G'day

Bus drivers in Dunedin are a jolly lot. They say 'G'day' to every boarding passengfer. All that 'G'day-ing' makes you 'gid-dy' after a while.

No-one here understands a Yorkshire accent, with its flat vowels. I've discovered that the trick is to say everything as if you were simultaneously saying the favourite Australasian word, 'daeg' (officially meaning the disgusting black bit that dangles from a sheep's bottom). So with a hint of daeg, they get you. Today, I stopped asking directions for the bus stop, and asked for the 'baes staep'. (Gosh it's almost like being back in a Latin class.) However the twang of 'daeg' works every time, and I got the directions I needed.

Also discovered chai latte today. With cinnamon on top, it's heaven.

Faux pas

The house I'm staying at in Dunedin (that of my friend, NZ playwright, Denise Walsh) is full of fascinating items, trinkets, ornaments, souvenirs... Everywhere. I've been reading up on Maori art recently. At supper tonight, I commented on a straw, basket-weave type, vaguely spoon-shaped object hung on the wall.
'That's a Maori symbol, isn't it? The figure of eight that denotes the path of life.'
Denise and her Maori husband looked at each other. If this was in a play, there would be a (PAUSE), before Denise answered, 'Helen, that's a carpet-beater'.

Coast to coast

Was taken on a drive round Dundedin's coast today - what a joy! Fairly big harbour, loads of surf/surfers, plus stretches of solitude.

Just to add to my reference to the 'War Brides' art exhibition yesterday, the artist commissioned for this was Bev Tosh, herself the offspring of her Canadien mother's wartime marriage to a New Zealand serviceman. The marriage lasted 10 years, then her mother took her back to Canada. Her mother is one of the brides portrayed and you get the sense that the artist was looking for answers herself through completing the work. I do hope she brings it to Britain.

In New Zealand, they talk of 'back home' and it means us - the UK (a very divided united kingdom just now), but we're their 'home country', even into 3rd/4th generations, who've never been there. Oddly, makes you feel sort of proud.

Heading south

In Dunedin, South Island. Probably furthest south have ever been in my life. Hope to get a bit further down to see the albatross colony here.

Went to an interesting rehearsal of the American play,'Wit', on my last night at Waikato on Thurs.

Hoping to see some theatre here too. Back home, one of my short plays won a trophy at York Theatre Royal last week. The York press described my piece as 'Minghella-esque', which I was very pleased about.

Went to a museum and art gallery today - both fascinating and, like most things here, not as stuffy as in UK. The museum had a fascinating art exhibition in it (they do seem to mix art and history a lot here). This was on 'War Brides' i.e. women who had married NZ soldiers and moved over here (several from Canada as well as UK). Hope this gets to tour in UK, as think it would resonate there.

Meetings

Met some fascinating people today. Started with a cab driver from Fiji (understandably homesick) director/theatre producer, Gaye Pool, who does some interesting work, Albert Belz, a Maori playwright (with some Polish ancestry, not Dutch as I had been told) who says his chief influence is probably graphic novels (and was jealous I'd briefly met Niel Gaimon) and an astute SU President (I think from Ghana) whom I'll kidnap for our next Prime Minister, as likely to do a better job than the current candidates.

More NZ

I keep thinking New Zealand is sort of England without the bad bits. Only sometimes you could do with some of the bad bits. Like trains and such like. You tend to assume that you can get from one big black dot on a map to another. I suppose in theory you can – but it might involve a bus that only runs on Wed afternoon in high season (oh, and you weren’t thinking of coming back again, were you? What, in the same year?!).
Am planning my visit to south island, not as easy as it seemed – but will be worth it.
Meeting ex-pats here, there seem to be two camps 1. never had a day's regret and pity us back in UK 2. Those to whom words like 'water' and 'back' keep creeping to mind. I met a commercial contracts lawyer here who had worked in London, but moved to be with his partner. I wasn't sure whether he was being ironic when he said he missed Britain. I told him that when Dr Johnson had said 'He who is tired of London, is tired of life', he hadn't had to commute. The answer came, 'Dr Johnson may not have had to commute, but no one ever said that about New Zealand'.

Actually, I intend to be the first.

Waikato

It's great here. Love the University. Hamilton has its charms. Went on a river cruise, plus wondered round Hamilton Gardens and the museum. Latter was very informative on the history, but felt pretty ashamed at what the Brits did in taking land from the Maoris. They seem such an artistic race. Have been hearing some music and seeing the art. Hoping may meet a Maori playwright (Alber Bensz - he has some Dutch ancestry apparently) later.