Opunake is very different from any place in Australia. I am a foreigner in a remarkably different country. I can't even know where I am because the street signs don't clue me in. They are basically Maori words. I sense I will have sufficient adjustments to make as I settle in.
I arrived in New Plymouth, New Zealand on Friday – a bustling city of 68,000 people. Fr. Tom collected me at the airport and he brought me to St. Joseph’s Church to meet five other priests for the Palmerston North diocese. After dinner, I visited the mission parish in Pungarehu and then settled in at Opunake near Rahotu. I have a large presbytery with four guest rooms. It was pitch black when I arrived (no street lights) so when I awoke the next morning I was stunned to see the huge mountain, Taranake, in my backyard. It dominates the landscape and it looks like the mountain in the movie "The Ten Commandments" with thick clouds hovering at the peak. It is filled with thick layers of snow and is a 20 minute drive from my presbytery. Wow. It is amazing though. Today as I looked out the window, the mountain was gone. The fog and clouds engulfed the entire mountain even though the visibility was fairly good.
The beach is a two minute drive from my place and is very nice as well. It has black sand instead of white, but it is cared for nicely. The people take great pride in their beach. The land is much like what I expect Ireland to be like. It is so moist and green and there are small hills dotting the landscape. It is a pleasant place to be. The temperature is fairly warm, but they say the cold comes after the shortest day of the year, which was yesterday. Now we’ll get a few more seconds of increased daylight each day.
It is very quiet here. I'm sure I will get a little lonely. There isn't a sound anywhere and the television has one fuzzy station. The people are looking after me well though, especially Sister Veronica who had me over for Sunday dinner and to watch the All Blacks beat the Welch. The place is so quiet.
Mass today was quite good. The church of St. Martin’s in Pangarehu was interesting. The people sang very well and loudly. They also have such nice smiles. The first three people I met were from the Netherlands, Ireland, and Switzerland – and they enjoy living here. I was so touched by their kindness to me and their dedication to church. The Mass in Opunake was much larger and all the men served the Mass as Eucharistic Ministers, ushers, and even singers, though we had a good female vocalist to lead the congregation. The men stayed around longer after Mass to chat and catch up on the village news. Virtually all the people have such firm handshakes and joyful smiles. Their faces light up when they greet another person and you can just tell they like being around others. I get a very good sense of happiness and comfortableness from them.
Anyways, I hope to drive to the mountain tomorrow as it is my day off. It is so quiet here.
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