My early years in USA - 1958

Flying boats and other modes of transport...

I was 8 years old and my mother and father had just divorced and as a treat she took herself and me on the Monteray to San Francisco. There were two ships the Monteray and the Mariposa who travelled backwards and forwards from Auckland, Fiji, Hawaii and then on to San Francisco. These ships took turns and were a very popular way to travel to the United States. Don't forget in 1958 it was an epic journey to fly from New Zealand to America - took days - you slept on board the sea plane also had to stop for gas at various locations along the way one fill up and long flying was not going to ever be an option....ha ha ha look at 2009. Usually businessmen (didn't have women then lol) used these clippers as it was quicker than the ships which took about 2 weeks.

Thought I would spill the beans on how and what all this old fashioned shipboard life involved its history now and could be a bit of a nostalgic trip for me and you guys will be flawed at what went on.

Day one boarding - 10 a.m. no early start just a wait in the shed (and I mean shed here in Auckland) guarding your luggage which was enough to supply an entire army of fashion geeks. We only had 4 cases, 2 hand luggage and 1 large almost walk in case that opened up with compartments for all the goodies called a shipping trunk. Makes me think of the Titanic style of luggage.

There wasn't segregation on these ships no first, second, cabin, tourist or swim behind!!! they were one class only and so you couldn't disappear down into any fun areas. lol But - the big but...there were various styles of cabins from the suite to the dungeon. My mother booked a medium sized dungeon inside with no porthole but I'm happy to say it did have air and an ensuite, they were called toilets then.

Walking on board slowly to be met by the Purser and his assistant and you passed over your ticket which was then either smiled at, nodded at or looked at in disgust......told volumes about their snobbery. They were of course beautifully togged out in navy whites as it was December 1958 and was summer here. You were then given over to a minion who ran ahead (to bloody fast for my liking I was only 8) and your cabin door was opened with a flourish and in you went. One little event happened the young man held out his hand and as we were ignorant of any form of tipping my mother shook his hand and said - thank you young man.......his face was a picture..

Now the cabin was from memory probably 9 feet long by 6 feet wide with a bed and a bunk over it on one side the other side was a thinish bench with a mirror over it and shelves of tubular steel to put your trunks on until you unpacked. A small chest of draws beside it. The toilet area was 3 feet by 3 feet - no cat swinging in there possible at all.......Your luggage was already inside the cabin so there was no room for anything even us, omg.

Now it was 11 a.m. and all your friends were allowed to come and see you off, they just arrived said your name to the Purser and he gave directions to where you were. As my mother was recently divorced (this was absolutely unheard of in New Zealand and very rare) we had lots of friends arrive just to check that she was still in tact and able to walk and talk without the MAN who she was married to. She was breaking out and going and doing something on her own - how trendy was that? think most of them thought her mad as a hatter doing such a brave thing on her own.

New Zealand's Prime Minister and Government of the time had difficulty with funds from overseas and we were basically so far away from the rest of the world that no American dollars were available other than travellers cheques from Thomas Cook and the restriction was diabolical(haven't got a pound sign to use) 100 ($ = 200) for the entire trip on the ship and the stay in San Francisco. The idea was that you could survive on 3 pounds a day and as you were fed, watered and entertained on the ship really no money needed for that....wow they were stingy. Tipping not an issue not necessary....

There was a way around all of this - very very very quietly friends would do the following - give you a wrapped gift as a present for your trip, boxes of chocolates, books to read and various other small items to wish you well on your journey. Flowers were also given so we looked like a box room in a botanical garden filled with flowers, people, one child, all the luggage and drinks were being served by a steward with a big tray wow We did flow out into the passageway which caused a little concern from our steward who asked ever so politely to please try and stay inside (how bloody stupid was that) we wouldn't have been able to breathe.

The ship was ready to rock at 1 p.m. so the big hooter went off twice - long long screaches, so then the stewards came running and briskly asked people who were not sailing to please vacate the ship asap - in other words f off, but ever so politely said.

Tears, hugs, tears, laughter, giggling and generally too much champagne and off they strolled, rolled and walked. We left at the same time and went up on deck so we could wave goodbye. Now this is so kewl.....there was a Maori dance and singing party on the wharf and all the friends, relations and hangers on mulled around until the ship gave out the 3 toots for the tug boats to start pulling us out and away......then all hell broke loose. The Maori party started singing and everyone joined in (now there were probably 200 guests on the ship leaving) on the wharf were 500 odd maybe more - not a lot to do in Auckland so everyone brought their children to see any ship sail it was a cheap outing. The Maori party sang "now is the hour" and all those New Zealanders on the ship started crying the American and other nationalities just looked on in either horror or thought it sweet - thousands of streamers were thrown backwards and forwards and it looked like a ticker tape parade. I'm talking thousands of streamers.

Off we went....down the harbour. Now I digress for a moment yesterday here in Auckland was the anniversary of our one harbour bridge 50 years - wow - and we had all sorts of protests and funny stuff happening as the Transport Authority who monitor our Auckland harbour bridge wouldn't allow anyone to walk over it. But in 1958 as the ship turned out from the wharf there was the bridge in all it's glory with the two middle bits missing hadn't been finished so that was interesting!!!

Two hundred miles off New Zealand there is a very deep trench under the ocean until you get there it can be a tad bumpy on the seas so that was our first warning - many more to come. Please try and hold on to the available handrails until you can walk easily. Now its 3 p.m. afternoon tea.

