After a busy day out with Dahl, she finally brought me to her part of the world, to her safe homestead, far away from the hectic civilization of Auckland City.
I knew that Dahl lived on a farm. She had always talked about her agrarian life on the farm before, especially during the years when she and her late husband were still running it.
However, the farms that I know and I am a bit familiar with are the farms in the Netherlands. They are flat and are usually rectangular in shape. You will see this symmetrical tapestry of farms when you are on the airplane, flying low and looking down on the country (such as this: The Netherlands from Above). Lush rectangle polders, some of them dotted with cows and surrounded by water.
The farms in New Zealand are far different from these though…
So after our coffee and a bit of beach strolling on Shelly Beach Reserve, we hopped back to each of our cars. I followed Dahl behind as she drove the thing with skill and precision deeper into the countryside of northern Auckland. She definitely knew her way around and she drove quite fast, I had to keep up, haha. The roads have become narrower and snakey, I saw fewer houses and the surroundings became greener and bushier. We were driving far away from the busy urban world. I felt like I have escaped.
After a few more minutes driving on the thickly wooded countryside road, Dahl turned right into a gravel road, an off-the-beaten-path I thought. We drove a few more minutes, which can feel like an eternity on a gravel road, by the way, we when reached the end of the road. I saw a timeworn wooden fence gate with a big sign that said, “Keep Out”. Dahl entered the property. Ah, we have arrived.
So I continued to follow Dahl, the gravel road turning into a narrow farm road. I am now driving on her farm road driveway. I am quite liking every bit of this new experience, to be honest. I mean, it is my first time on a farm in New Zealand!
We stopped on the roundabout driveway of a house and I realised that this was Dahl’s retirement house. It is almost finished and she will be moving in after the utilities have been installed.
Dahl has recently retired and she now lives on her own. We have to accept the realities of life. It’s quite difficult to maintain a big house, let alone a farmhouse when you are on your own and older. So she had the old farmhouse torn down and she built a smaller house on the same property in preparation for her golden years. The location and the scenery around the house were just spectacular. I would love to wake up to a view like this every day.
After checking the house, Dahl told me to jump into her car so she can show me the rest of the farmland.
We drove further down to the fields, passing the terraced hills, to the direction of the water. I asked her which part of the land is her farm, and she replied, albeit nonchalantly, that what I can see with my eyes (not across the water though) is her farm. Oh wow, that’s pretty impressive?! The property is massive. She humbly corrected me that the size of this farm is not as big as the other (usual) working farms in New Zealand. So yeah, ok, that’s some farm perspective there from a local.
She’s leased a part of the land to a farmer who owns the cows we saw grazing on the fields and on the hills. The cows were behaving like goats, they were able to climb the hills! I thought this was really funny.
We reached near the end of the water and parked the car, and then we walked to the beach. She said that the family had very fond memories of this private beach. They have spent a lot of time during the summers here. They have caught a lot of fish, snappers and huge ones, which they ate for many dinners. They have harvested oysters too. They used to barbecue and just hang out here, swimming, eating, laughing and enjoying each other’s company and the beautiful and raw nature.
Memories you know are very important. They stay with us even if everything and everyone around us has moved on or has left this world.
She told me that the kids have grown up and had their own lives. The boys prefer the city life than the country. She has an empty nest, and whether she likes it or not, she is on her own so she’ll have to make the most of it. I can tell you that Dahl is one hell of a bubbling woman who loves life. She has a very healthy and positive outlook that can only come because of the good life she had led.
They say that with age comes experience, and understanding, and wisdom. That’s Dahl.
On the other side of the beachfront is this small shelly beach. The beach has mostly shells of different sizes on the ground instead of sand. Dahl told me that you can only access this beach when its low tide, otherwise you will have to take the boat. Cool, huh.
We piled back into the car and drove to her temporary lodge.
She lives with family nearby, on the same property, and is staying with them until her retirement house is finished and she can move in. She’s happy that she has family nearby because even though New Zealand is pretty safe, it’s always a good idea to have someone you trust such as family close by.
The house of the family has stunning views as well. I joined them for dinner and we had a long evening chatting just about anything in life. The family has Dutch and Filipino roots so it was fun to talk about subjects that I can relate and know very well. They were also very happy with the Dutch candy called “drop” I brought as presents.
It was getting very late so it was time for me to go home. SisterJ and Myrhh must have been worried! It will take me approximately an hour to get home in Onehunga and I am relying on Google Maps as my GPS which I have downloaded the night before.
Dahl was such a great host, she gave me so many presents to bring home for our road trip! Thank you Dahl for such a wonderful time. I guess I will see you the next time I am in New Zealand, or when you visit family in the Netherlands.
Travel Period: May 2018
Destination: Auckland, New Zealand
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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
All pictures were taken by a point and shoot pocket camera or a smartphone.