Captions by Philip McKibbin. Edited by Faith Hamblyn. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2015 MODERN MUSIC The Auckland Waterfront is the city-side stretch of the Waitemata coastline, where the city meets the sea. 20, even 10 years ago, this whole area was dominated by the port. People didn't really wanna come here for recreation. But today, it's a real destination ` the Auckland Waterfront. People wanna come here to eat, to hang out, enjoy the harbour and live. It's the reason why I chose this area for my latest restaurant, and we love it. Our waterfront is a melting pot of many cultures, from tourists, to people that work here, to a growing number of residents that choose to call it home. We'll discover the way learning about her Croatian grandfather has made a local woman feel connected to the place she was born. He's been described as a very loving, warm, humble person... who would just be amazed... that his life is of such interest to people these days. A young couple dish up some traditional Russian Jewish fare. It helps with the homesick to make our mums' food and feel home again and close again. Our mums are really excited to hear if we manage to do it right and if it's tasty and if it's close enough, yeah. A German man shares his skills with the locals. People come together and share the fun circus has to offer, like here today at the waterfront ` have fun, try out things together, encourage each other. That's what I like about circus. And we'll hear the haunting poetry written by survivors of the 2011 earthquake in Japan. Because I... I remember... the day of the disaster. It's very emotional. I'm Michael Dearth, and this is my neighbourhood. TRENDY MUSIC I come from Connecticut, the heart of New England. My father's Irish descent, and my mother's is Italian. There's a lot of parallels between the Irish and Italian migrant communities in the US. They both fled economic hardship, they have a deep love and connection with their family, and most of all, they love hospitality, and they love food and drink. It's a pretty great cultural mix. I backpacked through Australia and South-East Asia in my early 20s ` standard behaviour for most young Kiwis, but a bit more unusual for Americans. I ended my trip here in NZ, and it left such a impression on me that when my wife and I were dreaming of opening up our restaurant, it just had to be here. Thomas Hinz was born in Germany, and he took a leap of faith to pursue his dreams of bringing an old European tradition to life here in Auckland. WHIMSICAL MUSIC My name is Thomas Hinz, and I was born in Germany ` the eastern part of Germany, and then I grew up in the northern part of Germany. Germany has a long history in circus. It's strong. There are so many family circuses touring. Both kids learnt the circus skills from a very early age. I was really impressed with Hugo when he was 2 years old and pretty much could juggle, pretty much could do the diabolo. It was like, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!' And then came Anna, and she was inspired by her big brother and started even earlier. I didn't grow up in a circus family myself. I got involved when I was around 25 years old, teaching circus skills to people with disabilities. WHIMSICAL MUSIC Eventually, Circus Fantasia was born, a largely disabled troupe, and we got to travel throughout Europe. It was very exciting, but in the end, I was exhausted. I finally met my wife, Frances, who happened to be a Kiwi. So we moved to NZ and started community circus groups here. Now our whole family is involved in the Circability Trust, where we teach people of all ages and all abilities. Yeah, what I like heaps about the Waterfront ` it's very close to our centre at Victoria Park, but it's also a beautiful developed place here in the heart of here in the heart of Auckland, the Waterfront, with the playgrounds and families playing right here with all that space and height to play with. It's a great location. What I love about circus? Uh, it's when people come together, have fun, try out things together, encourage each other ` that's what I like about circus. I think there is something magic about the circus, yeah, what attracts people, but also, sometimes it's like, 'Ooh!' People are a bit afraid of it. There's a dark side to the circus. TINKLY MUSIC PEOPLE LAUGH AND CHATTER Here we are right now here at our Circability Centre at Victoria Park, at our circus gym. Every Thursday night,... uh, people like Jesse here,... our Circability member, coming in from 6 to 9pm to share and practise their circus skills. Some, like Jesse, do the pedalos, the unicycles, acrobatics ` there's a whole variety of circus skill. And what I like is the sharing side of it. People say, 'Oh! How do you do that?' 