As we come to the end of our New Zealand leg of the journey (plans are in full swing now for Tasmania followed by Argentina — the Expedia servers are churning away, working out the flight possibilities) the past few days have delivered a flood of goodness from people that overwhelms both of us, moves us to tears at times and reminds us that it is THIS feeling, THIS genuine kindness, care, selflessness and consciousness, we wish to cultivate in ourselves and share with others.
Let's begin with Barry and Heather.
Barry Henshaw, a modest, stand up, lovable Waimatian, we met on our 5 day kayak trip in the Abel Tasman Park. At the conclusion of our trip, it was Barry who said, "Now if you're down the South Canterbury way, you be sure you stop in—I mean it." The accompanying gaze indicated there was no nonsense attached to the invite and when we decided to keep our camper van a little longer, we got in touch and took him up on his offer.
We're so glad we did.
We reunite with Barry on the side of the highway in Omarama, a small village just outside of Twizel where Barry and his wife, Heather, have a weekend retreat. Meeting Barry's wacky Canadian kayak friends who he's only known for five days might throw some people, but not Heather. Vivacious and warm, she welcomes us from the moment we meet her, making us feel as though we've known her all along (maybe due to all the good stories Barry shared with us on the kayak trip). We intend to just visit for the afternoon, but Barrry, with his impish smile, won't hear of it — we're staying for tea, we're staying overnight (our first real bed in two months — OMG!) and in the morning, he'll show us around his farm and help us plan our trip from there.
And so we follow them home over the Canterbury plains, through a terrible downpour, to their house in Waihao Downs, about 15 kms outside of Waimate. A former farm station, this land is where Barry grew up and has a long and storied history.
We meet Gem, their adorable companion fox terrier.
They cook us a wonderful dinner, share the photos from their 2010 full excursion around Africa and then toddle off to bed, leaving these complete strangers to make use of their home, the computer and Internet to sort out business. We are touched by their generosity and openness they show for people they have only just met.
The next morning, Barry shrugs off work to show us around his farm. The sun is up and the views are fantastic — green hills and fields, streams, trees and mountains with fresh snow caps. For over 30 years, Barry worked the land himself, growing crops and rearing sheep and cattle. Now he leases his land for another farmer to use. Never one to sit still, he still gets out working, doing the heavy driving on other farms and managing an irrigation business. He's happy to have more time to himself and be able to set his own hours.
By mid morning, he has us all arranged. While he goes off to work, we'll do some more flight research on the Internet, then visit the town of Waimate and its little museum where a piece of Maori rock art from his land is being kept. Then it's off to the wallaby reserve and wrapping up at his brother's farm down the road to catch the afternoon milking of the cows. Afterwards, we'll meet up for dinner back at their place and one more very comfy night in the guest bed.
Being the polite Canadians we are, we awkwardly umm and aww. "No, really, that's too much. You don't need to do that."
Barry is persistent. "There's no point spending your day in town and then driving off somewhere else to sleep."
"But only if we can make dinner," we counter.
"Alright, I can agree to that." He peers at his from over his spectacles and uses his best stock agent tone (more of his past adventures). "So, can I close this deal or not?"
Pretty difficult to say no.
It is a great day. Pulling up out front of the Waimate museum, we find it closed, but we meet one of the volunteers, Fred, who again, out of the kindness of his heart, gives us a full private tour of the local museum and shares the local history. So complete and generous is Fred's tour, that we never get to the wallaby reserve that day and after scooping up some groceries, we make a mad dash along the highway to the dairy farm to catch the last cows getting milked for the afternoon.
Back at the house, we make up dinner. Barry comes back in from work and over a beer, Jenn pesters him to see photos from their family albums. There are a couple of real 70's style gems featuring Barry, Heather and their three boys when they were wee!
Heather comes in from work and over dinner we pester them with our million questions — about NZ life, history and politics, about sheep and cows, about their personal family histories. We recall a few hilarious moments from our kayak trip and share them in full detail with Heather. The night passes far too quickly.
"And make sure you stop at ArtTrois in town for the very best coffee," Heather tells us before heading to off bed.
The next morning (we finally do leave!) we stop in at ArtTrois. And are deeply moved once again.
Why three young men from Malaysia would ever decide to set up an elegant coffee shop and cafe in the small farming community of Waimate is almost impossible to imagine. Two years ago, they purchased their little shop over the Internet sight unseen (except for a photo of the fireplace), moved to Waimate and started their cafe business, bringing with them, as one local put it, "a much needed breath of fresh air."
Having stopped in Waimate while visiting NZ a few years ago, the boys decided the sleepy little town was the perfect place to open the ArtTrios cafe. Not too busy, no noise, lots of space. In Malaysia, they had managed a big city nightclub — it was busy, stressful and crowded.
We are greeted by the most genuine and warm hellos and smiles from all three. We order coffee and jasmine tea and take a seat. Jazz music plays softly. The coffee arrives with teddy bear art in the foam, created with chocolate sauce. One of the young men, Tat, does sketches of their customers which are kept in a guest books. We go through them all, admiring the talent and detail, feeling as though we are intimately meeting the people of the town as we flip through the pages.
The boys greet everyone who comes in and know exactly what people like to order. Such care, such attention to detail, such warmth and genuine care for the local people. Jenn and I feel as though they are little monks, healing the town with their care and love.
They greet Ray by name and pull out a chair for him at the counter. He sits and they pour him a simple coffee in a mug. There is no chit chat. Ray drinks his coffee quickly, tucks in his chair, exchanges a pleasantry and leaves. It is a moment of poetry, a ritual repeated each day at the same time, and they honour it with the same earnestness each morning.
A elderly lady comes in for tea and one of the boys gently removes a unnoticed spider taking a ride in her hair.
So enamored are we with the place, we return for lunch. They give us green tea to go with our Malaysian style dishes, a new years "prosperity" biscuit to try for dessert and refuse to take a tip from us, saying, "You are guests in our town. We should be treating you."
It is a surreal and unique experience. NO ONE can leave that shop without being genuninely touched in some way and made to feel special. We are honored, for a brief few hours, to be part of it.
Afterwards, we visit the wallaby reserve and meet Gwen, another special gem which we will write about in another blog entry. By the end of the day, we are in a daze, completely overwhelmed and we drive only a short distance to our new campsite in Timaru. We need to process the events of the past few days.
From Barry and Heather, our museum tour guide, Fred, the three angels at ArtTrio, the owners of the Verdetti shop across the road who have the very best greeting cards and tips for hideaway places, to Gwen from the wallaby farm — our visit to Waimate reaffirms what we have continued to discover since we set out on this journey.
The goodness found in people's hearts is truly a wonderful thing.
I have loved reading about your travels, but this entry is far and away my favourite. Keep on keeping on, you guys!
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