I got into the sinky sand

All my NZ life I've avoided the quicksand on the beach below our farm - it's where a small river runs to sea.. well today I tried to cross the river at full tide and found myself up to the knees in deep sand - could pull myself out but proceeded on all fours very gingerly - no problem but I'm damn glad the earth didn't quake right then.

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Colin's Farewell from Greenbush

Farewell from Greenbush

Greenbush reunion is over
They came from far and wide
All the people young and old have gone

In the garden of Greenbush
You could hear the sound of laughing
Stories of Greenbush were told
Cathy cut the Cake
Ann and Donald stood strong
All weekend long
Lachlan was our MC
He made the night
The only thing
He did not sing

That night the history
Of Greenbush was told
And of the two people
Who made Greenbush begin

Now from the garden
All the people
And the sound of laughing has gone
Now Greenbush waits
For the day when they all come again

You are all part of Greenbush
So please come back again

Greenbush

Colin McKenzie
McKenzie Reunion
January 2011

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My stone story for the McKenzie Cairn

Everybody is invited to contribute a stone for a family cairn, and to write
up a story around what the stone means to them.

Here is mine:

This small piece of quartz is from the gravel road leading out of Samburu
National Park towards the community of Archer's Post, in the northern part
of Kenya. I picked it up on November 25, 2010.

It is special to me because it commemorates a holiday which was magical in
so many ways. First, I was with our daughter Carolyn, who was the best companion one could
wish for. She was fun, lively, always charming to - and interested in -
everyone around her; she was enthusiastic about her first time in Africa and
all the animals - and like me, very taken with the people we met.

Second, I was returning to a place where I had been extremely happy in my
younger days, from 1973-5. So for those three weeks I did my best to be a
25-year-old again. Even on the plane from Dubai, I suddenly gave in to the
need to dance down the aisle 'I'm going to Kenya'. I sang aloud (ouch), I danced to the music in my head, I laughed a lot and
asked a lot of questions of people, oh and I told Carolyn some stories.

My former housemate from the early days, Margaret Butt, and her husband
Manny were our hosts in Nairobi. Manny was the city mortician when I first
knew him. He embalmed Jomo Kenyatta. He started an exhaust-manufacturing
business 'Silentflow', and is now slowing down towards retirement, but still
exactly the same Manny. They live in a palatial home on a lake to the north
side of Nairobi, with very noisy peacocks, dogs and geese.

Margaret and I had shared an adventure overland through Sudan, Egypt,
Greece, Lebanon, Turkey and Europe, in 1975. Our four Sundays in Nairobi
gave us much enjoyment as we reminisced about the trip.

Our safaris included Samburu - still my favourite - partly because of the
views as one drives north round the shoulder of Mt Kenya.. green stretches
of wheatlands towards the mountain, as vast desert starts to unfold ahead.
Then Samburu has the gerenuk, the Grevys zebra, reticulated giraffe, and
other special animals. The gerenuk is an antelope with a very long neck that
can stand vertically on its hind legs to browse. We stayed also at Ol Pejeta Conservancy which has a policy to integrate
wildlife with cattle production.. it has sanctuary places for white rhinos
and chimpanzees, neither indigenous. Sweetwaters Camp was an absolute
delight. Then back over the Timau road to Meru National Park and a camp in
the shade by a river. Black cotton soil after rain has to be seen to be
believed. We slithered for two days.

Four days at a large coastal resort south of Mombasa was followed by another
six days on safari, to Maasai Mara and Nakuru, and finally to a farm near
Njoro to see the Nightingales who have farmed there for 100+ years. Geoff
and Cathie have a keen interest in sustainability and ecology, Geoff having
built wildlife corridors across the farm and used no-till methods for his
rotation of about six crops. An elderly employee came up and shook me by the hand, asking in Swahili
'Where is your husband?' I could kid myself that he remembered Colin and me
visiting there on honeymoon in 1977, but more likely he was put up to it. I
had to tell him that Colin was at home working so that we could enjoy our
holiday in Kenya. Thank you Colin! Christine Jane Mckenzie 1 Jan 2011

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Dappled sun through the tree ferns

A true piece of NZ - it couldn't be anywhere else - the Waipohatu Wilderness
Track today - two waterfalls, some gigantic old rimu, mosses, young
seedlings everywhere. Colin went through like a klipspringer! Must write
those surgeons in Dunedin who did that amazing heart stuff last year.

