no longer know the road
like the palm of your hand,
because we walk the same
roads day in and day out,
to the bus and back home
and we cease to see.
We walk in our sleep and
teach our muscles to work
without thinking and I dare
you to walk where you
have not yet walked and I
dare you to notice. Don’t
try to get anything out
of it, because you won’t.
Don’t try to make use of
it, because you can’t. And
that’s the point. Just walk,
see, sit down if you like.
And be. Just be, whatever
you are with whatever you
have, and realise that that
is enough to be happy.
There’s a whole world out
there, right outside your
window. You’d be a fool to
miss it.’
―
Charlotte Eriksson,
Swedish author
29KIWI BIRD CALLINGguernseypress.comGUERNSEY PRESSTuesday 22 December 2015
Mince pies in the bikini season? It’s not a good mix, but Jessamy Baudains is happy to give
it a go. And despite the pies, her first Christmas in New Zealand is shaping up well...
...but I won’t
compromise on
the Baileys
No roast, it’s
roasting
out here...