Italian Girls from Liceo Giotto Ulivi of Borgo San L;orenzo ( Florence )Visit New Zealand

Deborah Badiali, Elisabetta Barreca and Giulia Malevolti flew into New Zealand on July 10^th 2008 after a month in Australia on a school exchange. They were visiting New Zealand to meet up with the families of students who had been hosted in the Mugello area, near Florence in Italy, and to experience life in New Zealand and Maori culture.

(The original exchange happened through videoconference between Paolo Badiali, a teacher at the Giotto Ulivi College in Borgo San Lorenzo, Italy, and Rosalyn Williamson, head of the Music Department at Hato Paora College in Feilding, New Zealand. Many Hato Paora College students have travelled to stay in Italy and in 2006 Hato Paora College hosted three boys from the Giotto Ulivi College, Samuele Cantini, Antonio Fabbri and Stefano Morozzi while TMGC hosted Maria Rinieri.  In September 2007 Rosalyn and Mary Dinsdale, Assistant Principal of Turakina Maori Girls’ College in Marton, took two TMGC students over on an exchange trip and now three Italian girls have come over to experience life in New Zealand.)

The students were met at the airport and stayed the first night with Mary and Mark Dinsdale. The next day the girls and Mary travelled up the island starting with a visit to Turakina Maori Girls’ College in Marton where they saw over the school including the school chapel, which is a heritage building. They then went on up to Taupo, travelling over the Desert Road in the snow and mist past the mountains. In Taupo they visited the spectacular Huka Falls where the Waikato River is forced through a narrow gully and gushes out again as a thundering turquoise fall of water. They also saw where the hydropower station makes electricity out of the underground steam in the geothermal area.

In Rotorua, the girls and Mary were met by Arianna Waller, head prefect of TMGC, who had been to Italy in 2007. Arianna was with her grandmother, Mabel Wharekawa, who is a well-known Maori actress and had a part in ‘Whale Rider’. With Mabel, we all visited the Te Puia Maori Culture and Geothermal Centre and saw a demonstration of poi making and then went into a kiwi house and walked beside mud pools and geysers. We even sat on rocks warmed by the thermal heat underground.

The girls stayed the night with Arianna and her grandmother in Katikati, near Tauranga, and in the morning went on up to Auckland where they saw the sights of the capital city including the Sky Tower. On the next day, Sunday, they left by bus from Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty, to return to Feilding to stay with Rosalyn and Jim Williamson in their new home with Tuscan flavour. Rosalyn has been to Tuscany four times and has fallen in love with Italy, which is reflected in the warm atmosphere of her lovely home.

On the Monday, Rosalyn and the girls travelled out to Hato Paora College with Mary so the girls could see where so many of the boys who have been to Italy have come from. There they were met by Alec Smeaton, a teacher at the College. The girls saw all over Hato Paora and then Alec drove them all in the school van. The girls were also interviewed by a reporter at the local newspaper, The Feilding Herald, and had their photograph taken at the Feilding Saleyards where the sheep and cattle are sold every week. They then went with Rosalyn on a tour around the Manawatu, visiting the Cathedral, Te Manawa Museum, the Manawatu Gorge and the Saddle Road to see the Windmills. On the next day the girls and Rosalyn visited Alec’s farm and had lunch with him and his family and then came back to Rosalyn’s home where they made beautiful pasta for Rosalyn and Jim to go with Rosalyn’s pavlova.

On Wednesday Rosalyn, Mary and the girls went over to Wanganui, a river town on the west coast. On the way there they called in to Turakina briefly to meet the Principal, Dawn Mitai-Pehi and have a practice at blowing a putatara or conch shell. In Wanganui they were met by Adrian and Bernadine Hales and Huia-Rose and taken onto the local Te Heti Marae. They welcomed onto the marae by the Kohanga Reo, (a language nest where little ones learn their language) with a powhiri (welcome ceremony) a greeting and lunch. Here they also met up with Michelle Paranihi who had been to Italy in 2007.

After lunch one of the kuia (older woman) showed them how to weave flax and make poi. In the afternoon they were taken up to the top of Durie Hill and climbed a tall tower looking over Wanganui. Then it was time to head home to Feilding and leave Rosalyn and Jim and move back to Mark and Mary. The girls cooked “quattro formaggi” pasta for Mark and Mary and tried to fit in french roast chicken as well. They then spent some time catching up with friends on the Internet.

On Thursday morning Mary and the girls left to head down to Wellington. They had lunch of quiche and foccacia bread on the way with Ann Ritchie, an old friend of Mary’s, at Raumati Beach.  After lunch Mary and the girls went on through to Pukerua Bay, half an hour north of Wellington, to stay with Georgie, Mary’s daughter and her husband Hamish and little dog Teddy. That night the girls cooked pizza for everyone.

Next morning it was time to drive into Wellington and luckily it was not raining. Mary, Georgie and the girls arrived at Te Papa and met up with Sherra-Lee Tamaki and three students from Turakina Maori Girls’ College, Ripeka and Awhina Hoerara and Maraea Akuhata. The girls took them through the Maori exhibition in Te Papa and also the natural area, including the Earthquake House.

After lunch at Te Papa, we all walked along the waterfront and into the city centre where we called in to meet Mary’s daughter-in-law, Kate Dinsdale. We then caught the Cable Car up to the Skyline of Wellington and looked back down over the city on a clear and still afternoon. We then left the others and Georgie, Mary and the girls left Wellington, after calling in to meet Mary’s son, John, at Backhouse Interiors where he works selling Italian furniture. We then had a short stop at the Porirua Supermarket where the girls bought Lamingtons, Anzac biscuits and other New Zealand special biscuits to take back to Italy. That night it was early bed after dinner as check in time at the airport was 4am in the morning.

The eight day trip had finally come to an end and we said goodbye to the girls hoping one day to see them all again. Ka kite ano.

Mary Dinsdale