So I was pleasantly surprised at the lovely drive here. It reminded me of where I grew up in western new York, Chautauqua Lake region. Rolling hills and farmland. The autumn colour is more predominant here that I have seen in Wellington - beautiful yellows, oranges and reds, though it is past peak.
On Monday afternoon I got to meet with the founder and director of a refugee centre in Hamilton, who is himself resettled from Congo. After we spoke, I had the fun of working at the after-school help til I had to leave for another appointment. I loved working with a 7-year old boy on his math. I miss doing that!
Next I had an appointment with the Hamilton director of refugee resettlement for the Red Cross. She gave me really important information and sent her draft of a research report on youth that will be really helpful.
Tuesday I spent catching up on some work and making some final edits on a book as requested by t he publisher. I had a 2pm presentation to deliver at the University of Waikato. Sadly, the two principal professors for the Global Centre for Education could not be there, as the one was having surgery and the other was her husband! Still, we had about 25 people attend - lots from refugee agencies here and several students. It went very well, and I made more good contacts.
After that, I found my way to Hamilton Gardens for a late afternoon walk. The place was ablaze with colour, from plants I think of as spring plants (rhododendrons and azaleas) to autumn leaves. It was equally filled with birdsong, from cooing white doves to chatty grey warblers.
This morning I interviewed the Refugee Educational Coordinator for Hamilton, Afat Xiao, whom I met in Auckland. He was at the lecture yesterday and wants me to get a job there! (I'd love it, but...?) After that, I got a quick haircut, then drove to the west coast at Raglan, where I was told the beach is lovely and surfers congregate. Yes to both, even though it was a cloudy day and the sea was choppy. En route back, I took the turn-off for yet another "bridal veil" falls. I began to feel as I did when driving on sand roads in search of Sodwana Beach in South Africa (though Sodwana was by far the crazier of the two, and I ended up ditching the belly of my car in the sand there! Thank goodness for a helpful South African with a truck and a rope!). The connection is that I felt I was driving and driving the 13K to the site, around hairpin turns, nothing but cows to witness the travel. I finally found it and trekked to the falls, both top and mid-way (I decided against the additional 130 steps as I had already done 135 and it was raining lightly). This one was worth it. The falls dropped 55 metres from the top, straight down in the air, as the rock behind it has broken away. No, Brendan, this is not one we want to white water raft!! I think our 7 metre drop in Rotorua was quite enough :)
Drove back to the hotel in the rain, but the topography was nice, and the grass here is so green, unlike the Canterbury Plain in the South Island.
Dick should arrive by bus in another hour or so, and I will meet him at the bus station. He decidied to go with a more scenic (and far less expensive) option to get here. Tomorrow I have a visit to a school that has a population of refugee students in the morning, and a refugee council meeting in the evening. In between, Dick and I will probably wander in Hamilton between those meetings. Some time on Friday we will head to the Coromandel Peninsula (east coast) for the weekend, before driving to Auckland where I have another week of meetings.
Stay tuned for the Coromandel post!
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