Flying in to Auckland I am reminded how different the landscape is here. What looks like jagged volcanoes dotted around the city. Its warm in Auckland. I hang around the airport for about three hours. I catch a local plane via Chatsworth air to Whanganui. A little plane with about 20 seats. The air hostess gives out chocolate biscuits and tea. My air bnb host Leigh, who runs Aromo guest house in Whanganui, collects me from the airport. We instantly get along. She is an artist and also has frozen shoulder- we bonded over these things! Their home is full of ceramics, giant paintings by Leigh and prints by her partner Graham who has been teaching for 50 years in High schools. I have a little guest house to myself with two bedrooms, a large living room kitchen and even a little wooden deck. The house is a traditional old NZ wooden clap board house. They made me a delicious meal with veg from their garden. We talked about working as artists and balancing life as a Mum. It’s now Wednesday and I have been travelling since Sunday and am so ready for bed. I wake up the next morning at 11.45 with Leigh knocking the door… my first talk at ACOL Whanganui is at 1! I wash and dress fast and artist Kate Sellars comes to collect me. We also instantly get along and she drives me to the college in Whanganui to do my first talk on my tour down under….
