From Hong Kong to Hokitika and all in one day

Our flight lands in Auckland… sleep has been intermittent. I have been watching a revamp of the Footloose movie. “Disney” sniffed Tony but I loved it. I was alert given the lack of alcohol… that is one disadvantage to this dutifully executed dry spell I don't sleep as well. I’m aware of the huge day I have pending and get into a mild panic… you have to sleep, you have people relying on you, answers that need to be given and locations to get to… sleep, sleep, sleep. But to no avail. We land and I decide to man up and get on with it. First stop: head office in Morrinsville to sort and pick up. Next: Hamilton airport then onto my next destination Hokitika (via Christchurch).

Fresh work bundled in my laptop bag, I board the plane and three hours later I'm in Hokitika where I’m picked up and whisked to a fabulous Homestay by Rose my senior manager who is joining me for the adventure. I am introduced to my fellow house guests who are none other than Grahame Thorne and his wife. Yep Thorney the ex-All Black.

“Ask him about the perm” said my amused partner when I called to let him know I'd arrived safely and shared my roomy’s names.

“Hmmm. I don't even know who he is,” I said.

“He's got the cooking show, ex All Black, the sport’s commentator,” Tony replied.

“Great,” I thought, another interesting connection pending. A robust conversation at dinner but an early escape was not to be as I patiently looked at Thorneys photos on his iPhone… a wonderful snap shot of someone’s life that we can all now carry and share so easily.

Up early the next day, we head to the Agfest in the Hokitika township. It’s pouring with rain. No problem to the coasters was the general consensus. They are so used to this; in fact, we should see the numbers up as it will encourage the men to leave the farms for a day. The rain continued and a quiet day all round… not so convinced that the rain wasn't guilty. Home we go to change and ready ourselves for an event that evening where I am speaking at a local café. We arrive and it’s still raining. The cafe is packed and the evening goes well. I talk, Rose demonstrates the frocks, we encourage the women to visit us on stand the next day and still the rain pours down! 

Here are some snaps from my trip to China...

The morning arrives and the site is flooded. They kindly relocate us and we are ensconced in between the cranberries and a fellow rag trader. Great! We now have changing rooms. The stand is frantic and a great day of sales transpires. I consider the opportunities as I survey the demographic. I meet lots of local girls. I like what this town is… not the broken and busted environment I was expecting instead quite a tidy tourist town only thing is it’s lacking in frocks. Let’s hope that’s not for a reason. I trawl the town with a local companion, consider a pop up store, like what I find and start the wheels in motion.

I have always been about opportunities. It’s important to never become risk adverse even in these tougher trading environments. Simply minimize the risks and take the relevant opportunities even when the rain pours down.

Another presentation at the same cafe that night, a smaller audience but just as engaged. The rain has shifted gear… it is now like being in a shower on full tit. We finish and head out, hungry for dinner and wanting of sleep. It has been a big day… OMG the lights of our loaned vehicle are on. Yep, it’s deader than the doe doe. Our host comes to the rescue, makes a quick phone call and a mechanically minded bloke in an airtex shirt arrives, surveys the damage as a hapless Rose tries to explain (yep I’m dry, sitting in our rescuer’s car… for once this is not my problem).

The rain is pelting down sideways like nothing I have ever seen before. Rose is soaked through but there’s some consolation, our mechanic is cute. He solves the problem, we abandon the car and another takes us home. A bad hair day does not begin to describe Rose's appearance. We reflect on how it happened but move on quickly. It just has, we have dealt with it and are in the next phase after all… isn't that what a man would do!

The next day arrives and it is time to depart. I have loved my time here. So much has transpired and it is still raining.

And then we find out… our flight has been cancelled. Rose and I are dropped at the airport regardless and a bus sees us traversing the Haast Past to catch the next leg of our scheduled flight from Christchurch… another bucket list item ticked off for me. A brief stop at the top of the pass saw me try a great date scone (very unexpected) and three hours later we arrive and catch our flights home considering all that has happened in the last few days in a tiny town that so many never get to visit and we did!

Thank you Hokitika… you where wonderful hosts. I will return soon with frocks in tow and the beautiful Angie in my employ. See you on the 17th of August but in the meantime don't forget there is everything you could ever want at www.annahstretton.com