Bonnie’s Kiwi Family

12-18 December 2025

In high school Bonnie was an exchange student in the AFS (American Field Service) program, spending her senior year with the Banks family in Greytown, New Zealand. She always speaks enthusiastically about her experience and the lasting friendships with her host family and classmates. On our trips to New Zealand we catch up with her Kiwi sister, brother, and friends. This time our first stop for family was in Palmerston North and our second in Greytown.

To Palmerston North

On the Way

If you inspect the map, you might ask Why are they heading north from Tongariro Lodge and then retracing the route to go south? That’s because the RAV4 rental car was completely dead on the morning we were leaving Tongariro Lodge. Unclear why. After six calls to Avis, they sent a mechanic who confirmed the starter battery on the hybrid was down to two volts. He finally got it started but said we should drive to the Avis office in Taupo, without turning off the motor, and switch to another car. This added two hours of driving to the day. But we still managed to arrive in Palmerston North in time for dinner with Bonnie’s Kiwi sister Nicky and her husband Clel. Sometimes it’s good to have a leisurely day in the schedule for unexpected delays.

**The town of Taihape has adopted the gum boot as its logo.**

Lodging

Nicky and Clel

We pulled into Palmerston North with minutes to spare for our restaurant reservation with Nicky and Clel. They both retired from faculty positions at the nearby teachers’ college of Massey University—Nicky teaching botany, and Clel, geology. We always have lots of questions for them about the New Zealand environment. The next day, Nicky met us for a walk on the city’s Victoria Esplanade, a large, beautiful city park. The expansive rose garden was in peak bloom. We ate lunch outdoors at the park’s cafe where Robert managed to feed two thirds of his chips to appreciative birds.

We ended the day at Nicky and Clel’s home beyond the edge of town. Before dinner, Robert toured Clel’s amazing garden, which includes fruit—even bananas!—and vegetables. Always a treat for Robert. As we all sat back with drinks, we watched birds in the garden. New Zealand is full of birds, both native and imported, and Nicky could tell us about them all.

**Breakfast. Five minute walk from the motel.**

Dinner at Nicky and Clel’s

On the Way to Greytown

Nicky and Clel suggested an interesting route to Greytown, and we set a time to meet Nicky along the way at a kiwi hatchery and bird sanctuary, but only after Bonnie made an unscheduled stop at a possum fur factory outlet. (She purchased more gloves, for some unknown cold weather.)

Lodging at the White Swan

This grand hotel building, once a railroad administrative headquarters near Wellington, was moved to Greytown in six pieces in the early 2000s over a treacherous mountain road. The porch along the front is a lively cafe on the town’s two-block-long main street. The Swan includes a pub and restaurant as well as a garden cafe in the back that accommodates day-to-day operations, parties, and special tasting events. For our room, Bonnie selected a quiet suite in the back. Probably the best accommodation we had on this trip.

Greytown

A lot has changed since Bonnie went to high school here in 1966. Then the population was just over 1,000, and Main Street was sleepy. Since that time the town, now with a population over 2,000, has become a stylish weekend tourist destination, especially for people from Wellington. It is surely the most beautiful town we found in New Zealand with a collection of white, Victorian buildings and fashionable retail. The shops are high end, and Bonnie remarked on the large number of women’s clothing stores. Many of the shops would do well in Napa or Sonoma. We didn’t hear a single American there. Everyone seemed to be Kiwi.

Greytown is located in the Wairarapa (sparkling water), a large, sparsely populated agricultural region north of Wellington. It was occupied by Māori tribes when Europeans arrived in the 1770s. The Europeans immediately recognized its agricultural potential, and the first two sheep stations in New Zealand were established here.

Because Greytown did not experience major fires, it retains its charming collection of small Victorian buildings. And the ubiquitous New Zealand veranda connecting shops is missing here, allowing each building to express its own aesthetic. Many buildings have plaques explaining their history. Most of the Main Street buildings have been restored but now have different uses than in 1966. Bonnie’s Kiwi brother, David, noted that the butcher is the one business still in the same location.

Wine Tasting with Richard and Bob!

