Life + Style - 20 July 2018

20 July, 2018

Gated living on the Paradise Peninsula Page 2

THE WEEKEND

A Moment in Time

Mermaid searching

Tauranga Observatory

Boomerang bags

Virtual adventures

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˜°August, July July,, 2018 ˜°˛˝ life+style The Weekend Sun ˜˛20 ˜°˛˙

All you’ve ever wanted Gated living on the Paradise Peninsula

If you’ve ever considered running away to the Paradise Peninsula for the sunshine, the beach and the chance to breathe in the fresh air, now’s the time to look into it.

Waterview Estate in Omokoroa combines the best of both worlds – space to breathe with gorgeous views and the comfort and safety of a gated community just on the outskirts of shops, cafes and the beach.

The gated village is currently selling the final stage, with remaining homes priced from $435,000.

Developed by the Kingdom Group, Waterview Estate comprises of 95 homes built for Bay residents looking for a peaceful community lifestyle.

“We have been really fortunate to get some land out at Omokoroa, because it’s such a beautiful place,” says the Kingdom Group’s Juliet Allen.

The quality brick and tile, twobedroom-plus-study homes are maintenance free.

There are various floor plan options, including semi-attached with single and double garage options or freestanding with double garage.

Kingdom Group believes in creating communities, and what makes their communities unique is their freehold titles with no age restriction for residents and an emphasis on safety and security within a professionally landscaped and maintained environment.

Residents own their own property and have the right to sell as they please and retain the full

capital return.

“Our communities are designed to be inclusive rather than exclusive, and to connect people to their environment through a respectful approach, embracing the natural surrounds,” says Juliet.

“We at Kingdom Group believe we are providing an excellent lifestyle opportunity to people from all walks of life.”

“When we first looked at Waterview Estate, we weren’t sure if we wanted to live in a gated community,” says couple Martin and Herma Rutten, “but we have never regretted this decision for one moment.

“Waterview Estate is so quiet and peaceful. People respect each other - there is a very friendly atmosphere and we have made some good friends.”

“We enjoy the community spirit, the friendly and caring people in the village, and it’s great to feel the security within,” says couple Christine and Alistair McPherson.

“The chattels and appliances are very good and easy to use.

“We enjoy our garden with a great size section with the Body Corporate mowing the lawns.”

“We are so happy with the quality of the home, which features a designer kitchen, nice bathrooms and is fully insulated,” says Martin and Herma.

“The lawns are done every fortnight, so you only have the noise of lawnmowers and line trimmers for a short period.”

Waterview Estate is conveniently located on Greystone Place, Omokoroa, meaning easy access to local

Martin and Herma Rutten

facilities, including a golf course, bowling club, boating facilities, cafe, a supermarket and more.

Shopping, dining, cafes, a boat club, churches, a community hall and a medical centre can all be found locally, within easy travel times.

The estate is only a short drive from Bethlehem, which offers up-to-date shopping and medical facilities.

Tauranga city centre is just 15 minutes’ drive away, and Waterview Estate is within easy driving distance to other major cities, with Hamilton, Rotorua, Auckland and Taupo all approximately two hours or less away.

If the view is a selling point for you, Waterview Estate delivers. It’s just a short stroll from Waterview Estate to

LYNLEY PARK, OMOKOROA

enjoy the spectacular views over Tauranga harbour, across to Motuhoa and Matakana Islands and Mount Maunganui, or the sunsets over the Kaimai ranges.

By day it’s sensational.

At night, it’s simply breath-taking.

If it sounds beyond your reach, think again, because perhaps the most extraordinary thing about Waterview Estate is just how affordable this wonderful lifestyle opportunity is.

Christine and Alistair McPherson

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life+style The Weekend Sun ˆ

A Moment in Time Forget-Me-Not Life Story for George

“I was approached by the family to do George’s story about 18 months ago,” says Forget-Me-Not Life Stories personal historian Kate McCarthy.

“It’s an absolute privilege. This generation, they have given us so much, and it’s really wonderful to be able to honour them and capture their stories.”

Kate believes everyone has a story to tell.

George’s story is certainly more remarkable than some, in that were he not in a certain place at a particular time, the future of his family may have taken a vastly different tack.

Joining the Marines at 16, he was involved in Operation Neptune on D-Day at Normandy, and was awarded France’s Legion of Honour medal.

