Monthly Archives: Jan 2019

The carving is at the Waipoua Forest, Northland, New Zealand. If you want to learn about the carving, the oldest largest kauri tree standing at the Waipoua Forest. Here is the link for you.

https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/northland/places/waipoua-forest/things-to-do/tane-mahuta-walk/

This morning I was invited by one of the staff of the Waikato DHB (District Health Board) for the workshop – Disability Responsiveness Plan. They have established the aspirations for their Disability Responsiveness Plan and to address inequities to ensure better health outcomes by working within the DHB and the Disability communities.

The opening of the workshop – a disabled presenter who is in a wheelchair and he talked about his life. He spoke about Tāne Mahuta and showed us the picture as here.

I remember reading the Māori myths when I was a young girl. It was about the 3 Basket of knowledge along with other stories about Tāne Mahuta, Tāne-nui-a-rangi, Tāne-te-wananga, Tāne-te-Waiora, Tāne-Torokaha, Tāne-Ueika, Tāne-te-Whawhanga and Tāne-Tahurangi. These stories were from Rangitaane, Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Ira (Te Whakatōhea) of the Wairarapa region. This area is where my mother’s family came from many years ago.

First of all, how can I explain the line of genealogy from the beginning.

Ranginui (father of the Sky) and Papatūānuku (Mother of the Earth) and they have many children. The children’s name were Tūmatauenga (God of War, Hunting, Fishing and agriculture), Tāwhirimātea (God of Weather and Storms), Tāne Mahuta (God of Forests and Birds), Tangaroa (God of Sea), Rongo (God of Peace and Cultivated plants), Haumia-tiketike (God of wild food plants), Uru-te-ngangana (God of Light) and Rūaumoko (God of earthquakes, volcanoes and seasons). Here is the link if you wish to explore more information.

https://maaori.com/whakapapa/ngakete3.htm

Next thing, He talked about using the appropriate words when describing the Māori disabled people in the community. In the Māori Language, we have 2 ways of the meaning in the translated and definition to a word – disabled. One word is called hauā which mean in English for crippled, lame, disabled and the other word is called Whaikaha which mean in English to have strength, be strong enough and disabled (modifier within the Māori disabled community.

Over the last 4 years, I am on the EGL Waikato (Enabling Good Lives) Leadership and the new roll out of the location around New Zealand was mid central of North Island in October 2018. It is called Mana Whaikaha and it rings a nice bell for the EGL in the mid central North Island.

We bought our homes in Eureka, Waikato over four years ago and I always knew something special about our houses in Hinton Road. Uncle Tom Hinton as one couple through my dad’s side – Watkinson-Yates always called him ‘Uncle Tom’. My great grand uncle and aunty were Fred and Joy. Joy who she married Fred Yates and Joy was not my blood relative to our Watkinson-Yates families. Joy came from the Hinton families line dating back to 1864 in Waikato, New Zealand. Joy and ‘Uncle’ Tom’s great grandfather was Henry Hinton senior (1828-1891). Joy’s grandfather was Henry Hinton junior (1849-1935) and ‘Uncle’ Tom’s grandfather was Thomas Hinton (1860-1944). Henry junior and Thomas were brothers.

The next part is very tricky to work out how the Hinton Families related to our home. See the chart…

The story of our homes once belonged to one of the Hinton families. That was interesting as I felt a kind of connection here from the start when we were looking for a home outside Hamilton City. A bit of the story how our two houses were here before our times.

Back in the 1860s’ there was a war in Waikato – Māori, people wanted to retain their land, not for the European settlers to have the land titles and to live in. The Māori, people, lost the war and the Governor of New Zealand gave the land more than 50 acres farm section and the country section including the Hinton’s Gully to the Waikato Militia 4th Regiment. John Gordon bought the land then Ernest Melbourne Masters (not related to my Masters’ family) bought 212 hectares in Eureka in 1913. Thomas Luxton purchased the land in 1921, but it returned to Ernest Masters in 1925. To my understanding, it was the time of doing subdividing the property out of 212 hectares. Clarence E. L. Inglis and Arnold G. Powdrill bought the land in 1930. It was only the first house off the main road in the top photo before the 1930s. Then a new owner – bought it or gave the subdivided land to James R. Inglis in 1939. Then the second house built next to the first house which can be seen in the second photo. The first house listed in the record in 1949 to Charles E. Edwards, Alfred Drake and James W. Hooper while the second owners – Wesley E. Richards in 1955. From the second house – Francis John Guinness Hinton took over in 1961. Then Francis and his two sons – Ashley and Trevor Hinton in 1973.

