Basketball |
First day of school I was made the coach of the boys basketball team and I was playing a game that night in an adult league.
Next thing you know I was on the Papakura and South Auckland Indoor Basketball Associations committees. I did the stats (which hadn't been done before I arrived),
was the Jr Men's rep coach and later on Vice-President and for a short while the President. A good way to meet many people in the town. I played on the school team, but usually less than half a game.
We were 8 - 10 in the B-grade and were awarded "Most Improved Team". Here is an example of a team stat sheet from the Summer League 1973: click. From memory the main mens teams in the A grade were: Eagles (tall), Army (fit), and Rosehill (boys).
The '73-4 summer teams also included: D.B. (a beer), Southerners and All Sorts. Rosehill lost all their games. |
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The Shutdown I |
The whole country would shut down for the Christmas-New year break and remain closed for up to a month. In Jan 1974 I wrote: "Can't buy CokeŽ anywhere - they factory closes down for the holidays [ed. - not just that factory, everything shuts down so there are shortages of toilet paper, sugar etc... and we didn't know so we hadn't stocked up]." |
The Shutdown II |
On Jan 4, 1973 we went to the NZ embassy in Suva to get visas. Mr Jovis, Immigration Officer, said we couldn't get approval until the end of the month (government shuts down at Christmas for a month). |
The Auckland |
Jan 19, 1973. Our very first trip into Auckland (via bus from Papakura).
We walked up and own Queen St and was disappointed as it is mainly small shops, book stores, cafes and takeaways all selling the same stuff. |
The Ped Cross |
On Auckland's Queen Street corner lights pedestrians are alowed to cross the intersection diagonally. |
The Busses |
Feb 18, 1973. The Auckland CBD busses ran on electricity (overhead cables - like trolleys). |
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The GP |
Doctors are known as General Practioners (GP) and they work in their "surgery". Unlike the States where everything is done within the doctor's facility, in NZ you have to go to Pathological Lab where blood and urine samples are done. Then they are sent away to a processing laboratory and it can take days before you find out the result. |
The Pills |
Medications were/are free. Various governments have introduced payments ($2 and later $5) but only for the first 20 prescriptions in a year. You are then issued a card to show that you don't need to pay. In 2023 we are back to free. |
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The Milk |
At night you put empty bottle(s) with money or tokens (that you can buy at the local dairy - small shop on the coner) in them by your mailbox. Milk is delivery predawn. In 1973 a 600ml cost 4¢ in 1976 it went up to 8¢. |
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The Shortages |
1973. We were put onto a waiting list for a telephone which were shipped in from Australia once in a while. The landlord put a small mirror into the bathroom. Apparently, they too came from Australia. You couldn't go into a store and just buy one. |
TV |
When we arrived there was only one channel (black and white) run by the government. As the 1973 clipping shows, it was only on for part of the day.
The other thing you notice is the odd start times. That is because there were no commercials and shows from, say the States, were 23 minutes to accomodate 7 minutes of ads. Colour arrived in 1974 in time for the Commonwealth Games being held in Christchurch. TV2 started on June 30, 1975.
In 1977 the hours were cut back 16 hours/week due to an energy crisis. A private station (TV3) began on November 27, 1989 and forced the other stations to improve their offerings and broadcast 24/7. Sometime in the late 1990's the government ended the need to have a TV licence (Broadcasting Fee). Apparently, a van drove around and would try to find people watching TV without one. |
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ALL BLACKS
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The number one most important thing to a kiwi.It is the nation's rugby team. The first game that I listened was in Fiji. Since the game was being played in England it was on the air in the middle of the night. No electricty at that time, so the interested parties huddled in a darkened living room listed to the scratchy sounds out of a battery powered radio.
During our first week in New Zealand we slept in the McDougall's living room. Twice we had to get up in the middle of the night so the family could watch the game. I was an All Black supporter until 2002 when I discovered Rugby League. Over the years I worked, played and dealt with some All Blacks.
Bob Lendrum was a teacher at Rosehill with me and one summer I coached/played on a basketball team comprised of Bob and his Counties teammates that also included All Black Bruce Roberston. In 1986 we bought a house from Ted Barry (1932) and his son, Kevin (1962). |
The Pink House |
May 1973. WE visited Gurmit and stayed at the Forsman farm. Their house was pink and I found that unusual, but didn't want to bring it up at the time. It was sometime later that I found out that pink is the color of an undercoat paint. |
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The License |
Feb 26, 1974. Got my NZ driver's licence - a small book in which a sticker is placed every three years. |
The Time |
Nov 3, 1974 What's the Time, Mr Wolf? First Daylight Saving day in NZ and people are confused. |
McDonalds |
1977 - There weren't any Golden Arches when the first one opened on Queen Street in downtown Auckland. In fact, I walked right past it because it is inside an old bank building.
When you walk in it looks like a bank with 1000 people waiting in lines. This was on a Sunday when nothing else aside from theatres would have been open. A cross-cultural experience. Takeways sell "real American shakes" and I laughed because they weren't.
People were complaining about the McD shakes because they were too cold (from the ice), too thick (from the ice cream) and couldn't be drunk - one needed a spoon to eat it (from using way too much ice cream).
