Whangarei (pronounced Fahn ga ray)

It had to happen some time! Our mattress sprung a leak! .......We arrived in Whangarei on Saturday afternoon. Once we’d pitched our tent and settled ourselves, it was time to start supper. We got chatting to an English couple from Yorkshire in the dining area. The days are long here. If you want to catch the sunset, you’re looking at 8.30 to 9 pm. By the time we got back to the tent we noticed our blow-up mattress was no longer the firm, plump thing it had been when we last saw it. It was getting a bit late to start making a noise with the electric pump so we decided to live adventurously and sleep on the floor of the tent. After all, I was, until recently a Girl Guide leader.

Sunday morning dawned misty and overcast. We had allowed ourselves an hour after breakfast to try to find the leak in our mattress, before we headed to church, but we were once again delayed by chatting to interesting people in the dining area.

I received a video that morning from my cousin in New Zealand, Edward, with whom I haven’t been in contact since I informed him of our proposed trip to New Zealand about six months ago. It was the Christmas version of the Bohemian Rhapsody.

We found our way to the Central Baptist Church of Whangarei. The first thing we noticed was a sign on the door telling us there would be a community lunch after the service. In church  we saw children and adults dressed in nativity costumes. I was arrested by one of the slides that flashed while waiting for the service to start.

The service consisted of a well-rehearsed production, including the congregation in singing and playing a game in two teams about the Christmas events. It started with the Christmas version of the Bohemian Rhapsody. I don’t believe in co-incidences like that. I think God just wanted to bless me, or give me a message.

The angel's announcement to Mary.

At the lunch afterwards, we met a lovely couple, Vicky and Dave who had been commissioned to look after us.  We recognised Vicky as the angel. We enjoyed chatting at length to them.

After a lunch of pita bread with ham and melted cheese with salads (Brian had a pie) we went off to the Kiwi museum for which I had bought a Groupon. We first went to the Kiwi house because we just made feeding time. Kiwis are night birds and very sensitive to light and noise so no photography and we had to speak in whispers. We did, however, get to see a Kiwi scrubbing around in the ground for buried food. They are larger than I imagined, about the size of a turkey without its tail.

This bicycle was part of the touring Anne Frank exhibition. It was buried to keep it from being confiscated by the Germans.

We found out about the Giant Moa, which is related to the Ostrich.

I was also impressed by one of the first metal printing presses, which worked with a system of weights and levers allowing a full page of a newspaper to be printed at a time.

Part of the museum complex was also Heritage Park, a series of old buildings including a railway and station. We were lucky to be able to have a train and tram ride. The engine was the last new steam locomotive to be imported to New Zealand in 1955.
The trip went past picturesque farmland ...

and linked us with the tram.

The rides are organised by a club and only run once a month. We were fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.

We wandered around the other buildings, saw the Oruaiti Chapel. When settlers arrived in Doubtless Bay in 1859 in Oruaiti, they built New Zealand's smallest church from a single felled Kauri tree. Originally both Anglican and Wesleyan missions used it but it was moved onto Methodist property in Whangarei in the 1940s. It is still used for weddings.

Brian was impressed to see a Gideon bible on the pulpit.

Other buildings we saw included the blacksmith's forge.

After we were quite museumed out (and needed ice cream to recover) we made our way to the Whangarei waterfall.

At one of the lookout points a young girl approached us and invited us to carol singing and sausage sizzle to be held at a church nearby at 5.30. Although at first it appeared to be only young people, kids and teenagers, they were very friendly and went out of their way to talk to us and ask questions about South Africa. Later on who should we see among the increasing crowd but Dave and Vicky from the Baptist Church! They said it's a yearly event and they come every year.

Queuing for the sausage sizzle.

All together another blessed Sunday!

When we got back to camp, we were easily able to identify the air leak in our mattress (wonder if it had anything to do with one of the young girls praying for it?) and fixed it with a patch my foresighted daughter-in-law had given me.