Trevor moved out and married to one of the neighbours in Eureka. Between 1979 and 1984, there were Francis, Ashely and his wife, Glynis Hinton. There was a business called Eureka Transport Ltd, and it runs by one of the Hooper family in 1977 – to the first house. One of our homes was an ex-army Government cottage and ex-Eureka Transport Ltd before 1949. According to the Eureka Express Newsletter in 2010, Lila and Maurice Duncan were living in an ex-army Government cottage. It sounds like renting out in the first house. The chap who runs the petrol station and a small workshop – Eureka Motors and his name is Colin Duncan. His parents were Lila and Maurice Duncan. Another small world! 

From the start, the first original house was not inhabited to live in when we bought the property.  We decided to pull down and make the way of using woods for fire, reuse for recycled materials around home and gardens, making other gardens with fruit trees and dog runs.

We encountered another neighbour the other evening, and his wife’s maiden name was Hinton. They have got a book, and he asked me if I was interesting to have a look at the properties of Eureka and the families living in Eureka. My replied was yes and I will wait for him to come over one day.

http://www.eurekaexpress.co.nz/history.htm

Holiday is nearly over!

Reflecting the last twenty-eight days holiday mode I took my annual leave and allowed me to recover my new disability a rest.

Nothing prevails to me or to us at home here! My sister’s daughter and her family were due to spend with my sister ‘B’, her family and with our family over Christmas time. My niece Samantha and her family’s plan did not work out what they were expecting in Sydney, Australia. Samantha’s husband David (Dave) was involved in a serious vehicle accident and ended up in a hospital. It is a life-changing for them now and the future. Dave’s best mate set up a website ‘GoFundMe’, and the funding will help my niece and her family for their financial needs such as medical costs and pieces of equipment for I know Dave will need it around the home and possible for his work in the future. It will be more than two years for Dave to recover from his injuiries. Dave is a kiwi photographer for all skateboarders from around the world over nineteen years. You can check out the website here and support them by fundraising. https://www.gofundme.com/x7wty7-chami-family-support?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_dn_cpgnsharemore_r&fbclid=IwAR2ZtDl6zJ0dyIKWDYwxtoq8caMggZOjJYUL4hnB2_Fy4DcjU9ClYysJMVQ

Dave’s injuries were no stranger to us for my partner ‘R’ who had been involved with his motorbike accident many years ago. ‘R’ know what is to feel like and to live with it. His injuries including skin grafts from his legs were pretty much the same as Dave. For me as an ex-health carer assistant to two specialist hospitals in Hamilton where there were so many young people suffering from a head injury to body injuries from their vehicles accidents to fall accidents including drunk driving accidents. I was working there for six months. Currently, there is one man who is in wheelchair, and I often met him at my workplace. He was one of the ex-patients who I looked after and take care of medication and therapy. When he got out of the specialist hospital, he was walking again a very long time ago. Today his body is unable to cope with the fitness strength and get tiring quickly. However, he is so delightful to see me at my workplace where he can pop in for a meal lunch once a weekly.

My garden was full of mess, and the extra height windbreak meshes onto the fences were not done as I promised to do this over the holiday. I have not done any weeding or pruning back any trees last year because I was still in pain for a year. Then I got the result from the specialist and my diagnosed was not so good. It was called Chronic C5-8 Radiculopathy Degenerated Disc Disease. No one came to help out for putting the extra height of the windbreak meshes onto the fence since I placed the advertisement in the local newsletter and on the Neighbourly website. Why do we need this? Because our middle dog can jump over the fence when someone was walking down the rural road plus one nuisance lady who forever ringing up the Dog Control Department over four years. She refused to come over or to learn about my disabilities and my NEEDS and SECURITY around the home. Our dogs are not aggressive types, they are working dogs for me as a deaf lady who cannot hear any sounds out there. We just had enough with this nuisance lady and move on. I managed to do the gardening for the last two weeks, BUT I can not do daily or once every two or three days a week. My right side of the body gets tiring quickly and become very painful. The fence was not done and it is on the job list to do this year.

Lastly, I spoke to ‘R’ that we should be pulling down the old farm homestead rather putting off. We were so busy, and I was battling with my right side injuries for the last four years. So we did pull down the old farm homestead every two-three days over two weeks at the beginning of January. We have not completed it due ‘R’ was back to full-time work, and I am not allowed to do on my own for safety reason.