COMMENT Until last Tuesday I had never been in a helicopter.
It all started way back in October when Women in Wool were raising money for Farmstrong - a nationwide rural wellbeing programme for farmers and growers to help them live well to farm well.
The seven Hawke's Bay women, EmilyPedersen, Kate Boyden, Harriet Partridge, Sue Fowler, Lisa Chadwick, Maureen Chaffey and Kendell Reidy, learned to shear under the expert guidance of Colin Watson-Paul and Pura Smith with loads of help and support from too many people to mention along the way.
Months later when I got a message to say we were booked in for the helicopter ride I was both excited and terrified in equal measures.
The message came a week out and also said that it was weather dependant.
A lot of people had a great time telling me all sorts of things that can happen when you are in a helicopter. They delighted in my nerves and were at their best on the morning of the ride — the weather was a bit cloudy but no wind.
So at the allocated time we went to Bridge Pa and met our pilot Scotty. He took us through a safety briefing and then asked us if we wanted to go to any particular spot. We decided on Waimarama, returning along the coast, flying near Cape Kidnappers. They are, of course, not permitted to fly over the gannet colony.
So in we got, put on our headphones and up and up and up we went. I was smiling but at the same time gripping the seat, especially when turned left or right.
The day had cleared beautifully — what a view. We flew over Te Mata Peak, out to Waimarama with a stunning view of Bare Island. The sea was calm and looked turquoise blue from where we were sitting.
We flew along the coast to Ocean Beach, then inland before Cape Kidnappers and back over the peak.
Wow. What a different perspective you get from the air. Te Mata Peak is just magnificent. It was also a stark reminder of how dry our region is.
After about 40 minutes in the air we headed back the Bridge Pa. I was amazed at how soft the landing was. We just seemed to settle back down to earth.
A huge thank you to Hawke's Bay Helicopters for donating the flight to the Women in Wool auction and to Scotty for the amazing experience.
Now for something a little more serious — coronavirus. We humans really are a bit like sheep at times. Take, for instance, the bulk buying in some Auckland supermarkets on Friday night and over the weekend after it was confirmed that there was one — just one — case of the virus diagnosed in the city.
How many people do you think just followed suit when they went into the supermarket and saw people filling their trolleys? I bet loads did.
Sometimes it's hard to not follow the crowds. I found myself buying Dettol with my groceries on Saturday. I haven't bought it for years and I still don't know why I did. I only bought one, though, not 10.
Yesterday when I was in a supermarket the soap shelves were sparse — it the first time I've seen this. There were actually a couple of bare shelves.
I do understand the need to be prepared, but we must remember that if the worst comes to the worst and the virus spreads, it's not going to help if the person next door can't buy any soap to wash their hands with because it's all in your cupboard.
Linda Hall is assistant editor at Hawkes' Bay Today.
