We are the Seniors, and we retired from teaching in 2020. David used the opportunity to walk the Te Araroa. When not going walkabout, David spends his time reading, listening to the news and chasing Myrtle, our pet rabbit, around the garden. Helga has been busy learning how to play the piano and paint using water colour. She spends a large amount of time in the garden, growing vegetables and looking after our bee hive and bee friendly garden. We have two adult children, who have both long since left home and doing well. Liam who lives in Japan and Caitlin who lives in Auckland.
We moved to Christchurch in 2001, swapping one small island, Bermuda, where we had lived for six years, to a slightly larger island, the South Island of New Zealand. We live in Cashmere, a suburb to the south of Christchurch, on the edge of the Port Hills, which means there are lots of places to walk and cycle. We have recently taken up croquet and are members of the Cashmere Croquet Club. We looked at playing tennis but that was too energetic, while the bowls club was the bowls club. Swinging mallets seemed just much more fun.
We enjoy travelling and in 2026 we are cruising on the Queen Anne from Hong Kong to Sydney. We will also make another trip to visit Liam in Japan in late 2026. At some point we want to make a campervan trip across Australia.
Mt Peel Weekend
In early December we had a weekend away at the Top 10 campground in Geraldine, a two hour drive from Christchurch. It was an opportunity for Helga to splurge on some boutique shopping. A trip to the Barkers factory shop and then some local cheese from the Geraldine Cheese Company. To finish the day, a trip to the Humdinger Gin Distillery to buy some bottles of gin for gifts. Once all the shopping had been exhausted, we bought some fish and chips for dinner and sat outside our cabin, watching all the other campers.
The highlight of the weekend was the trip to the Mt Peel Homestead to see the giant Himalayan lilies . For one day only, every two years the private gardens are open to the public, to raise money for the local church. It was a great day wandering the gardens and having a picnic on their front lawn. It was great to catch up with Annabel, a friend from Auckland.
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We went to the cinema several times in November for the annual British and Irish Film Festival. In previous years, we have seen films like, The Salt Path, Conclave and The Return, before they were released in the UK. This year we chose to see four films. The first film we saw was The North. I thought it was going to be about the north of England, while in fact, it was about the north of Scotland. I need to read the film blurb more carefully. It is about the relationship between two trampers walking some long distance walks in the north west of Scotland. Having walked the Te Araroa in NZ there was a great line in the film, that made me laugh and think, from one of the side characters "people (friends and family) kept asking why I’m doing it (the walkway), but no one ever asked why I’d worked for 55 years, five days a week"
The second film was Re-Creation. This film is based on a murder that happened in Ireland back in 1996. The main suspect to the real murder was never charged and this film explores what might have happened if he had been charged. Somewhat like 12 angry men, we are in with the jury who are deciding their verdict. Predictably, there is one person who disagrees and the film is the discussion between them.
The third film was &Sons, stars Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton. Once the main characters are introduced and established, the plot takes a most bizarre turn. This is not one the audience could have quite believed, or anticipated, and indeed the sons do not, when they are told “the truth”. Once the ex-wife (Staunton) shares her opinion, the case is strengthened. In some senses it’s too incredible and most unlikely, but the film works. It’s not a comedic film, and in some respect, it’s actually quite dark in a very odd sort of way.
The last film was The Choral which is set during World War One is an absorbing story. This is the film to watch, from Festival’s mixed and varied offerings this year. It is well scripted, the cinematography is superb, casting on point and is thoroughly enjoyable.
Join Us on Our Travels
Japan May 2025
At the start of our trip, and having flown into Tokyo, we immediately caught the Shinkansen to Nagano. And also immediately, we were struck by the differences between Japan and other countries we’ve visited. We developed a little catch phrase for ourselves, used whenever we saw something unusual, be it cultural, social, natural or technological. Only in Japan. We had many occasions to use our little phrase, and our introduction to this amazing train service was just the start! Indeed, it could not exist anywhere else “only in Japan”.
