Manawatia a Matariki

Saturday 21 June

Celebrating Matariki - a tad late but a stunner of a day!

From our dank little spot at the NZMCA camp in Woodhaugh, we chased the breaks in the cloud out to Port Chalmers. Stopped for morning tea at Union Cafe which was really cool and served a delicious ginger slice. Each table had a toast rack of mini booklets which contained typed up and folded out poems, which were more poetic lists of emotions or thoughts or objects - I liked "The Lovers Table" - 31 years together and counting... testing our relationship strength by living in such a small space and travelling each others pockets for 2 years or so - but I reckon we're gonna make it!

From there I walked up to the flagstaff while Louis drove up. Port Chalmers was not just about quirky poetry and cafes, but had an abundance of fun buildings and alleyways to enjoy. Said hello to a whiskery old dog behind a gate and a barky miniature schnauzer on his way to woof at the whiskery lurker; had a good look at all the nutcrackers and other Christmas ephemera in a house halfway up the hill to the flagstaff and enjoyed the views across the harbour. After checking out the views in all directions we wandered through a neat mini sculpture garden, in honour of Ralph Hotere who had a studio almost on this site until it was demolished in 1993. His piece was Black Phoenix II - part of a wider memorial sculpture commemorating the Poitrel, a locally crafted fishing boat which he saw being destroyed by fire on the harbour below his studio in 1984. The first piece, Black Phoenix I is on display at Te Papa in Wellington.

The other pieces were Aramoana by Chris Booth, Brick Column by Russell Moses and "They do cut down the poles that hold up the sky" by Shona Rapira Davies.

After this and a swing on the wooden rope swing for Louis, we headed off along Aramoana (sea path) Road which literally was a coastal road with waves gently lapping beside us. At Aramoana, a small settlement on the northern head of the harbour, we found a glorious beach to have a picnic lunch and a wander along.

The stone hole in the cliff was very cool, and the surf on the beach beyond this natural gateway was proving popular with a few hardy winter surfers. I loved the family heading back to their car - a surfing dad, with mum & daughter in winter woolies and bare feet - so Kiwi!

Louis was feeling the sciatica pain so took the car back to the end of the beach while I walked along - meeting a lovely couple with their Border Terrorist "Spud" who was adorable, and passing a snoozing sea lion. The beach was littered with long thin spiral shells - screw shells or turritellae - which apparently burrow into the sand.

At the southern end of the beach was a long old wharf jutting out into the sea, opposite the southern head of the Otago Harbour, at the end of the Otago Peninsula, just a few 100m away. The land here was falling into disrepair, especially the old railway line which had originally run alongside it - the pillars and struts were now home to gulls and cormorants who perched there in the sunshine.

Heading back along the Aramoana Road, we took a right in Port Chalmers, up over the headland. There’s a POP campsite on this peninsula so we followed directions to it along some very steep & windy roads, marvelled at the view from up top but decided we’d never make it up there with Banjo, sadly!

Back in town Louis washed the car while I went mural hunting (and popped into the Hospice Op Shop).

Then we headed back to Banjo, sorted out the bikes, wrapped up warm & visible and cycled off to Logan Park for the Matariki Lights Festival. The highlight feature was an awesome drone display all about Māori new year celebrations and the harvests that were traditionally enjoyed and given thanks for at this time of year as the Seven Sisters star cluster rose in the night skies.

Freezing cold we celebrated & warmed up with big bowls of glorified cauliflower cheese for dinner back at Banjo. What a day to be thankful for! 🤩