This is the species list from Brian Rance: 45 ferns alone...

Waipohatu short walk - Plant species list

S Short track
L Long track
R Road/open areas

Ferns
Asplenium bulbiferum hen & chicken fern S
L
Asplenium flaccidum hanging spleenwort S
L
Asplenium terrestre a spleenwort S
Blechnum chambersii a fern S
L
Blechnum colensoi a fern
L
Blechnum discolor crown fern S
L
Blechnum fluviatile a fern S
L
Blechnum membranaceum a fern S
L
Blechnum novae-zelandiae (=B. capense) kiokio S
L
Blechnum procerum hard fern S
L
Ctenopteris heterophylla a fern
S L
Cyathea smithii soft tree fern S
L
Dicksonia fibrosa fibrous treefern
S
Dicksonia squarrosa hard treefern S
L
Grammitis billardierii a fern S
L
Histeopteris incisa water fern S
L R
Hymenophyllum bivalve a filmy fern S
Hymenophyllum demissum a filmy fern S
L
Hymenophyllum dilatatum a filmy fern S
L
Hymenophyllum ferrugineum a filmy fern S
L
Hymenophyllum flabellatum a filmy fern S
L
Hymenophyllum multifidum a filmy fern S
L
Hymenophyllum rarum a filmy fern S
L
Hymenophyllum revolutum a filmy fern S L
Hymenophyllum sanguinolentum a filmy fern S
L
Hymenophyllum scabrum a filmy fern S
L
Hypolepis distans? a fern S
L
Leptolepia novae-zelandiae a fern S
Leptopteris hymenophylloides crape fern S
L
Leptopteris superba Prince of Wales fern S
L
Lycopodium scariosum a clubmoss S
Lycopodium varium a clubmoss
L
Lycopodium volubile a clubmoss S
Paesia scaberula pig fern
R
Phymatasorus diversifolius hounds tongue fern
S L
Polystichum vestitum prickly shield fern
S L
Pteridium esculentum bracken
R
Rumohra adiantiformis plastic fern S
L
Tmesipteris elongata? a chain fern S
Tmesipteris tannensis a chain fern S
L
Trichomannes venosum a filmy fern S
L

Podocarps
Dacrydium cupressinum rimu/red pine S
L
Podocarpus hallii halls totara
S
Prumnopitys ferruginea miro S
L
Prumnopitys taxifolia matai/black pine
S

Trees & shrubs
Arisotelia serrata wineberry
S L
Carpodetus serratus marbleleaf S
L
Coprosma aerolata a coprosma S
L
Coprosma colensoi a coprosma S
L
Coprosma foetidismia stinkwood S
L
Coprosma lucida glossy karamu S
L
Coprosma tayloriae (=C. sp. aff. parviflora) a coprosma
S R
Coprosma propinqua mingimingi S
R
Coprosma rhamnoides a coprosma S
L
Coprosma rigida a coprosma S
Coprosma rotundifolia a coprosma S
L
Elaeocarpus hookerianus pokaka S
Fuchsia excorticata tree fuchsia S
L
Gaultheria antipoda false beech S
Griselinia littoralis broadleaf S
L
Hebe salicifolia koromiko
R
Leptospermum scoparium manuka
R
Melicytus lanceolatus narrow-leaved mahoe S
L
Myrsine australis red mapou
S L
Neomrytus pedunculata rohutu S
L
Olearia ilicifolia mountain holly
L
Pennantia corymbosa kaikomako/ducksfoot S
L
Pittosporum eugenoides lemonwood S
L
Pittosporum tenuifolium black mapou S
L
Pseudopanax colensoi three finger S
L
Pseudopanax crassifolius lancewood
S L
Pseudowintera colorata peppertree S
L
Raukaua edgerleyii (= Pseudopanax edgerleyii) a tree S
L
Raukaua simplex (= Pseudopanax simplex) haumukoroa S
L
Schefflera digitata pate/seven finger
S L
*Ulex europaeus gorse
R
Weinmania racemosa kamahi S
L

