CityBeat - Te Waha Nui Online

by Michel Sam Mathew

It was a field trip that I had been dreading, but five stories and four days later, Thames and the Hauraki Herald won me over.

The slow rhythm of this former gold mining town with its neat cafes, wide roads and old churches was a big surprise for me.

Thames, located between the calm waters of the Firth of Thames and the majestic ranges of the Coromandel, couldn’t have been more different to how I thought it would be.

Around six students from AUT, along with our tutor Allan Lee, almost took over Thames’ Hauraki Herald newspaper for two editions a few weeks ago as part of a field trip.

But unlike the ‘city slick’ stories I’m used to reading up in Auckland, the news that made the headlines in Thames were of a different breed.

The Hauraki Herald was filled with what I’d call ‘cosy’ news that ranged from an article about a couple celebrating their golden wedding anniversary, a $100,000 Lotto winner who had been on a winning streak; to a prize winning pie.

The pace of work was also slow and steady.

The Herald cranked into action by 8:30 am, and we were on the go every day with deadlines and a minimum of five stories quota to meet.

In the end we made it with ample help from the Herald staff and our tutor Allan.

The best part was after work when we could hit the pub next door and gulp down a couple of drinks, or maybe go for a long drive along the Thames coast to Thornton Bay.

It was soothing to get up each day and catch a breathtaking view of the mist covered mountains of the Coromandel
Ranges.

Four days later I was back in busy Auckland.

I may have missed my Indian food a lot, but Thames and its smiling folks have forever etched a place in my memory.

And on the ride back to my home in West Auckland, I promised myself that I would return to Thames one day to savour its green mountains and pale blue sea.