Wow! Not only is Carterton around five degrees warmer than where I live in Wellington, it's flat! Similar to Chiang Mai in that the only hills are the ones surrounding the town. Um, the similarities end there! Nothing negative to say about Carterton, oh, except I had hayfever for the weekend, but apparently that's just one of the things you live with over there!
Nicola, a friend from Chiang Mai who now lives in Aussie who came over here to visit family, and I caught the train to Carterton on Friday evening and back here on Sunday. We had an awesome time getting to know each other better, laughing, eating, walking and eating (yes, eating is in there twice!). So proud of ourselves that we managed to eat for around $5 each per meal ha ha!
The town of Carterton is delightful, clean, interesting shops, great community feeling.You may have read or heard on the news lately that they had a hot air balloon tragedy where eleven people died...as a community they are working through that and helping each other through the grieving process.
Today I was remembering some of the fascinating people I chatted with while there and some of the things we did.
I went to the beautiful paua shop/factory and bought a bag of paua shell bits for craft. As I was walking back to town to meet Nicola a man pulled over in his vehicle and asked me if I wanted a lift into town. As we chatted on the way I mentioned that I had lived in Chiang Mai. He then began to tell me that he had very sad connections with Chiang Mai as his niece died there just under a year ago. Turns out he was the uncle of Sarah Carter who died at the Downtown Inn this time last year. Sad to hear what a lovely person she was and what a large gap she has left in her family.
Then Nicola and I met a guy who was from Aussie. He had fought in the war in Viet Naam as a young man of twenty four. Most of his friends who went with him didn't come back. As he shared some of his life with us, including having made and lost a million, been married and divorced and losing contact with his kids - hadn't heard of or seen them for fifteen years... well... he teared up a little...
Walking back to the camping ground I met a man who had shifted his young family from Christchurch as they had lost just about everything in the terrible earthquake there. Turns out they are a homeschooling family so that was cool to chat with him and ask how they are settling into their new life. He was very happy to be in Carterton and happy to be able to carry on his life with his family, but also feeling at times like he has deserted his friends and his city. Must have been a very hard thing to decide to do.
We met a lady at a local market who, in her spare time, makes lovely jewellery... she must have loads of spare time, there was loads of jewellery... and who encouraged us to go live there and join the locals fine arts group or the local craft group.
Then to top in off on Sunday we went to the oldest Anglican church in the Wellington diocese that still has a regular congregation, excellent sermon... complete with lovely female vicar who ended the service by getting us to do the last little bit again cos it was a little 'muffed' the first time AND back to the same church in the afternoon to sit with a glass of wine and listen to Rodger Fox Quintet play beautiful jazz...
Any ideas from anyone as to how I can use my chatting skills to get a job?????
Ah, great weekend away! Thanks Nicola! Thanks Carterton!
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