“The book is called ‘A Moment in Time’ because when he went to enlist in the army, they said you’re too bloody young, bugger off,” says George’s daughter Janet-Linda Comins.

“So he went next door to the Royal Marines, and if he hadn’t, he might have been on the beaches at Normandy, instead of driving a boat.

“He’s been in the right place at the right time several times over his life.

“So he called it ‘A Moment in Time’ because those moments determined everything else that happened. That’s how he feels too.”

A personal history goes beyond the names and dates on a genealogy chart because it captures the stories behind the events, preserving important memories.

“When we went to an Anzac Day event a couple of years back, I heard about Kate,” says Janet-Linda.

“I said ‘Dad, you’ve had such an extraordinary life, why don’t we do a book on you?’

“He just said he was lucky, and was very modest about it, and I just decided ‘oh well, we’ll do it anyway’.

“So we have, and I’ve learned lots. It’s been quite an amazing journey.”

Kate used a dictaphone initially, and Janet-Linda and her three sisters and two brothers filled in some blanks.

“We’ve all been part of it,” says Janet-Linda.

“It’s been quite amazing.”

“I was on my way out to Japan when they dropped the atom bomb,” says George.

“So I didn’t have to go there.”

“See?” says Janet-Linda. “A moment in time.”

The family saw the proofs before it went to print.

The book is about 70 pages, and took 18 months. “George’s book is lodged with the National Library,” says Kate. “People are able to get copies through that and it becomes part of New Zealand’s history.”

“It’s the legacy of Dad,” says Janet-Linda. “It’s Rosalie Liddle Crawford his extraordinary life.”

Photo: Nikki South

George Wootton has had his life story captured and preserved in a book, creating an enduring legacy for his family.

Kate McCarthy presented George with his book.

Chapter THREE

Grace and I with Maureen, Jean and Les, Sumner Beach 1955

THE NEW ZEALAND ARMY Christchurch 1952 – 1955 In the early 1950s I wanted to live as far away from England as possible, so towards the end of 1951 I joined the New Zealand Army while I was still living in England. On my way to the other side of the world I flew through the Middle East stopping every now and again as planes couldn’t fly the distances they can today. Grace and our two girls, Maureen and Jean, came out on a boat through the Panama Canal, which took three months. When they joined me in Christchurch I was in the Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps as a Reserve, and we moved into an army house in Addington Barracks in Sumner.

Wrestling. I won the H.S Batchelor Memorial Cup in 1956

This was taken soon after I arrived in New Zealand, circa early 1950s Tandem biking with Maureen and Jean

Military Police, Burnham circa 1950s (I’m in the middle)

Burnham 1955 - 1959

The menu from the boat Maureen, Jean and Grace sailed to New Zealand on; the RMS Rangitiki

Above: George, Anzac Day ˜°˛˝.

Right: Family members came for the book presentation (from left) Erika Walpole, Maureen Saunders, George Wootton, Janet-Linda Comins and Jean Julian-Edwards

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Me with Maureen and Jean (back) in the motorbike and sidecar, Sumner

Grace and I (far right) at the Mess, Burnham Military Camp circa mid-1950s

While we were living in Christchurch two more children arrived: our first son Leslie, in 1954, and our third daughter, Janet, in 1957. Three years after joining the New Zealand Army at Addington Barracks I started in the Provost section (military police) at Burnham.

I didn’t do any special training as they could see I’d been a Royal Marine and a London Bobby, and they accepted me for the job and expected me to do it. I just got on with it and felt very lucky to be in the New Zealand Army.

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˜°August, 20 July July,, 2018 ˜°˛˝ life+style The Weekend Sun ˜˛ ˜°˛˙

Searching for a mermaid Alice Sea and her yurt

I hadn’t searched for a mermaid before, but decided to go on a musical mystery journey.

I hadn’t searched for a mermaid before but decided to go on a musical mystery journey. Motoring up into the hills beyond Papamoa, I eventually found my way past an ancient bus, resting quietly, démodé and advanced in years. Barns and bush cribs, an old army-green camper van. From then on it was by foot or four-wheel drive, up to an enchanting yurt where I found Alice Sea making music.

She delights in taking people ‘down the rabbit hole of musical mystery’, and as my life already seems like a kaleidoscope of captivating souls, I was ready for more whimsical charm.

Was she really a mermaid? Susan Harrison-Tustain had told me Alice Sea had been a muse for her paintings and I wanted to find out why.

