On the day that would have been my late father’s (Francis Barclay Greer aka Frank, from Glasgow) 109th (!) birthday, our first full day in Whangarie, chez cousin Elaine, started off a tad overcast…
However, when we left to explore Whangarie town centre (after another example of Elaine’s superb talent for creating a cracking meal), we felt reassured by the NZ Met Office forecast for today, who clearly thought it was the perfect day for hanging out the washing!
There were 3 places we wanted to see, fortunately all situated very close to each other in this very chilled town😎
First off the Hundertwasser Art Centre, where coffee called…
This striking centre, where none of the floors are level, most definitely falls into the Marmite category; this is due, in part, because a perfectly fine example of a traditional, colonial style, wooden building was demolished to make way for the centre…as for the 4 of us, suffice to say we had mixed opinions 😉
Next up was the Town Basin, which included a leisurely stroll along the banks of the Hatea River; this had a series of informative signposts en route, tracking the history of this harbour from it’s earliest settlers to present day – nice touch👏🏽
We came across the fascinating Rolling Ball Clock as part of our riverside walk; it’s an imaginative, stylist piece of work combining very high quality engineering, maths & physics with an aesthetic appeal that was first conceived in 2008 and finally completed in 2022 (but spot the “deliberate mistake” on the engraved project timeline 😉)
In between seeing these 3 places we meandered through the inviting streets of traditional buildings, many of which are home to arts and craft shops, plus further examples of the high quality wall art to which we have now become accustomed 😊
Pottery and ceramics would not normally be top of my “must see” list, but one place was an exception, such was the variety of styles and quality of their wares (all by local crafters) on display…
Arriving back at Elaine’s, after replenishing supplies at the local “liquor store”🥂, we were greeted by lunch, already prepared and laid out by our 5 Star host 😊
With the sun having definitely broke through, edging c.26C, we all sought out a shady part of the garden as the wine (..and non alcoholic Peronis for Ian & I…) steadily flowed…
Naturally, the conversation flowed easily and humorously, but the definite highlight was Julie, now that her vocal chords were suitably “lubricated”😉, giving us all an al fresco rendition of Robert Burns’ John Anderson my Jo’ – to say there was not a dry eye in the house afterwards would be an understatement….😪
The afternoon soon merged into the evening and at 7.23 pm it was still warm enough to dry the washing 😉
…and it was also now time for Ian – known affectionately by Elaine in these instances as “Cookie” – to fire up the BBQ and live up to that moniker, at which he excelled😊
Food was served, more wine etc. consumed as we sat outside and watched the sunset gracefully…
After watching a 2020 romcom starring Joanna Lumley – Falling for Figaro – we retired…very satisfied 😊
BTDU 