Tommy Wilson: Heartache Tonight over Pam

The impending arrival of Cyclone Pam made The Eagles visit to Auckland difficult.

My first Eagles concert was one of those nights I will never forget. It was my first OE and life in all its glory was very much in the fast lane.

It was 40 years ago at Wembley Stadium in London Town, when Elton John and the Beach Boys teamed up with The Eagles in front of 100,000 fans to take us to the limit - one more time.

I guess we all feel like we have one more limit left in us and it only takes a few lyrics to take it easy again and be back where we once belonged, in a fuelled-up crowd at a concert on one of those magical Eagles nights.

Twenty years later they showed up again and gave us the best of their love at Western Springs for the Hell Freezes Over Tour in '95, and again I was there for another one of those nights to remember.

It could have been the triple treat yesterday, 40 years down the highway of life from my first Eagles concert, had I not backed off from taking on Tawhirimatea - the God of wind, who is knock- knock knocking on our Tauranga Moana door right now as I write.

It wasn't the subliminal messages in the Eagles music that said I could check them out but never leave for the third time, but the warning sounds of the squawking seagulls.

The seagulls told me to stay home as they circled our whare this morning then headed inland.

Never a good sign when seagulls run for cover, huh?

One of these nights could well be one of those nights as Cyclone Pam heads south to Aotearoaland, and by the time this column goes to print we will be a bay with plenty of rain, wicked winds and abnormally-high coastal tidal surges.

Storm chasers, big wave riders and other dare devil desperados will be running against the wind as they line up in eager anticipation to get the thrill of their lives.

The build-up to this one has been bigger than any other cyclone I have known and in the case of Vanuatu it was well warranted.

We will soon know how worried we all should have been.

And after the thrill has gone we all will hopefully sing, Wham bam, thank you Pam, for taking us to the limit - but not taking us through the terror that Vanuatu has just experienced.

I do not think we have fully comprehended yet just how much force was behind the path of Pam as she belted her way across the exposed atolls and islands of what was known as the New Hebrides.

For some of us, we would gladly check into a cyclone proof Hotel California and ride it out, an option that our island neighbours did not have.

Right now, the pool room at the Trinity Tauranga sounds tempting. All week, the weather gurus have been prophesying what could be the perfect storm. Category 5 sounds serious - serious enough for me to tie down potential projectiles and pull down my daughter's basketball goal.

I have been through a Queensland cyclone and the sound of a screaming 200km/h wind stays with you for life.

So, caution is a luxury I gladly indulge in when a category anything heads my way.

When I watched the seagulls sign off and head inland this morning I couldn't help wonder where all the other birds take refuge.

This has always been a mystery to me when a big storm is on the horizon and I am sure my local forest and bird watcher will have the answer.

One thing is for sure - it will be much more than "raindrops keep falling on my head" over the next 24-48 hours.

Having a healthy respect for Mother Nature and Tawhirimatea is always a wise move when they are about to give us a lesson on exactly who is in charge of this playground planet we live on.

So, I will hunker down and ride Pam out with my family in our little whare, until she puts us back down to clean up and count the cost of what, right now pre-Pam, is anything but a peaceful easy feeling, but much more like one of those nights we will all remember.

broblack@xtra.co.nz

-Tommy Wilson is a best-selling author and local Tauranga writer.