After sailing, back into the cell at toot speed the steward called past to advise best to open some of the smaller cases and unpack a little so while we were at afternoon tea he could remove the suitcases that we had emptied into storage. The trunk was to stay in the cabin for the entire voyage....lol This we did with great gusto and in a great hurry, mother thinking that first in first served at the afternoon tea so off came the hat, gloves and into it in a big way. OMG - I had a nanny who had looked after me since I was born and Clemmie had assisted my mother to pack in the days and weeks prior to this voyage. One bit of a bummer my dearest nanny thought that my mother was being a little too strict/cruel and so unbeknownst to everyone Clemmie repacked my suitcase with certain goodies I would certainly need on my voyage. My favourite teddy, my best doll, my great set of Peter Rabbit books, the small doll I like to dress and all that doll's clothing. Only thing in there for me was a pair of shorts, a couple of dresses, underwear (not enough) and a party dress plus two pairs of shoes. My poor mother lost the plot - that damn woman she said - how dare she pack your toys instead of all the clothing I had especially purchased especially for you for the voyage. By the way no tops.

Afternoon tea - held in the large main lounge on the promenade deck level with lots of tables and chairs all coffee table height (new one on us - low tables - afternoon tea - what the HELL!!!) but there were stewards assisting with sitting people together in a friendly manner shuffling everyone around. Now one problem - I WAS THE ONLY CHILD ON THE ENTIRE SHIP - what to do with the sprog. Well the First Officer asked my mother to join him and his friends at their table which I suppose stopped a riot. My every move was being watched with disdain....ewwww

The only child part is another blog - it was fascinating and that is probably why all of this is totally burnt into my hard drive.

Next blog will cover dress, manners, who, where and what and the CHILD on board.

Enjoy - my goodness its all come back to me now - whew - need a coffee and a calm down.

Where to from here.......the future a mature view

Blog number 5


Maturity - what is it? Something that happens to all of us or does it? I am turning 60 this year but only still feel that I could be 40 or even younger. Attitude is the key. Looks are not as important as so many people feel they are, we are not going to disintegrate in front of everyone just because we have a chin that isn't perfect and matching everyone else's (these beautiful people must have been to the same surgeon who went to the same seminar) God help us all.....

Maturity is a state of mind. You can be 12 and be mature and you can be 79 and be in no way at all mature. Lets define it, I feel we need to rethink individually how to proceed. What do we need?

Confidence - well that comes and goes - Security - that has been taken away from millions of people for all sorts of reasons usually without their control (current world financial issues has taken security from many who felt they had "made it") now they have a learning curve which is going straight up, straight down and sideways. Piece of mind - now that's a good one!!! individuals think everyone other than themselves has achieved this - but none of us do unless, as in my life, being bi-polar gives me all sorts of piece of mind - daily - hourly - and it disappears a lot as well is an entire world suffering from this type of polarisation? Being comfortable in yourself is achieved with kindness and consideration of yourself and of others - will elaborate later on this one.

So where to now..........(a lot actually have) do we all turn into people who are heartless, violent, uncaring of our fellow man, vitriolic to all, self centered, and just plain awful which has happened at a fast pace in my lifetime OR do we sit down and think about our lives our futures and what, where and how we would like to end up. Age is just a number but to feel comfortable in ourselves we do have to think about how we treat ourselves and others - a kind word or deed doesn't cost money it gives us strength to improve our inner being and those we have assisted even in the smallest way may not remember what it was but they may also have more strength to go on.

My pet hate....money as it has been said it is the root of all evil. Why has the world and many individuals not assisted others and their fellow humans. There has been years of lets make our money off the backs of those who we don't care about why do we need 50 different types of one product that 90% of the world can't even afford to eat, buy or use. Money well its nice to have some but why did so may people bet on the future of our world by needing to progress over the tops of others?

SO to politics - such a mixture of attitudes, agendas and self interests - not all are like that but a majority are which taints all around us. This causes stress and grief which could have been avoided if the agendas had not been so self centered - always of course done for the best of intentions, but who's theirs or ours?

I have never been so pleased to finally see a President of the United States of America (and I have lived long enough to have lived through a significant number of Presidencies) who from what I have seen so far has a caring, humane, intellectual, thoughtful human side great carisma to make improvements that will eventually cater to many different groups President Obama in my view does have a belief in the betterment of not only the U.S.A. but a world suffering from so many sad and insurmountable troubles and supposedly unresolvable differences. Now this young man is mature beyond his years and has a belief in himself and a belief that others have the potential to do a good and helpful job as well, but often this is hidden behind self interest a new perspective discussed and acted upon as a role model by President Obama I feel will serve humanity and solve over time a number of issues that have plagued us all for many years.

In my lifetime the world has really gone far away from its most needed core values in so many areas that it will take a miracle to even dent a positive start to a healthy humanity and world changing into a liveable and sustainable world.

Think of the volume of issues to be dealt with - mind boggling - so where from here a better understanding of each other at a basic and humanistic level. Bring it on.

So much do be done and probably needs to be achieved in a fairly short space of time as deterioration has set in and isn't going to go away any time soon.

Corporate raiders etc. etc. people who get salaries that would keep entire countries fed, did those people who actually earn these amounts actually do any good with their physical money - or did they spend it on themselves or gobble up other not such lucky companies and people - they just gambled and gambled on everyone's future - not theirs they were safe...or so they thought.

This is my first blog OMG a rant and a rave without a lot of thought but will sit down and try and understand why we are now at this stage in what I hope will still be a beautiful world before it is too late.

I need to be forgiven for all the typos etc. its 4a.m. here in New Zealand and I decided to go for it.