The Loneliest of Places

Waitai is the childhood home of my mother, Marie-Jean Mills, or Moleta, as she was in her youth. This place sits at the north-eastern tip of Rangitoto ki te Tonga | D’Urville Island, an isolated, windy, steep elbow of land that is in one sense a paradise, removed from the busy cares of mainland city life. An alternative perspective might consider the challenge and consequences of a life so geographically and socially separate. I had the very great privilege to visit there with mum and dad, in early 2024, as part of this Master’s research project, and I will be forever grateful to Ivy, Tracy and John, who are the occupants now, and who so graciously hosted us.

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Homestead

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Familiar