During our childhood we moved house often, but only lived between two towns. Turangi was our home away from home. A small rural town nestled beside the Tongariro river on the Southern shore of lake Taupo. We lived at several addresses as Dad followed the construction work leading up to the Tongariro Power Development Project.
The earliest house I remember in Turangi was in Taupahi (River Road). We lived in a small cottage behind the Dairy. It had the Copper (hot water heater) Wood Range (Oven). and Long drop (toilet). Although no-one would admit to it, the simple task of going to the toilet at night was quite traumatic. It was bad enough when you COULD see what rested at the bottom of that hole in the light of day. But at night (when the monsters come out to play), the thought of backing up to that deep black hole was at times, overwhelming.
The other houses we lived in followed the same theme. They were small two or three bedroom no hot water or bathroom for a couple, long drop and wood oven etc etc. But mum always made do with what she had and always managed to squeeze the whole tribe in including a stray cousin or two. Although we had an over full house, it never felt crowded. It felt like a home should, comfortable. We did eventually get into a house with an inside flush toilet and a bath tub. That was a novelty for awhile. We used to get all excited just to go to the toilet. Not so much the bath.
Another place we lived in was an old house in the small village of Tokaanu, five kilometers north of Turangi. It had no hot water so one of my jobs was to light the fire for the Copper first thing in the morning. I thought I was quite clever for a very short period when I started dousing a rag in petrol and used it to start the fire. One morning for reasons I never determined, the petrol soaked rag would not light. I started panicking because Dad was due to come out, and the open air laundry wreaked of petrol fumes. So I couldn’t light it, Dad did come out and I did get a boot up the backside all the way to the woodpile to cut kindling. Didn’t use petrol anymore.
The same house was built beside a swamp full of water rats. The rats would come out at night and send dad’s hunting dogs into a frenzy. So at least once every three months dad would catch a rat in a leg hold trap (gin trap). Naturally the process caused the rat to squeal which dad allowed for a few hours before dispatching the rat. The effect was no rats for two to three months before the process needed to be repeated. The theory was the noise from their stricken mate deterred the other rats from trespassing and it seemed to work. There was a big ugly tom cat with no tail that showed up one day. Dad was never a cat man but this one impressed him. For some reason it waged war on the rats leaving carcasses everywhere. The noises at night were absolutely terrifying then just as suddenly, he disappeared. Never to be seen again.
Many of life’s lessons were learned here in Turangi and there was a lot of fun in the learning. There were many firsts. Like my first car which was a Vauxhall Victor with a 283 Chev V8, fat rear wheels with a raised back. It was the roughest ride I ever had but man it was cool. Dad wanted me to swap it for a Mini cause he was worried I might kill myself. So that was the first (and only) time I argued with dad. I kept the Victor and wrote it off in my first car crash three months later. But my most important first was meeting my first girlfriend who would eventually become my wife and life long partner – that story I will roll out in the “How to hookup with an Italians Daughter and Survive” chapter.
Our home town was Rotorua. This was where the homestead was located in Western Heights. Rotorua was also where most of Mum’s family resided and many of Dad’s family also. So we had a network of family around us all the time which was both comforting and convenient but it was very difficult keeping up with who’s who.
The House was passed on to Mum and Dad by our biological Father. The details are a bit scratchy suffice to say, It was the place that everyone returned to for those special occasions. A lot of childhood memories were infused in those walls. As we got older all the controversy and drama seemed to grow with us, but as children we were free to do as we wished, provided we stuck to a few rules – keep your hands to yourself and be home before dark. We had many adventures (and survived them). The constraints kids have today did not exist in those days so the world was our oyster well, the bush at the top of the hill was, at least.
As we got older, we got more involved in the daily chores. We had to dig out a new septic tank one day. I was thirteen’ish years at the time with a major height advantage over dad, so I ended up digging the last two foot of the tank. The process was simple. Dig the new septic tank hole next to the old (full) tank. Connect the two tanks by drilling a hole at the top, from the NEW into the OLD, let the shit flow then climb out – only dad being his mischief self, wouldn’t lower the ladder. I got a bit panicky cause the odor was already overpowering and the fluid was starting to splash. Mum come out, saw what was happening and swore at dad. He lowered the ladder, I climbed out dry retching. When I looked at dad he had the hint of a grin as he pulled the ladder out and we covered the hole.
Again I marvel at how easily mum would absorb the whole family in such limited space. We had the extra cousins as well as the foster kids but never a problem fitting them in. I recall a particularly sad occasion when we had thirty two adults camped in the house and yes, that was a bit crowded.
As children we had very little in the way of toys and games. Most of what we entertained ourselves with were homegrown and with very few restrictions. Rarely were there any adults around to supervise but we already knew the ground rules and usually stuck to them. We’ll delve a bit more in the next blog
So what are you thinking. If you have any questions please put them out there. I know I am a little old school and that won’t change much. I find old school less chaotic, peaceful, which suits my thoughtful nature.
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Keep smiling… It makes people wonder what you’ve been up to.
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