Marlene had found us a motel very close to the centre of Palmerston North, so we were able to walk into town. We stayed two nights as although the main focus was to visit my Auntie Bridie again, I also wanted to have some research time at the local library, which has an excellent set of historical resources.
Auntie Bridie was in good spirits, having really enjoyed a picnic in a local park to celebrate her 93rd birthday at the weekend, but for the first time she mentioned that she has had a good life and is ready to meet her maker. It really felt like she was saying her goodbyes. Hopefully that will not be the case and we will be able to enjoy some time with her again next year.
To break up the drive back to Wellington, we overnighted in Levin, a small town about halfway between Palmerston North and Wellington, which has no particular claim to fame.
While in Levin, we decided to have a walk at Hokio Beach, and ended up walking all the way to Waiterere Beach and back, a total of about 10 Km. This whole stretch of coast is really one long beach, broken up only by the occasional river or stream, so a great place for a long flat walk.
You can legally drive on the beaches in New Zealand, although rental car insurance generally does not cover any resulting mishaps. It was interesting to see a speed limit sign in the middle of a windswept beach, a sign that was being largely ignored by the vehicles that we saw.
As we walked, I was telling Marlene that as a child we used to play on the wreck of the ship "Hydrabad" which ran aground on this coast in 1878, during a hurricane-strength storm. 50 years ago the wreck could be reached at low tide, so a great adventure for a young lad. The Hydrabad was steel-hulled, and she was visible for a long time, but time and tide have now removed all sign of her, and the only evidence of the event is a post marking the spot where the ship ran aground.
We arrived back in Wellington around 4 PM on Thursday, with just over a week until we leave for home. Margaret has a list of jobs for me to do, and she and Marlene have produced a calendar of events for the remaining week to ensure that we get one last visit with all the local relatives. So this week will probably pass all too quickly, and without any blog postings.
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