MOUNT EDEN WOMAN DRIVES THREE HOURS TO PAPAMOA FOR ONE SUNNY TUESDAY, COMES BACK THE COLOUR OF A ROAD CONE
She put sunscreen on once, at the Z in Bombay, and reckons that "should've done it".
Kiri Ferguson-Tamaki, 34, of Mount Eden, is Auckland's first sunburn of the year. She took Tuesday off work and drove to Papamoa the moment MetService said the word "fine".
She left at 6am to beat the Southern Motorway. She did not beat the Southern Motorway. She got to the beach at 9.30 with a towel, a paperback and one bottle of SPF30 she says was "mostly for show". Then she lay face-down on the sand for five hours. Her flatmate is calling this "a war crime against a back".
"Auckland's been a damp flannel since Christmas!" Ferguson-Tamaki told The Daily Yarn. "Not raining, not sunny, just wet air. So when the sun came out I panicked and drove at it. Bloody worth it. Can't wear a bra, mind. Still worth it!"
Hemi, who does her flat white on Dominion Road and knows everyone's business, said she came in Wednesday in a linen shirt "worn like a tent". She flinched when he passed her the cup. "Told me she'd been to the dentist," he said. "Mate. The dentist doesn't do your shoulders." The drive home was the worst bit, she admits. Fifty minutes stopped at Manukau with a seatbelt lying diagonally across the burn!
A Mount Eden pharmacist said she'd sold four bottles of aloe gel by Wednesday lunch. "All to people who'd been to Papamoa. Same Tuesday. Same state." A MetService spokesperson confirmed Tuesday was "fine", but said "fine" is a forecast, not a permission slip. That distinction, they said, "tends to get lost north of the Bombays".
Ferguson-Tamaki plans to go again on the next clear day, which MetService has pencilled in for Saturday. Her employer has asked for a note from the dentist. The dentist is on Dominion Road, where the sun does not reach.
More yarns from Mount Eden Weather Watch
Know someone this is about? Send it to them.
Reader Letters
★ Garry (Halswell)
Bloody Aucklanders, always rushing around like headless chooks at the hint of sun. Back in my day, we knew how to embrace the weather without turning into lobsters. Standards have slipped, I tell you!
sunsmart_jake
@Garry (Halswell) Mate, wearing sunscreen isn't a new thing. We should be grateful she wore any at all. Some folks bake themselves because they think it's healthier.
★ JoannePetone
Honestly, as a mum, I'm amazed she thought one application of sunscreen would've worked. It's not magic, especially not in the blazing Papamoa sun! Fair enough for wanting to escape Auckland's gloom, but some common sense wouldn't go amiss here, especially with teenagers watching!
grumpy_grandma
@JoannePetone Teenagers today could use a lesson in sunsmart behaviour. Doesn't anyone remember when we had those school programmes about UV rays?
Kiri_lover87
Seems like a bit of a silly move, but then again, she'll have learnt her lesson now, probably!
weathered_wanda
I once drove all the way to Whakatane for sun and ended up in a thunderstorm. Happens to the best of us! Might seem ridiculous, but you can't fight the weather gods.
★ BarryBishopdale
Of course, the council won't regulate sunbathers but try building a deck, and they're on you like a rash. Rotten system!
CouncilWatcher
@BarryBishopdale The council's too busy counting potholes to care about sunburns, mate. It's a mess everywhere you look!
sunshine_smoothie
Helmets off to her!
ShadeSister
Why don't folks just get a tan at the mall and be done with it? Cheaper than aloe gel, I'd say.
Spotted something like this in your area?
Send us a photo and a sentence. We'll write the article.
SUBMIT A YARN →Free. Anonymous if you want. Takes 60 seconds.