"Tokoroa is a timber town – the heart of New Zealand’s massive forestry, timber and paper industries. It sits between the lush farmland of the Waikato and the vast plantation pine forests of the central North Island. Visitors can follow the ‘talking poles’ trail through the town centre to learn about Tokoroa’s history and people.
"Pastimes in this area are decidedly rustic. Hunting is very popular and permits can be obtained to shoot deer, possums, rabbits, pigs, goats and other introduced species. Guided hunting and fishing tours are available. The Cougar Mountain Bike Park on the outskirts of town is a popular trail hosting regular mountain biking events." (https://www.newzealand.com/au/tokoroa/)
A bucolic scene outside of Tokoroa
Saturday morning we took a walk to Kuirau Park. The crape myrtles are the size of trees and blooming beautifully.
We visited Grandma Lolo, whose daughter has been called to be a sister missionary in Tonga, where she has always wanted to go. Lolo continues to sell her greenstone and bone jewelry at the Saturday Market to support her daughter on her mission.
Me trying to figure out what my camera is taking a picture of
This is the first time I have seen a booth with items woven of New Zealand flax. There were no ketes--baskets, though--mostly there were backpacks, which are bigger and heavier than the ketes. Elder Rooks was not sad about this, because I didn't get one. You can see the short feathered cloaks, korowai, that the women wear, also for sale.
Sunday morning we set off in a southwest direction on Hwy 30 to visit the Tokoroa Ward, a 60-kilometre drive.
It was rainy and dark, but the colors of the sky were beautiful.
Beehive boxes in the middle of a field. New Zealand is known for its quality honey, especially Manuka honey, which is often sold at the Saturday market
The turnoff to Hwy 1, heading northwest to the timber town of Tokoroa
Hills to the west of us
Cut timber
It was quite misty that morning
Grass and hay bales all had to be wrapped in protective plastic
Driving into Tokoroa along a tree-lined "boulevard," which to me means the road is straight and actually has shoulders. There have been rumblings in the government about building 15 new four-lane highways in New Zealand, mostly routes in and around Auckland, Hamilton, and Tauranga. Anything more than winding narrow two-lane highways would be welcome.
The town of Tokoroa, population 14,500. You can see the cars parked with one tyre in the gutter and one on the grass. This is against driving regulations which are rarely if ever enforced, since in many places (for example, Tarewa Road, where we live, which is far narrower than this road and has city buses running up and down it,) if you park along the side of the street, there is not enough room for cars to drive in both lanes at the same time.
The chapel in Tokoroa, which was built after the chapel in Rotorua, looks more like an LDS church you might find in California or Utah. Picture from Google Maps
Inside the chapel, the benches are more spacious and taller than the ones in Rotorua. Same insulated curtains, though. The ward was warm, welcoming, and funny. Some of the members recognized us from having attended the Senior Missionary Devotional the week before.
Elder Rooks and I bore our testimonies of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We also got to see Sister Tekaiti, who was sent here on the latest transfers.
On the way home, it wasn't raining as much, and the clouds were billowing
Forest plantings after clearcutting
This week we made a major discovery--right next to the Monster Fruit Market is a Coupland's Bakery. It's just as well we didn't discover it earlier, or we might both be ten pounds heavier.
There were many workmen waiting in line to buy bags of bread, meat pies, pastries, cookies, and cakes for their lunches
We came away with Butter Chicken, which is a favorite food around here; Citrus Slice cakes like the ones we had at the Gibsons' house for lunch, which both Elder Rooks and I find irresistible: and Anzac Biscuits, which were on sale. Anzac stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
Anzac Day, 25 April each year, holds in remembrance the allied company, including Australian and New Zealand soldiers, who set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. New Zealand casualties were high at 2779 soldiers, an outcome which helped form the New Zealand national identity.
Anzac biscuits were a type of cookie made by wives sending treats to their loved ones half way around the world. Made with rolled oats, flour, sugar, butter, golden syrup, boiling water, desiccated coconut and baking soda, the biscuits kept well in transit and were often so hard they had to be soaked in water and were eaten as porridge by the soldiers. Like Pavlovas, the origination of the recipe is disputed by Australians and New Zealanders. I have found a recipe I am going to try.
The Anzac cookies from Couplands were dipped in chocolate and highly edible. We finished off the "Family 22 Pack" in an embarrassingly short time.
Thursday, another Zone Conference, another visit to Tauranga. Here are some of our cute sister missionaries.
Sister Trainer Leaders, Sister Sorensen and Sister Nessen on the right, who leaves in one month and would rather stay in New Zealand. They gave training sessions during the Zone Conference. Rotorua has been fortunate in having such wonderful sister missionaries.
At the lunch table with Elder Rooks, the Belnaps, and a couple of APs
The Hamilton Mission lost about 10 sister missionaries in the last transfer. I told Pres. Nikoia how much the wards and stakes miss them! In this photo of the Gisborne and Te Moana-a-Toi Zones, there are only 12 sister missionaries and 32 elders. Fortunately, more sisters are coming in April.
We love the Elders, too!
Mr. Pukeko likes to flick his tail so I can see his black and white tail feathers.