A surprizing number were digusted thinking that they were being ripped off when the French Fries turned out to be skinny and too crisp (not at all like the big fat chips). |
Beep Beep |
When leaving friends or family, once on the road, the driver will toot the horn twice. Our kids waited in anticipation and always enjoyed hearing the "farewell". |
Left |
Since vehicles drove on the left pedestrians also walked that side. On the main footpath in downtown Auckland there was a white line painted down the middle to help keep you on your "side". |
Shop Hrs |
Stores didn't open on weekends. And they all closed at 5PM on weekdays. In Papakura "Late Night" was on Fridays when most stores were open until 9PM. Being teachers we were able to squeeze in shopping and bill paying etc... But we still did our big shop on Fridays. In 1985 stores were open on Saturdays until noon. |
Where? |
More than once letters/packages addressed to us in "Papakura, New Zealand" ended up going to "Papua New Guinea" first. |
Monetary |
The first 7 years we were here it was difficult to get money out of the country. There was a limit of $40/year if to a family member and you had to apply to the government agency to send anything. Islanders would send cash back to their families and so NZ wouldn't accept anything over a $2 bill coming back for overseas. |
Too Fast |
Radio Hauraki played The Doors "Hello, I Love You" and made me pull my hair out. Why? Because it was obviously the 33RPM played at
45RPM. Almost sounded like a cartoon. I couldn't believe that someone didn't complain until I did. Had they been playing it that way for the 6 years until I showed up? |
Tea |
Growing up I would only have tea in summer when it was served ice cold or green tea when I was ill. Learned to drink quantities of black tea in Fiji. Fran Breeze put me onto Labsang Souchong, which has an oily strong flavour.
Somewhere along the years it became associated with migraines and I stopped drinking it. Another interesting flavour is Earl Grey. In 1974 I noted that we had bought: Kandy, Uva, Dimbula, Mah Jong, Gunpowder. Now in 2020's main supermarkets only carry the main ordinary ones. |
Bloody |
Back in the early 70's I found out that I shouldn't say that I had a "bloody nose" as "bloody" was a prohibited word and that I should ssay "nose bleed". I also got in trouble for putting into the bulletin, which was read to the students, that B pencils were available now at the Stationery room. Apparently, "B" was short for "Bloody". |
Gorse |
I guess this bush was brought from Scotland where it is used a hedge. Unfortunately, it flourished in the warmer clime of the North Island and quickly spread tht point of being declared a noxious weed. It is not easy to eradicate. Expensive to spray is about the only way to slow spread. It has lovely yellow flowers and it had spikes which made it a good hedge to keep animals in paddocks. |
The Benefit |
In the 70s families were paid $6/wk for each child. It was upped to $12 in 1977. |
1977 |
Because of the energy crisis TV is being cut back by 16 hours/week. |
1980 |
Kebabs found at Manurewa. |
Prices 1982 |
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Prices 1983 |
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1983 |
Miss New Zealand, Lorraine Downes, won Miss Universe. |
Price '84 |
Cream bun = 50¢ |
Prices 1985 |
Ruby restaurant for supper - very expensive, but very good meals. A pot of tea = $3.60. Foodtown where we found fruit and veggies expensive - mango=$1.95, passionfruit=75¢ each. |
No-No |
Hoffsis would send us "Care" packages filled with US type candy and food including popcorn seeds. So we were suprised in 1986 when the popcorn was removed from a package from mom. |
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1986 |
General Sales Tax (GST) begins in September. Set at 10%. Stores switch from paper bags to plastic. |
1987 |
Barbecue ribs finally hit NZ. Gail loves them so she was in heaven. Inflation at 18%. |
1988 |
NZ rated 5th best country on the world for living. Real, live Christmas trees for sale for the first time...$1.79 to $7. First K-Mart. |
1991 |
Smith City (formerly Smiths) went belly up. Farmers closed the main store in downtown Auckland. Found someone to store the large Santa Claus. Stores were allowed to open on Sundays. MacDonald sold a KiwiBurger. |
1995 |
Cranberry juice now on sale in NZ - $7.50/litre. |
1996 |
David Letterman on TV. First MMP election - one doesn't need to be elected to get into Parliament. Letter from a Mrs Mattson asking if we were related to an distant relative of hers named Malecek who lived in Wellington. Oreos arrive. |
2012 |
Sending a letter within NZ has gone from 60¢ to 70¢. |
2013 |
Switiching from analog to digital TV so all the old sets are being tossed. |
2015 |
The big news in NZ is that we might be getting a new flag. From thousands of submission, we are down to 4, so far. A few years ago there was a mine explosion killing 29 miners. As a result the government has passed a law that businesses must have a "safety officer". The list came out this week and farming (dairy, beef, sheep) are exempt as are quarries (3 deaths in the past 6 months). Minigolf (apparently more dangerous than real golf), butterfly breeders, worm growers and cat breeders are all deemed to be dangerous to workers. And finally, in the news, there has been a spate of people out on parole with ankle bracelets cutting them off or simply sliding them off their foot. We have found out that NZ has 2000 people with these gizmos and there are currently 19 of them who have removed their bracelet and are on the "run". I am guessing that the government bought the cheapest bracelets to save money. Because the bracelets aren't the type that register that they have been cut off which would break the circuit and stop transmitting. |
2022 |
Stores stop using plastic bags. People now use their own bags made of various materials. |
2023 |
Wellington put up 17,000 new street lights. They began falling. Apparently, the strong winds in the area weren't taken into account and so all 17,000 need to be replaced. |
2024 |
A few years ago NZ Post moved from 6 days to mail delivery 3 days/week. This year they stopped mail delivery by "posties" altogther and everything will be done by courier.
Sending a letter within NZ has gone from $2 to $2.30. |