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Having just seen the movie Titanic , Julia and Alex spent much of their time striking romantic poses ( not necessarily with each other ) at the very bow , making more room for us all . By the time the road was reopened a couple of hours later , Ian and Pam had each missed their evening rehearsals , with the most original of excuses - - " Sorry I could n't make it last night , I was confined at home by the armed offender 's squad . So Ian stood down , collected US $ 500 , meal tickets , and a free hotel room ; and we spent an unscheduled extra day in the US . Every day for breakfast , lunch , and dinner we had curry dishes , usually quite mild and never very spicy . We drove to a temple on a nearby hill at dusk and watched as the palace illuminations were switched on , hundreds of thousands of lights tracing its every detail . We examined the fishing boats dragged up on the beach , each comprising eight or ten crudely-hewn lengths of wood tied together with string , with a wood-stone-and-string anchor . Pam has been learning the marimba at weekends : a large xylophone on legs and wheels that spans over three octaves , attacked by up to three players with two beaters each . Pam continues to teach half time at Cambridge Primary School . Not having children we could go that much farther in each day hike , and despite our familiarity with the region we found a whole new world of places we had never before visited . The job involved liaising with parents , outside workers such as physio , speech , and occupational therapists , and class teachers , to set up an individual programme for every child and to oversee its implementation and monitor its success . Having decided on a separate trip to Europe , Pam went in October to check up on the family in Britain . ) a red saddle on their back ; tuis , who sing the most beautiful liquid song ever heard , in an enormous variety of tones ; big flightless takahe , swamp birds that have been rescued from the brink of extinction ( you 'll recognize them because they resemble a large pukeko ) ; kokako , who sing a slow string of very loud , rich , mournful , organ-like notes ; the stitchbird , like an English wren with an upturned tail . Watching rehearsals is definitely the way to generate enthusiasm for new art forms , and makes you realize how much you learn about music from playing in an orchestra . She teaches at Saturday morning music school , several recorder classes , and enjoys the enthusiasm of kids and parents alike . And the home is very nice - - Irish nurses are the best in the world , of course . Graham hopefully throws the spinner overboard but a Certain Person lets his end of the line go too . It 's a huge area of rocky outcrop , with weird rock formations , deep crevices , rock bridges , holes through which you can gaze out over the prairie far below . " In May Ian set off on an adventure of a different kind : he sailed to Fiji . The other three members also play as a trio , but they are keen for Pam to join in and travel every month to Te Kauwhata , halfway between Hamilton and Auckland , to meet her and practise together in a community hall that they rent for the princely sum of $ 5 for the whole afternoon .