Yep, Bonnie’s brother, Richard Loyd, and his husband Bob met us in Greytown after they had been touring the South and North Islands for about two weeks. We immediately whisked them off to Martinborough, about 30 minutes from Greytown, for some wine tasting. Martinborough was once even sleepier than Greytown, but now it is fizzing with wine tourism.

At our request, Simon Banks gave us a list of wineries known for Pinot Noir, which a speciality of Martinborough: Te Kairanga, Ata Rangi, Martinborough, and Margrain. We stopped at Te Kairanga for lunch in the Runholder, a spectacular, new building, and we did a brief wine tasting afterward but were not enchanted with the wines. In addition, the staff were overwhelmed with visitors and could not offer the commentary we received at other tastings. Wine tasting was 40NZ$ ($24) for five wines plus a gin and tonic. New Zealand wineries and Kiwis in general have picked up on craft gins.

We picked Margrain for the next tasting. Small, unpretentious, residential in feel with a terrific host who gave great narratives about each wine. We liked their wines. Wine tasting was 15NZ$ ($9) for five wines.

Family Gathering

Bonnie invited Di Banks and her two daughters to our White Swan lodging for wine and snacks. Di went to high school in Greytown, like Bonnie, but was several years younger. Yet both remember being fairies in the Gilbert and Sullivan extravaganza at the high school. Di later married Bonnie’s Kiwi brother David, and together they had Simon, Hannah, and Erin. We had already visited Simon and his family in Rotorura, but this was a chance to meet his sisters. Both Hannah and Erin are involved in theater. Hannah has a university faculty position in theater in Australia. Erin books entertainment for large arts centers. She is also an actor. She voiced the nurse in the Gallipoli exhibit we saw at the Te Papa museum in Wellington, and she played Lobelia Sackville-Baggins in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit. While the adults schmoozed, Hannah’s son Findlay occupied himself drawing a picture for each of us. At seven years old, he dazzled us with extensive facts about dinosaurs.

Bonnie’s brother Richard was 11 when she left for New Zealand and this was his first opportunity to meet the Kiwi family he had heard about for years.

David and Yvonne’s

A great dinner at their house in Masterton and two tours of their garden. One tour before dinner and a second the next day when Richard and Bob joined us. David was 14 when Bonnie arrived in Greytown, and he easily stepped into the role of younger brother in her life. He is now retired from his dental practice and has plenty of outdoor pursuits.

Excursion to Castle Point and Riversdale

David drove us to the amazing seashore with an extensive beach as well as rocky cliffs to fish from. The iconic lighthouse was constructed in 1913. The wind was relentless.

Dinner with Di and Hannah

A sumptuous bbq on the deck. We didn’t leave until after nine and it was still light!

The Bach

We have often heard about the bach—a rustic (to say the least) refuge from anything modern. (Bach is the Kiwi word for a simple beach hut.) David and Yvonne make it out there several times a year. Other Banks family members also use it. The New Zealand fur seals seem to like it so much that David had to set up barriers so that they don’t climb onto the cozy deck. David’s father acquired the bach on an excursion in the 1970s. He saw it abandoned and asked the farmer if he would sell it. The price was right—$500 and a box of whiskey. The drive out is nearly two hours, much on gravel, some on sheep pasture.

Robert gives it five stars and suggested that they make it an AirBnB experience.

Manuka flowers ready for the bees to make honey

Eats

**Daily breakfast at The Offering In Greytown**

Police

Did we mention that the police pulled us over twice? The first was for speeding. Robert was clocked at 110 kph in a 100 kph (about 65 mph) zone. The police officer picked it up on his rear sensing radar. It probably happened while Robert was passing another car. The officer was pleasant, asking how long we had been in NZ (since 01 November) and then asking why so long. Robert responded There’s a lot to see. It’s a beautiful country. No ticket. The second time we were stopped was after dinner with Nicky and Clel when we drank “a bit” of wine. Bonnie did not drink and was the designated driver. We were pulled over at a big DUI checkpoint. Passed, of course.

Heading Out

The last two days of driving to Auckland for our flight out included an overnight stop in Taupo. It rained heavily during the drive and during the night. We will meet Richard and Bob in Auckland and will be on the same flight the next day for the next leg in our adventure.