Firstly her family name ‘Sea’ is a dead giveaway.

Of course! A mermaid would have a name like that.

Secondly her eyes. Sparkly, wise, hints of mischief.

Thirdly she is off soon to play music in the land of jewels.

The Amsterdam festival, Landjuweel, means Jewel Land, and Alice has been summoned to perform there.

“I’m half Dutch,” says Alice. I wonder if she is aware that one mermaid story dates back to 1600 when a mermaid entered Holland through a dike, eventually becoming a productive citizen.

“My mum is from Utrecht, a little town twenty minutes from Amsterdam,” she says. “I’m super excited to go out and connect with my roots. It’s been a dream of mine to have a music tour there.”

Thirty years old, Landjuweel is more than just a festival; it’s an experience. A cultural art fair with musical highlights, but also theatre, poetry, workshops, unexpected creative surprises, fireshows and spontaneous jams.

From July 29 until August 2, hippie festival lovers can eat their heart out at this festival at ‘Ruigoord’ - a little village that was squatted by a group of artists in the 70s and has since become an artistic community.

Alice is also booked to open for Matiu, a Kiwi artist in Berlin. They toured the same New Zealand summer festival circuit.

“He’s an incredible artist and weaves in traditional Maori waiata with reggae. He also does Maori story telling workshops, so the Kiwis are sweeping Europe this winter - two of us!”

Alice’s previous festivals and shows include a spot as opening artist for Tiki Taane, Jason Kerison, Batacuda Sound Machine, Sola Rosa, Sundaise Fest 2017, Prana New Year’s 2015, Summerfest 2012 and 2013, the Tarnished Frocks and Divas Fashion Show, Okere Falls Fest, Matarangi Fest, Cherry Blossom Fest, Tauranga National Jazz Festival and New Year’s Eve at Jupiter’s Casino Gold Coast.

Born in Australia, Alice moved to NZ when she was two-years-old. She arrived in Tauranga about seven years ago from Christchurch.

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“Her music is unique, ethereal, mesmerising and captivating”

“After a few years I peeled off and decided to do it solo and record my own albums.

“I recorded the first album in my van with a solar panel - you don’t really need much else, just a laptop and a microphone.”

She’s now recording her next album, which is due out in 2019.

About five years ago she started the Mauao Contemporary Choir, and this month she’s launching the Tauranga Singing Circle, with monthly guests from different cultures.

“I’m excited about that, to weave songs from all around the world in a sacred space and have it multi-cultural and community-based. It’s going to be in a different location each month.”

She’s also launched a sound journey experience, where people come along with their mat, blanket and pillow, and lie and get serenaded by music for an hour.

Her music is unique, ethereal, mesmerising and captivating. This is exactly what a mermaid would be doing. I’m convinced. I found a Rosalie Liddle Crawford mermaid!

Photo: Nikki South

“I moved here to study marine biology,” says Alice. Of course! A mermaid living on land would naturally choose a career that related to the sea. She’s also a qualified scuba diver.

“I did a few seasons in Kaikoura with the whales, and some work with the marine reserves.

I’d go down and collect the data. At the time it was all voluntary based. Music just came up again and I got a job at the Mauao Art Centre while I was studying.”

I wondered if she had a mermaid tail somewhere. I looked around the yurt.

So many instruments.

“I gig three nights a week. At private events, pub gigs, and weddings. The festivals happen in the summer time.”

A multi-instrumentalist, Alice plays about 30 string, wind and percussion instruments, including the native American flute, classical flute, harmonica and didgeridoo - a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians.

“Once you understand musical theory, it’s just like they’re part of the same family - ukulele, guitar, piano, bass, violin…”

Perhaps she is a water-nymph, which can be mistaken for mermaids. They are also beautiful in their appearance and musically talented.

In 2012, Alice was part of a musical duo.

“I wasn’t quite ready at that stage to take the lead, to really embrace my own creative songwriting,” she explains.

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The Tauranga Observatory Astronomy is growing astronomically I’ve often wondered about the universe.

Who hasn’t? I’ve downloaded satellite tracking apps and watched from a garden hammock on a summer night as the stars pass overhead. There’s so many questions.

Why does Pluto form dunes when there is essentially no wind? Are we alone? How big is the universe? Why did Mars dry out?

