Business class from Jakarta to Sydney, Australia was anything but expected. Seats didn't recline fully. Although they had a clever "mattress" that slipped over chair back and covered seat for a slight bit of extra comfort and warmth.
Baby wailing through the night in first row behind Business class privacy window made sleeping during the 7-hr night flight next to impossible. I'm so ready for some fresh air & open country.
March 2-3
Off the plane at 7:30am, pick up rental car, find way out of Wellington, then on to the Golden Shears championships in Masterton, NZ. Luck was on our side as Jim Wood walked into the auditorium 5mins after we found our seats center stage. He as surprised as we to find each other so easily.
Competition grew to a crescendo as finalists from week-long shearing competitions vied for world champion status. Women, many Maori, collect the sheared wool for sorting and baling as the male shearers clipped each of a dozen sheep in mere minutes.
Final competition was between master wool sorters. One woman, Joanne, with 4th stage leukemia, forewent kimo treatments in order to compete. Amazing stamina. Her male cousin beat her efforts by mere seconds. He & several awarded shearers donated their winnings to the Leukemia Foundation in her honor.
Castlepoint Station is owned by Emily (2nd on left) & Anders Crofoot (standing) - Jim & Twink Wood's (seated at far end) daughter & son-in-law. Their station consists of 9000 hectares of land, 20,000 ewes (40,000 sheep when the ewes give birth) and over 1,000 head of cattle. Their daughter Sarah (far left) just graduated college with a dual degree in agri/business.
Castlepoint, named by Captain Cook, served as a primary port until 1880 when a railway linked Wellington to Masterton. The Castlepoint lighthouse, built in 1913, is one of the tallest in the country (22.6 meters high & 51.8 meters above sea level), is visible over 30km out to sea and valued by ships, especially those coming from Panama, who have no other identifiable feature upon which to fix their sights.
March 4
Drove up the west coast for an overnight in Napier, dubbed the Art Deco town. Each year they host a week-long Art Deco festival where everyone dresses in period clothing and the streets are filled with period automobiles.
A tasty dinner of fish & chips and steamed veggies at The Emporium restaurant est 1937. We're looking forward to a hot shower after a long day of sand, sun and lots of wind.
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