And then we drove up to Pukekohe to see some friends for the evening. They are doing up a lovely old villa and expecting their first child soon too - so all go for them at the moment. We enjoyed a deliciousThai meal with them and camped overnight at a NZMCA POP on an onion farm. Apparently onions are stored for a year here, without any refrigeration. Well, in this humidity - you can't tell me that there's no fungicide sprayed on them here! Yuk! I need to research that issue! :)
Like every self-respecting Kiwi, this farmer had more than one job. One was selling and renting-out those little cabins that people use as sleep-outs.
Whilst there, we noticed there was guy living in one of the cabins - they had no power or water. It was raining and dismal. Later we discovered the farmer had taken pity on him after he'd had an accident in his truck and ACC (the no-blame medical insurance cover that NZ relies on) had "given-up on him". He had been thrown-out of his property and had no income. His 'girlfriend' seemed to be living in her car - with the car next-door clearly out of action - jacked-up and no sign of the wheel...
Outside his cabin was a large water bottle, and clothes-hanger and an old brown paper sack with the printed words 'Patient's Property' clearly illustrating where he had come from. This is the often-hidden 'underbelly' of New Zealand - the poverty and the drug-taking and the lack of any meaningful welfare -system to help those in need. Thank God this kind-hearted farmer had helped them out temporarily - but what of their longer-term health and well-being?
Very sad.
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