Climbers & vines
Clematis paniculata white flowered clematis S
L
Metrosideros diffusa climbing rata S
L
Muehlenbeckia australis pouhuehue S
Parsonsia heterophila a native jasmine
S
Rubus australis a lawyer vine S
L
Rubus cissoides a lawyer vine S
L
*Rubus fruticosus blackberry
R

Herbs
Acaena anserinifolia a biddibid S
L
Cardamine debilis agg. a bittercress S
L
Centella uniflora a herb
R
*Cirsium vulgare Scotch thistle
R
Gnaphalium limosum? a herb
R
Gonocarpus micranthus a herb
R
Hydrocotyle heteromera a pennywort S
L
Hydrocotyle novae-zelandiae var. Montana a pennywort
R
Lagenifera petiolata a daisy
R
Nertera depressa a creeping herb
S L
Nertera setulosa a slender herb
R
Nertera villosa a creeping herb S
L
Ranunculus membranifolius a buttercup
R
*Senecio jacobaea ragwort
R
Senecio minimus fireweed
S L
Stellaria parviflora a native chickweed S
L
Viola filicaulis a native violet
S L

Monocots
Grasses
Microlaena avenacea bush rice grass S
L
Rytidosperma gracile a native grass
R

Sedges
Carex dissita a sedge S
Carex flaviformis? a sedge
R
Carex geminata a sedge
R
Carex secta pedicelled sedge
R
Isolepis habra a slender sedge S
Uncinia ferruginea a hook grass S
Uncinia uncinata a hook grass
S L
Uncinia sp. a hook grass S

Orchids
Earina autumnalis Easter orchid
S L
Earina mucronata bamboo orchid
S L
Microtus unifolia onion orchid
R
Pterostylis montana? a hooded orchid S

Other monocots
Astelia fragrans bush lily
S L
Cordyline australis cabbage tree
R
Juncus gregiflorus a native rush
R
Juncus planifolius a native rush
R
*Juncus procerus a giant rush
R
Phormium tenax lowland flax
R
Ripogonum scandens supplejack S
L

Brian Rance 14/7/1998, 10/2/2001, 22/7/2008

The waterfalls are Punehu and Pouriwai - more later.
Barack Obama's school in Hawaii was Punahou. Close (Maori and Hawaiian)!

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New Year's Honours in NZ

Congratulations to Alison Broad, honoured for the second time, today made a
Member of the NZ Order of Merit. Alison has been a leading Southland thinker
and do-er all her professional life, and has contributed at a
national/international level in many aspects of community development.
Alison you are a taonga!

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Christine's daily diary of Kenya trip - first episode: getting there -

Christine's daily diary: Kenya trip 2010

18 Nov Thursday
Colin and I went to say a Hello to Dee, TM and baby James, two weeks old.
He's peaceful after yelling all night. We were in good time for the plane. I am pretty negative about the
discomforts ahead - 19 Nov
- and indeed feeling them in Dubai airport 29 hours later. 4 hours in Chch
and 3 in Sydney and 14 hours in an airbus across Australia and Indian Ocean.
Altogether so fantastic that we can do this. I couldn't cope with a middle
seat and found an aisle one. Packed plane - 480 passengers?
I'm watching a bank of five wide lifts go up and down. It's cool and tiled
and not too noisy in Arrivals Hall. My flight has gone, all the people have
gone through. ......
.......

Carolyn finally arrived nearly 0730 and almost skipped past me.. thank
goodness we met after all the waiting. She's come from Oslo via Heathrow.
Everything's fine now, even better when we sat down at Pearl Apartments and
could relax- the room was fine - plain but OK - and it was great to shower
and stretch out in bed. I dozed, Carolyn slept pretty well.

We had a brief walk round the block and ate local food at another apartment
hotel. It was 31 C not too bad because of breezes from the highrises. There
is a pool at the top of ours but no time to use it as we booked to take a
desert drive - had to wait an hour in hotel lobby. Carolyn got front seat which was great as she asked good questions. It was
quite a drive out of town, endlessly expanding miles of pylons and new
developments. Palm farms, a deer herd, palace fences that went for
kilometres with concrete walls 2.5m high.

