Lest We Forget

It’s ANZAC weekend!

Well was, I’m hardly a fortune teller so would be unable to fill this post with my predictions for what would happen- plus photos! Pretty cool if I could though.  Now that I’m a young professional (oh la la), with an official (-ly expensive) certificate to boot, long weekends must be savoured and this one was no exception.  Being the 100 year celebration of ANZAC all the stops were being pulled out and my flat being a stones throw from Australian funded War Memorial Park, our involvement was predicted (fortune teller level) to be at an all time high.  That was until I missed the “incredible” parade where “teenagers were dressed in the old uniforms” to represent the troops, “there was a tank!” And “Peter Jackson was not looking very slim” as I was working… Eating my lunch, then complaining I wouldn’t get to Farmers for their sale because there were heaps of people on the street. Gosh I can be insensitive sometimes. All quotes from my friend Fleur, who actually attended and berated me for not.

I did however see the aftermath… Or Parade Poppy Pollution Pandemic, hope the dyes aren’t poisonous and the paper biodegradable because this confetti was everywhere and spreading rapidly thanks to Wellington’s breeze.

Paper Poppy

Soggy Poppy

My disappointment in the pretty street litter didn’t last long as darkness fell over the city a spectacular light and sound show fell upon the War Monument and The Wellington Museum and so did hundreds of people. Luckily we were clever or politely pushy and scored great photo op vantage points. I’ll let the photos do the talking but it was a truly breath taking tribute to such a tragic and heroic time in our history.

Light Poppy

Now to rise at the crack of dawn and join the predicted (newspaper fortune tellers) 20,000 plus people at our local National War Memorial Park. Trains started at 3am to help with the crowds, crickey! Thank goodness we only have to sleepwalk down the road, thank goodness 5:30am is only 30 minutes earlier than my average work day alarm, thank goodness we still get the chance for two sleep-ins this weekend.

Except, I woke to a text from my flatmate that read something along the lines/ loose interpretation of “there’s some crazy enthusiastic morning people walking down our street the the service NOW!” at 4:50am. Well there goes the getting up at 5:15am. We made it there at 5:20 and the streets were packed. P.A.C.K.E.D. It took us 10 minutes to get into a spot and glimpse the screen.

Lots of fuzzy people, who are fuzzy because it’s 5am and no one’s clear before 6am.

The Last Weekend of Summer

Yes I’m familiar with the rules of Autumn starting in March but I challenge you to disagree when you scroll down (fingers crossed you keep reading) and view these photos, we were shorts and tees all round.

After living in Wellington for umpteen months it was time for a post-dawn-service-post-nap roadie! This little trip was to my flatmate’s family Bach in Riversdale in the Wairarapa and an opportunity to experience a part of the country I’ve only driven through en route to and en return from R’n’V, so not much scenery was observed – enough said.

Though, holding a bowl of melted jelly (don’t ask) the whole way did generate some nostalgia for those R’n’V days.  We had left an overcast Wellington and arrived in a stubborn “it’s still summer” Masterton and killed time before the supermarkets opened by dodging mid-morning Anzac ceremonies and beating kids to the flying fox.

We managed to regroup our convoy of 3 cars with scones and Anzac biscuits kindly plated by an incredible mother before we ventured the 40 minutes to Riversdale Beach.

View from my flatmate’s home in Masterton – not a cloud in the sky!

I wonder what the most pop(u)lar tree around here is…

It’s important to note that we drove at safe travelling distances and stressed the importance of not being overcome by flicker vertigo… The brilliance about this part of the world is that in 2 hours (if we hadn’t fluffed around and taken 4) we got to here:

Riversdale Beach

 With still so many hours in the day us girls went for a run while the boys went for a smash on the tennis court. Running, crazy right!? Thankfully I don’t have to run a half marathon in 2 weeks and just went for one hilltop loop before retiring to dip my toes in the bitter, definitely winter temp ocean with a cider in my hand. 

After a night of activities planned by my flatmate we awoke feeling less than spectacular to a sunrise that definitely made up for our shadiness – tenfold.  Can’t you tell a difference between the days?? Neither, cloudless and balmy (ish). Time for a beach and dune walk.   Rolling fields but no sign of the townships namesake river.. must have been the opposite direction to our walking compass.

The trip ended up being cut a night short and departing that evening to avoid early starts and front up to our adult responsibilities of the twenty loads of washing, vacuuming and weekly shops awaiting at home. I guess paradise can’t last for ever.

Reality definitely hit when Wellington decided to deliver us the complete opposite come Monday. As Metservice forecast an understatement of “Occasional rain, chance thunder. Gale N’ly eases tonight.” Well it’s tonight and our house is still shuddering from the wind. Take me back to picturesque Summery-Autumn baches on the beach, pretty pretty cherry on-top with whipped cream and nuts, please!

L x