I’ve just learned that all the planets in our own solar system are now on the same side of the solar system, which means they are all currently visible in the night sky.

We’re talking the rings of Saturn and the four main moons of Jupiter as well as the cloud belts.

Venus and Mars are very bright in the sky, Venus in the early evening in the Western sky and Mars later in the evening in the Eastern sky.

Mercury takes 88 days to orbit the Sun, so it will be back on the other side within weeks, but the planets further out take much longer. Jupiter and Saturn will be on the same side for years.

Jupiter takes just under 12 years to orbit the Sun, and Saturn takes about 29-and-a-half years, so they move a lot slower.

It’s interesting to me that we often don’t think about the fact that six months from now, we will be on the other side of the Sun from where we are now, almost 300 million km away.

We’re busy being caught up with life’s dilemmas,

Archer and Robert Bays with Stuart Murray

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sports, coffee and a myriad of other things.

Meanwhile, we’re hurtling through space.

If there’s no cloud, the Moon should be visible on July 24, which is perfect because that’s when the Tauranga Astronomical Society will be holding its next meeting.

The club has an observatory and clubrooms at Fergusson Park, and meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. I decided to go check it out.

Stuart Murray, Les Smith, Robert Bays and Archer Bays, age 10, met me at the clubrooms.

“Over the last few decades, science and astronomy have grown astronomically,” says Stuart.

“Each fortnight there’s something new happening.

“The technology is advancing and allowing us to see further and do things. It’s changing as new ideas and philosophies creep in.”

“Technology is even helping astronomers re-evaluate old data,” says Robert.

Robert and Archer joined the club about a year ago.

“Archer got really interested and got a telescope,” says Robert. “We then found the Tauranga Observatory and ever since it’s been a lot of fun.

“We go to every meeting.”

Archer has an eight-inch Dobsonian telescope at home, and attends Greenpark School.

“I like coming here because it documents space and I find the subject very interesting,” says Archer, who takes his own telescope out onto the deck at home.

“I’ve seen Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and some star clusters.”

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“The technology is advancing and allowing us to see further and do things” Les Smith

Photos: Bruce Barnard

“I love the documentaries we show at the club,” says Robert, “and also the viewing, and showing people Jupiter and the planets. Seeing them amazed when they see it for the first time is enjoyable.”

Some of the telescopes at the observatory are very portable, and can track the planets, making them easy to use.

Upstairs at the observatory is the pride and joy of the club - a 14-inch Meade LX200-ACF telescope.

With the push of a button, the roof slides back on the observatory and the night sky becomes visible.

There is a Lundt Solar 60 telescope for viewing the Sun, while the observatory also houses a 10-inch Dobsonian, an eight-inch Meade LX10 SCT and a couple of other smaller telescopes.

The Lundt Solar telescope is the only telescope that can be used for viewing sun spots and solar explosions on the sun.

The club nights are sometimes packed out with people, especially with notable New Zealand guest speakers, as the club keeps the topics relevant and current. “We initially started with DVDs and programmes going back to Apollo missions,” says Stuart. “Now we try and keep the programme as topical as we can.

“Sometimes we go back and look at what astronomers worked out. There was a key point in astronomy history in 1610, when Galileo discovered that Jupiter had four revolving moons.

“Up until then it was believed that everything went around the earth.

“This was a significant shift in outlook.”

This was also the period when telescopes were first introduced.

Les took up an interest in astronomy on retiring, about 17 years ago.

He lives nearby and has taken school groups through the observatory as well as taking telescopes out to visit children in kindergartens.

“It’s very interesting as there’s so much happening,” says Les. “With the new telescopes you can look at space from different frequencies.”

The club members are looking forward to the solar eclipse taking place on the morning of July 28.

Glancing above I marvel. While we’ve been talking, our small Earth has raced through space, a continual source of mysteries waiting to be Rosalie Liddle Crawford discovered.

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˜°August, July July,, 2018 ˜°˛˝ life+style The Weekend Sun ˜˛20 ˜°˛˙

Boomerang Bags Making a positive di˜ erence I’ve seen the Boomerang Bags around the city, and even stood reading the sign on one of the bins before wandering off again.

Paula Taplin

It’s like subtle advertising that eventually seeps down into my brain - I too can make a positive change and ban single use plastic bags from my life.

Why should I do this? Plastic shopping bags are now global, produced at a rate of one trillion a year and showing up in places from the depths of the world’s oceans to the summit of Mount Everest and to the polar ice caps, creating major environmental challenges.

