New Zealand Tour
Margret RoadKnight toured New Zealand with me this year. The last time Margret played New Zealand the CD player in the rental car didn't work and the only tape she had with her was an Ellen McIlwaine tape which was played over and over...ultimately convincing Gill Winter agent extrordinaire of Flying Piglets to set up another tour with Margret and Ellen as a double bill. On arriving in Auckland Jan 21, I was billeted in the lovely home of Micheal and Trudy and we traded stories and had real Southern ice tea and jalopeno peppers with everything! Margret and I began the tour with the Auckland Folk Festival January 24-27 staying out on the Kumeu Show Grounds where each performer had their own cozy live in "caravan" or "trailer" parked against the back fence past which herds of sheep would stroll several times a day...
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After the festival we flew to Christchurch to meet our driver who wishes to be known only as A.. We rented a car, trying out several til we found one with a trunk (boot) big enough to hold everything, and much to the dismay of A it was an automatic! She worredly told us she could only drive a standard! Of course she discovered how easy it is with an automatic and drove us all over the island no problem, laughing all the way!
We started at the Westport Community Arts Council Jan 30, then a house concert near Nelson without even a sound system at the beautiful home of the talented guitarist and violinist Miles and Margaret Jackson known as Duo Jackson Jan 31, continuing on to the very popular Mussel Inn in Takaka Feb 2, driving back to Christchurch for two days off. Of course we visited the Antarctic Centre where we saw all sorts of great films and exhibits about that fascinating part of the planet.
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Feb 5 we set our for beautiful Oamaru by the sea to play the famous Penguin Club after which we drove around the harbour at night and saw little blue penguins huddling in the shadows!
We returned to Christchurch Feb 6, saying a fond goodbye to our illustrious driver and flying to Wellington where we were met by Gill Winter who drove us first to Hawkes Bay to play the picturesque Paper Mulberry Cafe Feb 7, and on to The Upstairs Room in Taranaki at the farm where the Flying Piglets name originated Feb 8. After trading pickle recipes with Gill's husband, we headed back to Auckland to play the Devonport Folk Club Feb 9. The Bunker atop the bluffs across the bay from Auckland has a spectacular view and is always packed with enthusiastic audiences and performers.
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When we were not staying in private homes, Gill found wonderful Bed and Breakfast establishments:Home Lea in Christchurch, DandM MacDonald's in Wellington and McCaw House in Oamaru. There is a website for more New Zealand B and Bs, click here.
If you have never been to New Zealand, I highly recommend the trip! What a beautiful country with friendly people, spectacular flora and fauna, fresh seafood, vegetables and fruits all year round, and great inventions like L and P a tropical refreshing soft drink, Hokey Pokey ice cream, any and all Whitestone organic cheeses and the all-time-favourite ANZAC Biscuits to mention only a few of the greats!
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