My Holidays: Chris Bailey

Sculptor Chris Bailey. Photo / Supplied

Chris Bailey's work appears in Sculpture on the Gulf on Waiheke Island, from March 1-24.

What was your greatest holiday? Visiting Taputapuatea on the island of Raiatea, in the Society Islands.

The islands' original name is Hawaiki, which many traditional Māori narratives say our people came from, so it was a bit of a homecoming for me. Stunning scenery and lagoons alongside a rich history that is still present with the old stone marae.

And the worst? Coming down with norovirus in London one day before jumping on a long-haul flight back to Aotearoa and wondering if I would need to relocate my seat to be close to the "amenities". It all worked out fine.

If we bump into you on holiday, what are you most likely to be doing? After searching out historic sites and tuning into the locals I will be out looking for local knife shops.

If we could teleport you to one place in New Zealand for a week-long holiday, where would it be?
TheFar North, where my mother's people are from — Te Hiku o te Ika.

How about for a dream holiday internationally?
I would love to go back to the Society Islands and to Ireland to explore my family background on my
Irish side.

What's the dumbest thing you've ever done when travelling? On my first visit to Paris, having just been seated at a streetside restaurant table I felt someone lean across me trying to steal my camera off the table — or so I thought. Having grabbed the invading arm and about to deal with it, I realised it was simply the waiter trying to spread the napkin across my lap. He kept his distance after that. My partner thought it was hilarious.

Complete this sentence: I can't travel without.. . A device fully loaded with Aotearoa reggae sounds both old and new, gets you through long waits at airports and totally changes the vibe of a high-speed train trip.

What's the best travel tip you've ever been given?
Show respect for other cultures and use your manners.

What was the most memorable meal you've had while travelling? Sitting at a restaurant in the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul one evening with the call to prayer coming from a nearby mosque and the long golden light of a Mediterranean summer evening washing the street when one of the waiters tried to light an outside lamp and in the process created a large fire ball that singed his eyebrows. His expression afterwards was straight out of Fawlty Towers.

What's the best thing you've brought back from a trip? Opinel knives in various shapes and sizes (yes, plural — you can never have too many) from France. I have them for food, for carving, and for all those just-in-case moments.

Favourite airport to land at? Wellington on a windy day, which is pretty common, I just love hearing all those atheists saying, "Oh my God!"