Uncle Joe and Barbara drove us 5 hours down from Auckland to arrive at the tiny village of Opotiki,where I FINALLY MET MY EMAIL CONTACT COUSIN, STeve Winder, and his mother Kathleen, sister of my father. It was a grand time, STeve and Jane put on a big spread and we stuffed ourselves, then stayed up late telling stories of our childhood. Opotiki is a village of 8 or 9 thousand, 9201 to be exact ( on a pamphlet) including the surrounding area. The main employment is Kiwi Fruit and forestry, soon to be a Marine mussel farm. Main attraction in fishing, hunting, nearby beaches Waiotahi and Hukuwai. The Kiwis (people) are in shorts and t-shirts and flip-flops otherwise known as Jandals, while we continue to bundle up in fleece jackets and long pants in the
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