 Sunday 30 September 2007
Woke 5am in airport hotel after few hours sleep. Alan was greeted with murderous looks from Alex and myself. “How does Jen put up with you at night without wanting to smother you with a pillow?” “Oh, was I snoring?” “Oh yes.” Bought 2 sets of earplugs at the airport. Alan experienced the doubtful pleasure of true horribilist cuisine (something vaguely resembling a croissant with a soggy mattress of rubber egg). Plane only about half full. Flew over Waiheke, could see Anzac Bay clearly. Filling out the arrival forms. Slightly worried, do not know the address of where we are staying. I said “This is Norfolk, you probably just need to write ‘We’re staying with Woody from the brewery, do you know him?” When the form arrived it was more or less like that. Arrived at airport, got off plane via stairs to tarmac, saw a fire engine that looked like it was from a 1950s movie to our delight. Airport security: nice dog sniffed us, the customs man said “I better have a quick look at your sword…no I don’t need to see your gun if you say it’s plastic”. No retinal scans, no unpleasantness with rubber gloves. An airport official said Who are you staying with? Oh there he is over there. Woody said, here’s a rental car, I got it for free, the man says he owes me…I can’t remember what for. We were to follow Woody’s truck. It has the number plate 33. Cows on the road. A series of named houses down Woody’s street. “Red Roof. “Blue Roof.” “Silver Roof” “Hip Roof” “No Roof”. Woody’s place a long flat garden full of kentia palms, fruit trees, two little buildings. Woody’s house is made of a single Norfolk pine, build around the stone chimneystack of the old house. Roosters everywhere. Out for a drive to pull Pete’s boat out. We don't find him at Cascade pier: a pier under a tall impressive cliff on the windswept northern coast. Down to Kingston and Emily bay, the salmon coloured prison camp ruins warm in the sun. Eventually the boat could be seen. It was hauled from the water and onto the pier via a derrick pulled by a truck. “Good day fishing?” we asked. Not really, said Pete, we had trouble with sharks. We looked in the boat. Two 5 foot sharks, a couple of smaller ones, bin full of colourful red fish, still jumping, and sweetlip emperors. The men filleted the fish on the table on the pier. Took some of the sweetlip emperor home for lunch. Cat Herder
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