April 3, 2023
We started the day with a walk up Windy Canyon, which lived up to its name and required hands on hats. Fortunately, we had been in training going up and down the steps to Annette and Neil’s bach, so were ready for the seemingly endless steps that had been built along the trail.
The view from the top was spectacular.
The walk down was much easier.
Afterwards, we went for a stroll along another spectacular Barrier beach, where the surf was up.
We were all in agreement that there would be worse places to live than this home, the only bach on the whole long beach.
Having worked up an appetite, we stopped off for lunch at ‘my fat puku’ cafe. Puku is Maori for belly. Next door to the cafe were the studios of Aotea FM, the local radio station. While driving around the island, we enjoyed listening to Barrier’s radio station. It is a throwback to the old local stations, where the only programming appears to be whatever the DJ feels like playing. One minute, you’re listening to deep house and the next minute heavy metal. There were also plenty of oldies in the rotation. Aotea, by the way, is the Maori name for Great Barrier, and means White Cloud, which we expect has much to do with the clouds that hang around the island’s peaks. It should not be confused with Aotearoa, the Maori name for New Zealand, which means Land of the Long White Cloud.
After lunch, we visited the island’s museum. We couldn’t help thinking of our dear friend, Sally, who has never met a museum, no matter how small or obscure, that she didn’t find worthy of a visit.
You know that you’re getting old when the washing machine in the museum is the same one that you remember from the home you lived in during your university years.
Mal and Lauren 