Annie Whittle was three when she sailed to New Zealand. Photo / Supplied
Annie Whittle was three when she sailed to New Zealand. Photo / Supplied
Auckland Theatre Company star Annie Whittle shares memories from a life on the road.
What do you miss most about travel right now? We have been going to the island of Menorca in the Mediterranean for the last 30 years. Our last trip was 2019 and we are missing our dear Menorcan friends so much. Hopefully, we will be able to give them hugs again this year.
What are your strongest memories from the first overseas trip you ever took? I was three when we sailed to NZ from the UK. It was the Rangitane's maiden voyage and a huge adventure for my older brother Peter and I. I remember the deck games and the free daily icecreams but not much else.
What was a standard family holiday like when growing up? Our New Zealand family holidays were all spent in the Southern Alps, skiing in the winter and scrambling around the rocks on the mountain slopes or plunging into the icy mountain streams in the summer. They were glorious times.
Annie Whittle in the Mediterranean. Photo / Supplied
Who has most inspired your travels? My Mum and Dad were very adventurous and instilled a great love of travel in me from an early age.
What is the greatest trip you've ever been on? Perhaps my greatest trip was my solo OE when I was 20. I stayed away for four years. Most of that time was spent in Bonn, Germany where I worked as a translator. I sang with a Blues band at the weekends and I wrote to Mum and Dad every week.
And the worst? My worst trip was to Morocco about 12 years ago. Marrakech was hard work, a bit unfriendly, especially towards women. Animal welfare was seemingly not a priority there. We spent a lot of time trying not to be separated from our wallets.
Annie Whittle watering local goats. Photo / Supplied
What's your approach to packing for a big trip? I always pack weeks prior to departure and then repack at least 3 times paring down each time. I inevitably end up only wearing the top layer in my suitcase. I am utterly hopeless!
What is the destination that most surprised you – good or bad – and why? India is such an enigma. I had not expected to love it. It affected me deeply and it changed me. It is overwhelming, life-affirming, gorgeous, difficult, wondrous, magical, intoxicating and heartbreaking.
Where was your most memorable sunrise/sunset? I was treated to my most memorable sunset last August, sitting on the beach in Rarotonga, watching humpback whales 100 metres offshore blowing and breaching as they migrated northwards to their breeding grounds.
What's the first thing you do when you get home from a long trip? The first thing I do when I get home from a long trip is walk around the garden to check on the trees and plants.
What do you miss most about home when you travel? When we are away, I miss the dog, garden and our family and friends, not necessarily in that order.
Annie Whittle walking a dog in Menorca. Photo / Supplied
Where is the one destination you must see in your lifetime, and why? I would love to visit the Orangutan Project in Indonesia before I pop my clogs.
What's your favourite thing about travel? Being able to immerse myself in another culture.
Actor Annie Whittle stars in Auckland Theatre Company's encore season of Grand Horizons by Bess Wohl, returning to ASB Waterfront Theatre 17-29 May. atc.co.nz