Osman the driver did his stuff over the dunes, Carolyn thought it fun for a
start. I just gritted my teeth and put up with it. The two Cape Town Indian
ladies screamed a bit, as did the Indian lady in the back. He was fairly
safe I thought but I hated the episode. Well! We got discharged from the vehicle and told he'd come for us at
9.30pm. 9.30! It was barely 5pm. The main attraction was three camels giving
rides - in a ring at most 20m diameter! Poor things were up and down every
three minutes. Carolyn got on one for the sake of it, even though it was
groaning each time it had to sit and stand.. They were wearing quite tight
muzzles. So I waited at the tea and coffee stand, the boy was boiling up, he
indicated Just a minute, so I waited and waited and there was finally no
coffee just boiling water, and a teabag. Tea and I and Carolyn climbed the
nearest sand dune and sat down to watch the sunset. No moment of glancing up
at the sky was empty of a big jet lumbering in or out. ~15 ATVs roared round
and round a small arena, 2 aboard each, women screaming, bounce, bounce. In
the enclosure crowds were gathering as the Toyotas disgorged more
passengers. We were both completely disgusted at the noisy, dusty scene and hung around
as the vehicles came in, asking if we could get back to town. (Excuse for
party-pooping- both been travelling for days!) No way, unless by taxi from
the bus dropoff.

OK so we decided to join in - I felt much better as we realised it was a
special party night Eid al-Adha after the Hajj. We sat on benches over
carpets on the sand with heavy pillows for bottoms and feet.
People danced freely under the stars - a lot of men with men, a surprise for
Carolyn. We were well-entertained. One cameo was a tent where men tried on
traditional garb and posed for a photo. Another was henna-painting of hands
and feet. There was a circle of hubble-bubble pipes - anyone could take a
turn but I don't think it was a women's thing.

The event of the night for us was a whirler with several coloured skirts -
it was his stamina that got us - he whirled fast for ? 15 minutes? his
skirts lit up brightly as a highlight. The final event was a single belly
dancer. We queued to leave, but no good, we had to wait until they had
ferried all the others back to buses - finally safe home, driver Osman
chatting Carolyn up quietly.

20 Nov
Mum (Effie)'s 96th birthday. She died on 17 Nov 1992.

I was up about 6 and tested out the roof pool but it was all locked up. We
had relaxed b'fast and drive to airport, walked the length of the very long
terminal 3, gently. Lovely hazlenut latte and couch right by our gate.
Feeling very well after a zopiclone sleep. Somewhat giggly now and then,
dancing down the plane 'I'm going to Kenya'. Last evening's outing was a
good start to breaking us into novelty.

Sitting beside Carolyn on the plane is so different from the long journey to
get here, when I just had to grin and bear it, wait for the time to pass.
Now I'm enjoying every minute! She has seven weeks of travel to tell me
about, she's seen all the rellies and lots of friends. Great excitement at Nairobi airport. A big change from the gleaming spaces
of Dubai. Manny astonishingly youthful looking. Traffic very tight, hectic.
A big road into town, all built up tho' we saw giraffe and zebra on left
through a big fence. The main impression was the amazing traffic and people
walking across the road. We even saw a cyclist heading the wrong way down
the fast lane of a 4-lane divided highway - be prepared for simply anything
if you drive here! It was thrilling to be driven with skill and local
knowledge. The house is four storeys, with magnificent furniture and Musa's carvings
everywhere. He does wood and also taxidermied fish in imaginative settings.
CA and I especially like a brown wooden varnished fish with copper reeds
floating over it. Wonderful persian rugs everywhere. All overlooking the
lake - 3 or 4 terraces of immaculate hedging and noisy peacocks and geese
and two dogs. A full moon arose over the lake; I was entranced - sat in my
corner bedroom awhile and watched.

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Brother Tom is on the move!

http://www.curtis.com/sitecontent.cfm?pageid=8&itemid=21 My distinguished brother Tom Mackay is about to leave the world of London
commuting and practise his law from a new log cabin at the bottom of his
garden. I imagine it is a bit like jumping off a cliff, the parachute being the
three gorgeous girls in his life, and all his friends and colleagues.

Tom we wish you lots and lots of happy clients and some very busy but more
relaxed years to come!

Love from your sis in NZ

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