Wairoa a Great Experience Say Family

The Wairoa Star

Community

Wairoa a great experience say family

7/30/2009

Wairoa has been a wonderful little town to spend the last 14 months of our lives.

A year ago our family came from Michigan to experience another culture. My husband Chad, a GP physician, was looking to gain more experience in rural medicine and coming from a large city, a small town appealed to our family.

Chad had a good experience working at the Health Care Centre. He enjoyed using his medical skills beyond the office and appreciated the opportunity to join the local search and rescue team as well as help with the Lake to Lighthouse Challenge.

I have enjoyed learning new quilting tips from the women in the quilting club and even entered a quilt in the Wairoa A and P show. The women from the spinning group were happy to let me join in and even brought a spinning wheel over to the house so we could have a go at spinning wool!

Ballroom dancing class each week has fulfilled a childhood dream.

A kaumatua group welcomed me onto their marae each month for their meetings, sharing the Maori culture and teaching me a lot.

Our older children Damon and Maddie attended the college. Wearing uniforms each day has been a change from what they are used to.

A school trip to Lake Taupo last year gave them the opportunity to ski at Mt. Ruapehu, see a military base and learn about the volcanic zone in New Zealand.

Our youngest, Elena, has attended Tiaho and has enjoyed the opportunity to be on the newspaper team, join in kapa haka and attend a Young Leaders conference in Rotorua.

The kids enjoyed trying many of the clubs Wairoa has to offer. Squash rowing, sailing and water skiing were all sports they had the opportunity to experience for the first time.

Being in a country where farming is predominate, we tried our hand at gardening and raised two little lambs. The lambs were a unique experience for us and we tried everything from bathing them in the bathtub to feeding them with a bottle!

As a family we enjoy the outdoors and have had fun exploring all of New Zealand. We are very impressed with all there is available around Wairoa.

We spent many days at Mahia playing with Moko, looking for pipi, exploring the reef and playing in the water.

We also enjoyed the beautiful hiking trails at Lake Waikaremoana.

But our time here has't been without its challenges. There has been an adjustment to the culture, as well as being long-term temporary residents.

Heating a home with a fire has required learning the art of starting and keeping a fire going. With shops being closed in the evenings, we have learned to be prepared or go without.

It took a while, be we have become comfortable driving on the left side of the windy roads!

As we look back, we see that what we have experienced here is intricately intertwined with the people we have met.

In sharing our experiences we would like to take this opportunity to thank the many people who have made our year exceptional.

We are better people because you have shared your lives with us and for that we thank you.

- Kristen Faber