Brief Trip

Today I’m going with a sister-in-law and my mother-in-law to visit another sister-in-law at their bach for a couple nights.

Pronounced “batch”, a bach is the name for a holiday home in the North Island. In the South Island, it’s usually called a “crib”. Traditionally, baches were very often little more than shacks, but loved by generations of families.

These days, baches are becoming rarer as the old ones are done up or knocked down for something grander. Former summer destinations have also become year-round towns, with an increase in demand for baches making them less affordable in those areas. Many ordinary Kiwis can no longer afford to buy baches in some places.

This newly-built bach was only recently completed and I haven’t seen it yet. I return to work at the end of the month, so I’m taking advantage of the opportunity to take off for a couple days while I still can. Carpe diem, and all that

Going to the bach during summer, and having a parade of relatives coming to visit, is part of what the golden Kiwi summers were once like for a lot of people. Or, so I’ve been told. This is probably the closest I’ll ever get to finding out.

All of which means there won’t be a post tomorrow, and possibly not on Thursday either.