David and Helga
We are the Seniors, and we retired from teaching in 2020. David used the opportunity to walk the Te Araroa. When not going walkabout, David spends his time reading, listening to the news and chasing Myrtle, our pet rabbit, around the garden. Helga has been busy learning how to play the piano and paint using watercolours. She spends a large amount of time in the garden, growing vegetables and looking after our bee hive and bee friendly garden. We have two adult children, who have both long since left home and doing well. Liam who lives in Japan and Caitlin who lives in Auckland.
We moved to Christchurch in 2001, swapping one small island, Bermuda, where we had lived for six years, to a slightly larger island, the South Island of New Zealand. We live in Cashmere, a suburb to the south of Christchurch, on the edge of the Port Hills, which means there are lots of places to walk and cycle. We have recently taken up croquet and are members of the Cashmere Croquet Club. We looked at playing tennis but that was too energetic, while the bowls club was the bowls club. Swinging mallets seemed just much more fun.
Painting and Community Planting
Helga started to learn to paint using watercolours while on a cruise and has enjoyed it ever since. Helga's painting of the torii (shrine) at Miyajima, which we visited in 2025.
Work at the Heathcote river, running between some local bridges, takes a morning a week. The importance of this project is huge in terms of the health of the river, the life in and around it. Our work has been ongoing for about the last 4 years, planting, mulching and generally tending to the plants we've put into the ground during this time. We are supported by a local primary school - classes of students come along weekly to help weed, mulch and water. The local community love the results of our work, commenting on the difference the natives make to the bird life and general aesthetic of the environment , it looks great! People can still enjoy river views, but the plants now in place only add to the enjoyment and health of our stretch of this significant waterway, winding its way through Christchurch.
Koreisha mark
Both our cars display Koreisha marks on the front, sides and back. Th Koreisha mark is a sign on a car in Japan to indicate "aged person at the wheel" Drivers over 75 and over are obliged to display the mark.
In our case the mark is an in joke as it is a play on our surname and not our age.
Tramping
David is a member of the Over Forties Tramping Club based in Christchurch. The club has a full programme of short and long tramps across the South Island. New Zealand has some stunning scenery. The photo shows David at Stag Saddle above Lake Tekapo on the Two Thumb Track.
