[jshepherd]

Day 7

Day 7 was really just a continuation of Day 6. We arrived into Auckland at 4:00am, and this is where things started going a little haywire.

Apparently our flight to Auckland was special. We were not to clear customs in Auckland (our port of entry), we were to clear at our next stop - Christchurch. The problem was that no one seemed to know this, and the gate agents in Papeete had specifically told us to clear customs in Auckland, as was normal procedure. Half the group, me included, went to get our bags and clear customs. But more than half our bags were missing! After waiting for some time a custom's official informed us that our missing bags were to clear customs in Christchurch, and we were to clear customs now – without them. Very strange...

After we had cleared we learned that we should not have, and now we were blocked from getting back on the continuation flight. This was not a complete disaster, however, as we were immediately relisted on a flight that left shortly thereafter. We spent the next few hours lounging in the Auckland airport before sunrise.

After a short flight to Christchurch we finally arrived at our hotel completely spent. We only had about an hour and a half to get ready before the bus was to pick us up and take us to the blue pearl processing facility.

We all made it down on time, a sorry bunch, many of us nodded off during the 20-minute ride. To our surprise we turned down a small country road and stopped near a driveway leading to what appeared to be a small, nondescript farm. We had arrived at the blue pearl processing center.

· Roger Beattie


Crocodile Kiwi!

Roger Beattie, founder of Eyris Blue Pearls... where do I start with this Kiwi?!

Roger must be one of the world’s most affable entrepreneurs. Incredibly successful, yet completely unpretentious. He appears to have a permanently affixed smile on his face, and a minute rarely passes without him breaking into a rolling fit of laughter. The kind of laughter you are unable to resist, even if the humor escapes you.

He exudes excitement about his pearls and his other projects and passions. One of which is wildlife rescue.

Roger's wife met the group as we walked down the driveway. Quite a site we were, 27 of us with our bags and cameras in this rural farming area of New Zealand.


A strange site indeed

Roger appeared shortly, bouncing up to the group with a giddy grin and a Crocodile Dundee-style hat.

His first order of business was to give us a tour of the farm, completely ignoring the blue pearl operation. He showed us a section of his property dedicated to a rare and rapidly disappearing breed of rabbit, and another for a threatened type of bird called the Wicka. Roger lectured us for an hour about the animals and how screwed up the bureaucrats are in New Zealand. According to Roger, the problems lie in absurd bureaucratic systems. So upset he is, he is currently writing a book called “Why Bureaucrats are Bastards”.

Finally on to the workshop and the blue pearls!

Unlike anything we expected, the work area looked more like a garage than a pearl processing center. Testament to the newness of the industry, all of the equipment was customized, rebuilt shop equipment. All the way down to a skill saw that had water dripping from the blade while it cut, and an air hose exhaust. This saw was only used with a rubber-handled wrench, as Roger was quite certain one would be electrocuted by touching it while plugged in.


Roger cutting shell with his custom skill saw

We were given the full tour of the process, crowded like sardines in a space build for only a few, but accommodating 27 guests and Roger's crew.

After an hour or so it became apparent that much of the group was nearing a zombie state, so Roger suggested tea. We walked to the farmhouse where he fried some abalone meat, and his wife served coffee, tea, and cake.


Smiling but completely exhausted

Arriving back at the hotel I realized that it had been nearly 40 hours since our last wakeup call. I think we all slept well.