In 2002, Bangladesh was the first country in the world to ban thin plastic bags, after they were found to play a key role in clogging drainage systems during disastrous flooding.

Although other countries followed suit, worldwide consumption increased to one million plastic bags per minute by 2011. Ministry for the Environment statistics estimate that New Zealanders send approximately 200,000 tonnes of plastic to landfill every year, roughly half of which is packaging.

In June 2018, on World Environment Day, 12 New Zealand and international businesses signed the NZ Plastic Packaging Declaration to tackle plastic waste.

By doing so, four New Zealand-based businesses - Foodstuffs, Countdown, New Zealand Post and Frucor Suntory - committed to using 100 per cent reusable recyclable or compostable packaging in their operations by 2025 or earlier.

Other businesses include multinationals such as Amcor, Danone, L’Oréal, Mars, PepsiCo, The CocaCola Company, Unilever and Nestlé.

Now ‘Plastic Free July’ is upon us, can we simply take up the challenge to refuse single-use plastics during July?

‘Single-use plastic’ includes plastic shopping bags, plastic cups, straws, coffee cup lids and plastic packaging – anything that is intended to be used once and then discarded. One of the issues with using plastic for single use items is that it never biodegrades.

Boomerang Bags, a group driven by the desire to address the growing environmental problem of plastic in landfill and marine environments, has made hundreds of fabric bags.

On a Saturday in June, I caught up with Paula Taplin, Marie Benvin and some of the group at a sewing bee at the Mount Maunganui Language Centre.

“Boomerang Bags Tauranga was started by Charlotte Manville in October 2016,” says Paula. “Marie and I joined the group about a year ago. Boomerang Bags is global with communities all over the world.

“It was started in Australia by people trying to reduce single use plastic and divert useable materials from landfill. It was free and accessible. They encouraged people to set up groups in their own communities, so that’s what we’ve done here in Tauranga.”

Paula thinks the local group has made at least fourand-a-half thousands bags in Tauranga which are all out being used.

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“If you’ve forgotten to take your own reusable bag you can borrow one of those, take it home and keep using it, or you can return it to any share bin next time you are going past”

They’ve found it’s a nice synergy with the Mount Maunganui Language Centre.

“Both Boomerang Bags and the school thought it was a lovely venue to have something like this and to involve our students in a community enterprise that’s good for the whole planet,” says the centre’s tutor, Ann Butler. “It’s a good fit.”

This is the second time the sewing bee has been held at the centre. There are about 40 students studying over winter, with students from Japan, South Korea and Malaysia involved in the sewing.

“We have two different types of bags,” says Paula.

“There are the ‘Borrow and Reuse’ bags, which are free and useable to anyone in the community.

There are three share bins in Tauranga where those are available, at the Waipuna Hospice shop in Greerton, Plum Organics in Papamoa and Rip Curl in Mount Maunganui.

“If you’ve forgotten to take your own reusable bag you can borrow one of those, take it home and keep using it, or you can return it to any share bin next time you are going past.

“The other type of bag we have is the ‘Bought to Support’ bag, made from slightly nicer fabrics and sold for $5. We have those at The Little Big Markets and they’re also available in the Habitat for Humanity ReStore shops.”

The group also holds sewing bees at The Little Big Markets. Sewing machines are set up, and people are welcome to come along, sew a bag for free and take it home with them.

“If you’re not a sewer there are a million other things that people can do,” says Paula. “They include cutting out bags, pinning on pockets, ironing. We’ve got people who do parts of bags out in the community.

We drop off fabric to them and there’s no deadline, they do it in their own time.

“When they’re done we gather those pieces together and assemble them into bags.”

The people at Boomerang Bags are happy to work with anyone who wants to reduce their single use plastic and provide those alternatives for their customers. For more information email Paula at boomerangbagstauranga@gmail.com Rosalie Liddle Crawford

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My virtual adventure A blast of euphoria

One night this month, I drove two laps of Bathurst, designed a dress using hot pink neon triangles, created a three-dimensional painting around me in the air and went to a planet in the outer galaxy to assist the Federation while under attack from storm troopers.

Jimi Calzato

While I was doing this, Jimi Calzato was exploring Batman’s Cave nearby and diving into some serious gaming. A friend and film director, Jimi had been working solidly on editing a short film we’d written, so I thought this would be a great escape from one world of unreality into a whole new world of interactive electronic reality.