'Have a look at what I just learnt last week, or what I have seen on YouTube or whatever.' It's a very social event. Yes. Beautiful! All right! Are you ready? < (LAUGHS) Now, here we see again why I love the circus. It's not just the circus skill you try to master, and to present. It's` What I like's the social part of circus. People come together ` people of all ages, all abilities ` uh, and share the fun right now, or the learning process, working something out. That's great. Three, two, one. Three, two, one. I've been here... heaps of times ` lots of times ` and I learnt Thomas. And, um,... me and Reuben being a clown together,... being able to team` being able to play a team. Thomas and I also. He's a nice man. He'll teach me anything, making me a clown. Oh, the circus ` the whole thing is awesome if you like spinning plates, acrobatics, ribbons, hula hoops, diabolo, bikes,... balls. Thomas is funny, he's outgoing, he's friendly, he's German, and he's really really cool. Gaining confidence is a big part, uh, of our work here ` for all of them. I was talking about the all ages, all abilities, but also very important is the fun side with it, that they have fun, and that it's, sort of, team-building. Very important for our work is, also, bringing the people together, form a group, have a good team spirit, uh, in our work. UNSETTLED MUSIC The Waterfront has been a conduit for many events that have shaped NZ's early history, from the early days, when the wealth of Auckland flowed through this port, to the industrial conflicts that brought the country to its knees. The 1951 waterfront dispute saw more than 22,000 wharfies and other unionists off the job,... amid accusations of communism, treachery and terrorism. Even in a relatively young country, it's extraordinary to see how much history one place can hold. When Liz Gordon decided to explore her roots after living in the UK for over 40 years, she found out some fascinating things about her Croatian grandfather. GENTLE MUSIC I'm a volunteer guide at the Maritime Museum. I take people around on tours. I only do it once a week. Um, there are two tours a day given, each by different guides, and it's a` just a lovely thing to do. It's a one-and-a-half-hour tour around the museum, and I get to meet a lot of really interesting people from all over the place, some who know nothing about maritime things or NZ and others who know so much that I learn from them, but it's really just quite a delightful thing to` to talk to people. The reason my grandfather came to NZ, and a lot of other Dallies, is that in the` at the beginning of the 1900s, there was the war impending in Europe ` in fact, he came from what was then called the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and of course, the First World War was looming in that area, and in fact, it was the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand that actually started it, so that was all in that area, and his family, kind of, thought it would be good to get him out of the way. The photo is of my grandfather, here, um, who came to NZ in 1907 from Croatia,... so he's a Dally. And, uh, he came from a small village, and this man here also came from the same small village, and this man is Marino Selak, who started Selaks winery. My grandfather came here initially as a gum digger. He got NZ nationality, and then later on, he met a young girl who was the daughter of a Scottish,... um, gentleman, and his wife, uh, and fell in love. She was 16, and, um, he... Well, they didn't like him, because he was a Dally. His name was Knezevic. My grandfather courted my 16-year-old, then, grandmother for quite a while, I believe, not really to the approval of her parents, um, but eventually, they wanted to get married and wanted to get engaged first. The... Uh, her parents agreed, knowing that he was going to be going off to war and thought, 'Well, he probably won't be coming back, so we'll let her get engaged.' (LAUGHS) SOLEMN MUSIC The NZ government had a kind of... moral dilemma about people who came from the ex-Austro-Hungarian area, because if they went to war and were captured, they would be captured by the Germans, who would then consider the Croatians to be traitors. And so if they were traitors, then they might not be treated well, and they might be tortured or killed. So the NZ government did let him go and let others go, but there was always that slight worry. So he was not called up. Um, he went because he wanted to go. This, uh, is my grandfather's uniform jacket from the First World War. It was given to me by, um, one of my aunts, who really just said, 'Oh, you'll be interested in this, 'because you've been doing ancestry, and I've just had to be looking after it for so long. 