In 1957 the brickie crew went to Auckland and did the block work on the Lamaki branch chapel. We boarded with the members of the branch and they were given credit toward their contributions for the building to pay for our board. I stayed with the Geoff Garlick family. He was president of the branch. 

Early in '57 we did the masonry on a new mission home in Auckland and stayed with the members under the same arrangements, I with Bro. Garlick while on this job. The Asian Flu was epidemic in N.Z. Schools and church meetings were canceled. Daisy was at Garlick's with me when Sunday morning Geoff knocked on my door and asked if I would go with him to administer to the sick of the branch, which were many. I went along in spite of having the flu myself. While we were administering to "Pat" Tarawa, Geoff's counselor, I passed out. Geoff caught me from falling, but "Pat" died in a couple of days. We heard that Cherry was sick, back at the college, so I took Daisy home. When I tried to return the next day I had to go back and go to bed a couple of days. 

While working on the temple in 1956, I thought I had a hernia. I went to the doctor and he confirmed it. I told Elder B. and he said if I felt able he would like me to keep working and have it fixed when we had slack time. So I kept working for over a year. It did not seem to bother me much, but I wanted to have it repaired before I came home. Accordingly, I went to a private hospital and had it operated on. The total cost for hospital and doctor was just under $100. I could have had it done free in the public hospital, but not being an emergency I would have to wait about 8 months for a bed. 

After the operation the doctor told me to take it easy for a while. I had to anyway, the pain was terrific. I could hardly move, and then the doctor took the stitches out and I felt like a new man. No pain at all. The doctor reminded that the fishing season was about to open and described just where I should go, on the stream just before it emptied into Lake Taupe. 

I asked Elder B. for the key to his batch at Lake Taupe and we left for a few days trip to Wellington. We stopped at the "batch" overnight. The next day was fish opening. I had bought a few large streamer flies as I had been directed, and went out to fish. License was 35 cents per day. Fishing is a lot different in N.Z. On the stream where I fished you can use nothing but artificial flies. You can use nothing to weigh your line, no sinkers, no leaded or heavy line. So the fisherman wades out as far as he can, lets out his line about 100 yards, sticks his pole straight down in the water, and reels slowly in, all trying to get the hook deep. He has a 25 lb. test outfit. He may get a 20 lb. rainbow. The average is a little over 5 lbs. Anything under 14 inches must be put back.

I was not about to put my fly rod in the water, so I just cast on the surface. I had a light outfit, a Perrene automatic reel, 30 yards double tapered line, and 5 lb. test leader. 

Each fishing hole has a name: "Fence Pool," where a fence crosses; "Cliff Pool," where a cliff is hanging above the pool; 

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