2020.... The story so far
- Matt
- Apr 8, 2020
- 6 min read
So... coming to you as we near the end of week 2 of the COVID-19 lockdown. Unprecedented times but we're holding up ok. I'll come back to this as I update the year so far.
The year for us started well. Christmas was spent in Christchurch and New Years in Whangarei so we got to spend time with both our families which was nice. See the last post for more details there.
January and February were pretty quiet as we worked through. Neither of us were able to take leave when we wanted so we took 10 days at the end of February which was well overdue.
Our leave was mainly spent at home resting and catching up with ourselves as we had both been extremely busy with work.
We did take a weekend trip to Tongariro national park on the train which was a beautiful little break and I just wish it could have been a little longer. We caught the Northern Explorer (Auckland to Wellington) train and got off halfway at the National Park Station. From there we caught a bus to the beautiful Chateau Tongariro. Finished in 1929 to better facilitate access to the national parks and ski fields in the areas this beautiful building is now a hotel. We had a package that included High Tea (or so we thought), dinner and room for the night. Some slight confusion ensued when we went for our fancy high tea only to find that we actually had a Devonshire Tea that only included a scone and tea. Since we were on holiday we decided we'd have the high tea any way and just paid for it. We'll worth it with some very delicious treats and a beautiful Harman & Sons tea called Paris Black that I really enjoyed.
Suitable stuffed we went for a little walk (trying to make room for dinner) to the local museum which was small but very interesting. The rain and clouds cleared a little and we could make out the mountains. The story of how the local mountains came to be in their current positions is Chirst's favourite and a beautiful tale.
As millenia passed, the boy mountains grew into powerful male warriors while Pihanga blossomed into a comely fern-covered mist maiden, who each of them desired for a wife.
“Choose!” cried Tongariro “You must choose!”
“I cannot,” replied Pihanga. “I love you all equally.”
“Then we will battle, and the victor will be your husband,” declared Tongariro.
One by one, the mountains came up against Tongariro and one by one they were defeated. Finally, only Taranaki was left to face the powerful Tongariro. Their battle was spectacularly violent as each mountain was evenly matched.
The battle raged on for months until a burning Pihanga cried out “Stop!” as she lay close to death in her scorched and blackened cloak of fern. Rather than lose her, Taranaki conceded defeat — and so Pihanga became Tongariro’s wife.
As countless millenia passed, the landscape healed and the vanquished mountains moved away: Tarawera, Tauhara and Patuauki to the north and Ruapehu and Ngaruahoe to the south.
Many children were born to Tongariro and Pihanga including one, Panitahi, who looked very different to the others. Gossip and innuendo flowed across the landscape until Tongariro, suspicious of his friend Taranaki, decided to lay a trap.
Pretending to be asleep, he caught his friend and his wife in a tender embrace. Tongariro erupted in a gigantic rage that was heard around the world. Huge explosions tore the landscape apart. The crater formed from the largest explosion would eventually fill with water, becoming the lake we know today as Lake Taupo.
Remembering what happened to Pihanga during the previous battles, Taranaki chose not to engage with Tongariro, but retreated instead. Gathering up Panitahi, he fled heartbroken to the west, guided by the stone Te Toka Rauhoto Tapairu.
As he fled, he carved out a deep scar in the landscape.
On reaching the sea, Pouakai — one of five west coast mountains — spread out her arms to comfort Taranaki until the setting sun transfixed him to the spot. He has remained there to this day, with Panitahi at his side, and the guide stone who now resides at Puniho Pa, south of New Plymouth.
In time, Tongariro settled down and began to weep for his lost friend, his tears filling the scar in the landscape that today we know as the Whanganui River.
It is thought that one day the guide stone will release Taranaki to return to his true love, Pihanga.
True love really can move mountains. But for the moment, the mountains sleep.
After our walk we have a little rest as it had been a very early start to catch the train and then got ready for dinner. Chirst looked absolutely stunning in a blue floaty dress and it made me feel very lucky that she chose me.
We had dinner in the Ruapehu room named for one of the local mountains. It was a large traditional dining room that was very beautiful. We had a set menu with some very delicious options and the food was absolutely delicious.
After a lovely snooze we had an equally delicious breakfast and explored the grounds as it was a much nicer day then it was time for the train ride back to Auckland. We had a fabulous time and enjoyed it so much that we have booked a South Island version in September to explore the West Coast.
We also took a little day trip over to Waiheke Island for lunch at our favourite restaurant there (Fenicé) for one of their amazing prosciutto pizzas and made a little weekend dash up to Whangarei.
Towards the end of March we celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary. We had booked to go to a restaurant that Chirst was very excited about. Named 8 and located at the Cordis hotel it is a buffet on steroids with 8 (hence the name) different stations with food from different countries. We were a little worried about the place being closed down due to COVID-19 and debated not going but decided we would and are glad of the decision. Sushi, Soup, Italian and a grill were all sampled and enjoyed tremendously. The service was fantastic and it was well worth the slightly hefty price tag.
As I think back over the last year I can't help but think how lucky I am that Chirst came along and entered my life. She is the perfect partner for me and can sense when I need a cuddle and when I need a kick in the pants. I'm so excited for the rest of our lives together.
As I sit here writing this we are officially at 2 weeks of level 4 lock down with COVID-19. We have been working from home since the Tuesday before the official start of the lockdown and have been coping pretty well so far. It has been pleasing to see the majority of New Zealanders taking it serious although it is a little eerie with the central city so quiet. On the other hand we've been sleeping very well without the constant construction and people noise that comes with living in the central city.
Whether we'll come out of Level 4 in 2 week or not remains to be seen but I think it was the right move to limit the spread of the disease. We both feel lucky to be employed with companies and in roles that allow us to keep working from home and we in no danger of losing pay or anything. I have coped surprisingly well with being inside 23 hours a day. We have been trying to keep our normal work rythyms but have been enjoying our evening walks outside for a bit of a break. Easter will be a bit challenging especially for Chirst who was looking forward to heading up to Whangarei to see her family but we will do the best we can on Hangouts or Zoom and head up there when we can.
The most important thing is every one in both our families is safe and healthy although it is disappointing that my older brother Tim was not able to bring his family to NZ for the holidays they were planning. I was looking forward to catching up as it has been quite a while since we were in the same place but things can be rescheduled and we'll catch up soon I'm sure.
That's all for this update. I'll make another commitment to try and update this a little more often but we'll see how that goes...
Comments