I completely lost myself, as we left our flat 2D worlds and became immersed in the Tauranga-based experience known as The Cave.

Started by Matthew Rencher (WarPyro) and his best mate, co-pilot and zombie slaying father Guy Rencher (Sabre303), The Cave NZ is a gaming virtual reality studio set up by the duo in Maungatapu, and now opening in Tauriko.

The father and son hobby has become a father and son business, exemplifying that bond that combines nurturing with competition, challenging and settling scores. They’ve taken the joy of comedic betrayal and triumph into an experience they now share with anyone keen to have a fun time with friends and family.

I hadn’t experienced virtual reality before, and thought people wearing VR headsets looked odd as they ducked and dodged imaginary objects. I had no idea how incredibly magical it is to don a headset and be surrounded by a completely new world.

The first thing I noticed was that I was standing inside a large square, marked out on the ground and at chest height.

This is the area I needed to stay within, in order not to bump into anything ‘back in the real world’.

As I turned within the square, it became a moon with mountains and craters, and I could see above me into a starry heaven.

On my right was a controller, similar to a television remote control. I reached out to take it, and found that it was real, with buttons to push.

Suddenly, above me, a space ship from the Rebel Alliance started to land.

I was fully immersed in an interactive computergenerated adventure within a simulated environment, incorporating auditory and visual sensations.

I ducked as the ship landed, then realised it was under attack. Grabbing a lightsabre I turned and single-handedly fought off Imperial storm troopers who were firing at me.

I saved the ship with a little help from R2-D2, and it lifted off again. Wow! Go me! Euphoria!

Stepping confidently out of that world, I selected from the vast resource that The Cave offers and decided to design a dress for the NZ Wearable Art Awards. A mannequin appeared in front of me, and

GARDEN CENTRE CENTRE GARDEN

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“Suddenly, above me, a space ship from the Rebel Alliance started to land.

I was fully immersed in an interactive computer-generated adventure”

Photo: Cameron Avey

my controller became a palette, with options to select shapes and colours.

As I drew over the mannequin, the garment took form, and I found, to my sheer delight, that I was going beyond what I’d normally draw twodimensionally on paper, and was already designing ‘outside the square’.

It struck me that this would be perfect for costume makers and dress designers, as new ideas just sprung out of a few waves of my hand.

I felt like I was some kind of amazing genius, thanks entirely to the range of tools available in my palette.

I could literally, or virtually, create what I saw in my mind within minutes, instead of the usual hours of sketching. More euphoria and sheer delight followed.

Ready to take on the world with renewed vigour, I found I’d only used up minutes of the time we’d booked, so I dived into my next experience.

Jimi, meanwhile, had just emerged from his Batman experience.

“It was really cool,” says Jimi. “There were so many options. You could do a lot of stuff as if you were Batman.”

“So, you feel like you were Batman?” I asked.

“Yezzzz,” purred Jimi in a deep blissful burr.

Clearly I had lost him. I escaped into my next world, swirling streams of paint around me, creating a three-dimensional painting. This was heaven! I thought of all the artists, architects and

Jimi, Matthew and myself in The Cave

creative people I wanted to introduce to this mindblowing experience just because it opened up new ways of seeing colour and form.

Emerging once again, I found Jimi dancing while chopping things with a sword. I could follow his actions by watching the screen in front of him.

He’d also done the Star Wars movie theme, but didnt enjoy it as much as the Batman experience.

“There’s too much story-telling and not much doing,” says Jimi. I remembered the times where I’d turned up to work on a film project, only to find him with a black eye due to his enjoyment of martial arts.

Being clearly an action man, I wondered what game I could challenge him on in the VR world. A skilled 2D/3D animator, he creates amazing visual effects and motion graphics as a filmmaker.

Originally from Besançon in Eastern France, he’s lived in New Zealand over the last few years.

I decided to race him at Bathurst. We settled into racing motion simulators, and after spinning out part way around the track, I adjusted and blasted

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my way to the finish line.

Where was Jimi? I looked around and found him stuck on the side of the track.

I’d beaten him! I gloated in clouds of euphoria, dropping him off to his home while smugly thanking him for accompanying me to The Cave.

The surreal technological experience is a great way to create lifetime memories.

Rosalie Liddle Crawford

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