'It's sitting in the, um, attic. Uh, you might as well have it,' kind of thing. And it wasn't until I then did further, uh, search of information, um, that it became more and more significant. The uniform has, uh, a badge, a felt badge, which is embroidered on to the back of the` behind` below the collar, and it's of a yellow star on a black background. It's quite an unusual badge, and there are very few of them left in existence. He was in the NZ Machine Gun Corps,... and that was a fairly small company, and within that, it was divided up into five other companies. Each company had a different coloured star badge, and this one was the yellow and black one. He's been described as a very loving, warm, humble person, who would just be amazed that his,... uh, life is of such interest... to people these days. HOPEFUL MUSIC When he came back from war and wanted to... you know, still wanted to marry Isabella, They, in the end, had to elope, um, and came down to Auckland to get married. They` They were totally devoted. It's amazing how they stayed that way, as well, when they got married, but, yeah, she was a very shy person, so there aren't that many photos of her, but she, apparently, was a lovely, sweet person as well. And it wasn't until the first child was due that my great-grandmother said,... 'I don't know about you, but I want to meet that baby.' And so that started the beginning of the, um` the rapport between them. And if fact, they then got on so well that... My grandmother and grandfather died within six months of each other ` my grandmother first ` and when my grandfather died, uh, Duncan Cameron, his father-in-law, said, 'I don't know if I'm not more sorry to lose my son-in-law that I was to lose my own daughter.' FUNKY MUSIC It took me over seven years to find the right site to open my new restaurant, and I found it here in the Wynyard Quarter. I always wanted to open a restaurant that celebrated my mother's Italian heritage. My mum was an amazing cook. But what she really would love is that special thing that would happen when she would have her family gathered around the table. And I'm really fortunate that I get to see my family every day, cos we put photos of them on our menu ` uh, my mother, my father, my grandparents. And it's more than a way of just honouring them. You know, my mother's recipes and my grandmother's recipes are one thing, but I think once someone's gone out of your life, you realise how much they gave you, and they did give me so much, and it's the foundation of hospitality. Alon and Sky have chosen NZ to start their family, and when they miss their culture, they turn to their mother's recipes to give them a taste of home. JOYFUL MUSIC Two months after we arrived in NZ, I found my job in the Waterfront area, and so it's exciting, and with amazing view. We see boats and the sea and the crazy weather that is changing every time. We just` I think about that when it's sunny outside, and suddenly, it's raining and sunny again. Sky has pretty much the same background as I do. She was born in Russia and moved to Israel, so we have similar cultures. Two months after we came, we got pregnant. We're very very excited` And scared. And scared, yes. BOTH LAUGH Uh, having a little girl,... and, uh, we just... we just love every minute of it. It's amazing. Even with the hormones and the crying, we're good with it. There are a lot of those. It's fine. (LAUGHS) Most of the food we cook is what our mothers cook, and it's funny, cos they cook pretty much the same foods, and they even taste, uh, pretty` pretty close. Yeah, now` especially now when we are here, we're just asking for recipes and cook the stuff they make. Yeah, we are planning to cook mushroom soup, and we call it piroshki. It's pastry filled with cabbage and egg. It helps with the` the homesick to make our mums' food and feel home again and close again, and yeah, it's fun, and our` our mums are really excited to hear if we manage to do it right and if it's tasty and if it's close enough, yeah. FUNKY MUSIC I'm making some dough. I really hope it's going well. I am not sure. I am always afraid it's not going to be good, but Sky's` Sky's always assuring me it's OK, and it's usually good, so yeah, I learnt to trust her. In Israel, our days off are Friday and Saturday. So Friday night you have the family dinner,... the Shabbat dinner. So this is,... like, our tradition. And Alon used to love it, so by the time we got sick of those` Whenever he used to come, my mum would always make it for him. I want to cut them to small pieces so we can have the small pastries. So... you cut it into some small round. Trying to do it as even as possible. Never even. Never even. My mum always does it accurately like she's using I don't know what ` like she's measuring them, but I dunno how to do that. Next time he'll make it. When I'll be all big and lying in bed and wanting food, I will make him make me this, so you need to remember what you're doing. I don't remember. I don't know. I have really short memory. I can help you, I can not interfere with much,... but I can't make it by myself. Hey! Hello! How are you doing? We actually invited two couples to share the dinner with us. Our friends are also from Israel ` one of them is here for a short term, the other is here for a longer term. And yeah, we met them here. It's close, the cultures, so we just got close really fast, and yeah, we have a lot in common ` family back home, and... we all love NZ ` and so we have pretty much the same experience, and, um, yeah, it's pretty cool. We try after we cook the food, then if it looks good, I try to post