Perhaps a focus for our trip was to visit gardens, castles and shrines. I have long been fascinated by the first two, and hoped to visit these in each of the places we were to stay. Shrines are every where, as well as temples, and literally dozens can sit, happily, one next to the other, each with their own little torii. And then there are those which are huge, and iconic, such as Fushimi Inari in Kyoto and the floating torii on Miyajima Island.
We also planned to spend 3 nights in each of the places we stayed. For the most part, travelling between places did not take long. Sometimes we rode the local trains which stopped frequently. At other times, and to save time, we took the Shinkansen service. We only travelled in the main island, Honshu, taking a somewhat circular route, from Toyko and back again.
Nagano: What we did: a short visit to Obuse and it’s small museum, the Snow monkey park and a From Nagano, we travelled to Kanazawa. What we did: Kanazawa & World Heritage sites (2 villages) and a beautiful castle & gardens From Kanazawa we travelled to the very popular Kyoto. What we did: 2 walking trails to temples, gardens & an exhibition From Kyoto we visited Okayama and nearby Kurashiki, sister city with Christchurch. From Okayama we went to Onomichi, a cycling destination, but where we drove along the scenic route across a series of bridge connected islands. From Onomichi we went to Hiroshima. We visited The Atomic Done & park, The Peace Museum and did a day trip to the beautiful Miyajima Island From Hiroshima we went to Tokyo, prinicipally to drop me off for the airport, and where we spent just 2 nights. The few images I have included do not do justice to the wonderful places we visited. They do not depict the meticulous nature of Japan: from it’s small ubiquitous rice fields, the combination of old and new, the careful attention to detail in garden planning and maintenance. They tell nothing of the hospitality and kindness of the Japanese people and the attention to detail, to be found everywhere. I can fully understand the fascination with Japan, the history that surrounds daily life and that which is to be found in tiny pockets, by the interested and the curious. The crush of humanity takes away nothing from what is here. A few weeks is not enough in which to do this place justice. David stayed on an extra week to spend some time with Liam to walk part of the Nakasendo Trail and explore the Izu Peninsula near Tokyo staying at traditional Japanese Inns.
Perhaps a focus for our trip was to visit gardens, castles and shrines. I have long been fascinated by the first two, and hoped to visit these in each of the places we were to stay. Shrines are every where, as well as temples, and literally dozens can sit, happily, one next to the other, each with their own little torii. And then there are those which are huge, and iconic, such as Fushimi Inari in Kyoto and the floating torii on Miyajima Island.
We also planned to spend 3 nights in each of the places we stayed. For the most part, travelling between places did not take long. Sometimes we rode the local trains which stopped frequently. At other times, and to save time, we took the Shinkansen service. We only travelled in the main island, Honshu, taking a somewhat circular route, from Toyko and back again.
Nagano: What we did: a short visit to Obuse and it’s small museum, the Snow monkey park and a From Nagano, we travelled to Kanazawa. What we did: Kanazawa & World Heritage sites (2 villages) and a beautiful castle & gardens From Kanazawa we travelled to the very popular Kyoto. What we did: 2 walking trails to temples, gardens & an exhibition From Kyoto we visited Okayama and nearby Kurashiki, sister city with Christchurch. From Okayama we went to Onomichi, a cycling destination, but where we drove along the scenic route across a series of bridge connected islands. From Onomichi we went to Hiroshima. We visited The Atomic Done & park, The Peace Museum and did a day trip to the beautiful Miyajima Island From Hiroshima we went to Tokyo, prinicipally to drop me off for the airport, and where we spent just 2 nights. The few images I have included do not do justice to the wonderful places we visited. They do not depict the meticulous nature of Japan: from it’s small ubiquitous rice fields, the combination of old and new, the careful attention to detail in garden planning and maintenance. They tell nothing of the hospitality and kindness of the Japanese people and the attention to detail, to be found everywhere. I can fully understand the fascination with Japan, the history that surrounds daily life and that which is to be found in tiny pockets, by the interested and the curious. The crush of humanity takes away nothing from what is here. A few weeks is not enough in which to do this place justice. David stayed on an extra week to spend some time with Liam to walk part of the Nakasendo Trail and explore the Izu Peninsula near Tokyo staying at traditional Japanese Inns.
