Another night away
They say its not what you know in this world, but who you know – in my case, my very best school friend, Jackie. We met in 1970 when we both attended boarding school, she from Morrinsville and I from Te Kuiti. Our lives took different routes when we left school, with me moving to Rotorua and she to Hamilton. We still managed to catch up regularly, though, and when my nursing training finished, we travelled around Europe together in their summer of 1979. Upon returning to New Zealand, our lives took different paths once again. I became busy with my children and she with her air hostessing career. Our friendship continued, despite our different lifestyles, mainly in the form of phone calls during this busy period of our lives. Last year, Jackie invited Stephen and me to spend a night with her and husband, John, at their time-share in Paihia. We were invited again on Wednesday night, and despite the poor weather earlier in the week, the catch-up went ahead as planned. We had a lovely time together.
It was pleasing to see Paihia busy again. The last few times I have been there, including staying with Jackie last year, the town has been dead, devoid of tourists. Parking places were non-existent yesterday, just as it used to be before Covid, in contrast to last year when there were spaces to park, everywhere. It must have been difficult for businesses, particularly in these towns that rely on tourists, to stay afloat during that period.
We had dinner in town on Wednesday, and yesterday I visited some dress shops, and a fruit stall. Foreign accents were ringing out everywhere. I am not sure what these people would have made of our weather in New Zealand, however, Paihia offered them some welcome sunshine.
It just seems like yesterday that Jackie and I set off from London with our heavy back packs on our backs, yet we are both pensioners now, holding a whole lifetime of different experiences between us. Our friendship is just as strong as it ever was and the Jackie I see today is the same bubbly Jackie I knew as a 13-year-old. Some things don’t ever change. And thank you Jackie for inviting us.