it on the family WhatsApp, or just on Facebook and show off. Yeah. When it goes bad, we just ignore it, and we don't admit we made anything. ALL: Cheers! ALL LAUGH So one grandma's cooking. ALL LAUGH I think it's amazing, and, uh, I feel like it's very homey. When we came and we were outside, we` we had the smell, like, all over, and I was, like, smelling home as well, so it was really nice. Because we're together, so we feel like home, I think faster than if we just were a lone individual coming to a different country, and because we're starting our own new little family, so it feels more like home, and we feel like we're building our future right now, so this is our first steps. TRENDY MUSIC By far my favourite dish that my mum used to make during the holidays was this homemade ravioli ` very super-thin pasta filled with this spinach and ricotta and this little, uh, nutmeg. And it was a dish we had on every holiday, but the best holiday by far in America would be Thanksgiving ` family is the focus, and about giving thanks. So in our family, our tradition, everyone around the table would have an opportunity to talk about what they're grateful for. And in total dramatic Italian American fashion, somebody would always end up crying and getting teared up, and my mum would just be so happy. (CHUCKLES) Sometimes we're all aware of tragic events that are unfolding in other countries that are of such magnitude it's hard for us to comprehend. Stories told by the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011 remind us just how grateful we should be simply to know that our family and friends are safe. SENTIMENTAL MUSIC It changed completely, the life of people affected by the disaster. And Tokyo recovered quickly,... but in Sendai, for example,... an area, uh, affected by the disaster,... there was no water, no electricity, no gas,... so my family, um,... had to wait,... uh, for a long time to... to give some food or some water,... and, uh, they said later it's... very very difficult to live... only with the light of a candle. In 2011, um,... there was a big earthquake... and big tsunami in Japan. So I was very scared,... because, um, a really big shock,... and, uh, it shaked a long time. I was on the plane ` airplane ` uh, on the way to a business retreat. I phoned my family in Yamagata, and I could talk to my family,... but I couldn't talk to my wife. Because she, uh, pregnant, uh, and she was` uh, baby was just 5 months,... so I worried very much. We decided to leave Japan because of the possible consequences of nuclear... disaster, because Sora, our son, is very young. We decided to come to NZ because... because,... BOTH LAUGH ...uh, a lot of reasons, but, um, especially, I,... mm... I think NZ is a wonderful country. A lot of nature. And I wanted to raise my son,... uh, with a good` in a good environment. REFLECTIVE MUSIC Japan Day is, uh, the biggest event about Japanese culture in Auckland, and we're very happy to organise an exhibition. It's called Voices From Japan. Uh,... we made a panel of, uh,... tanka poems. Uh, tanka, uh, means a short song. Tanka has a very long history ` more than 1300 years. We express only use 31 syllables` syllables. Mm. And express feeling and emotion. The tanka was written by,... uh, survivor of, uh, earthquake and ordinary Japanese people. Because I... I remember... the day of the disaster. It's very emotional. (SPEAKS JAPANESE) (SPEAKS JAPANESE) REFLECTIVE MUSIC Uh, I'm very proud of this exhibition. I'm, uh, very grateful to,... uh, these poets and,... uh, everyone who supported,... uh, to realise this exhibition. Yeah. Many people are interested in this, uh, exhibition. And some people, uh,... when, uh, look at these,... uh, poems, uh, with tears. Yeah. When I saw them,... I, uh... I also cried. (LAUGHS) Yeah. Well, it's very moving. I was reading it, and it's very` I feel, like, an emotion,... uh, very strong, when reading, for example, Kikuko Otake, a survivor from the Second World War. That's very moving. I thought it was typically Japanese... and a high point in their culture. I was very touched. The next year is the fifth anniversary from the disaster in Christchurch and that of Japan, and so we are now planning, uh, to organise a concert event in Christchurch, and we hope to... that would be an occasion to connect to people of NZ and Japan. And, um, yes, we hope, uh,... uh, that would be... a great occasion to... pray together for the victims and, uh,... remember the affected people. SOLEMN MUSIC SEAGULLS CRY There's already residential blocks built here along the Waterfront. Soon there'll be 500 to 600 more homes built here,... and I'm quite amazed to realise that I'm witnessing the birth of a new neighbourhood right in front of my eyes. I've been lucky enough to live in some amazing cities in the world, and here we are on the Auckland Waterfront, and I'm seeing it develop some unique qualities that make a good city great. Captions by Philip McKibbin. Edited by Faith Hamblyn. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2015