Auckland

Having skipped Friday the 13th on crossing the dateline, we arrived in Auckland on a wet and windy Saturday morning, the excitement at finally getting off the plane outweighing the sinking realisation that we had to try and stay awake for another 15 hours. Once a certain countertenor had finally got through customs with only a warning letter for not declaring an apple, we were on the way to the hotel. The first piece of “tour banter” soon followed, with a future King’s bass desperate to get rid of the aeroplane curry earlier consumed. We were determined not to have a repeat of the festival standard coach toilet smell experienced in Germany, and being only 5 minutes away from the hotel, we thought it reasonable, with said bass being a big boy now, for him to hold on. However, after the driver took a sceinic route across the bridge and back, and used our hotel block as a roundabout a few times while he got his bearings, 5 minutes easily became an hour, leaving the King’s bass sprinting-cum-waddling into the hotel foyer. A hilarious start to the tour was a sign of good things to come.

Anyway, onto the singing. Heavily jetlagged, we went straight into the morning service at Auckland cathedral, just about singing Tallis’s Salvator Mundi over the deafening crickets during Communion. We received an exceptional welcome at tea following the service, typical of the receptions we have since been given throughout New Zealand. After lunch in the surrounding Parnell neighbourhood, we began rehearsals for evensong in the Old St Mary’s cathedral. This beautiful wooden church was moved across the street about 20 years ago on railway tracks, something that we have since found out is a relatively common practice in New Zealand, but nonetheless seems bizarre. In the summer heat however, it felt like we were singing in a sauna, and we were glad to take a break before the service. Evensong itself went well in the heat, backed up by great organ playing from Philip Smith, a fellow Brit in Auckland. We were rewarded with a buffet at a Thai restaurant, and the exhaustion felt by all was illustrated by a year 7 treble blissfully falling asleep on his plate, which unfortunately still contained his dinner. Still, by the next day the only person still jetlagged was Simon Ferris, who was also fighting a cold, and we were ready for the rest of the tour.

Charlie Kimber (U6)

We're coming to the end of our first week in New Zealand now, which has gone incredibly quickly. Everyone, everywhere, has been so welcoming - from the official Maori welcome at the Marae in Auckland, to the congregations at Auckland Cathedral and St Andrew's Taupo, the students and staff at King's College, Auckland, and our host families in Wellington. In addition to the singing, we've experienced the Thermal Springs at Taupo, walked by the Craters of the Moon, travelled on the Cruise Cat on Lake Taupo, visited Auckland Museum, the National Army Museum at Waiouru, and the spectacular Te Papa in Wellington. The weather's been great, except for 24 hours continuous rain in Wellington, which unfortunately put paid to any plans of singing at the Twenty20 at the Basin Reserve - but an impromptu combined Tiffin/Kotuku trip to 'Bowlarama' kept everyone happy.....

We're performing at the Michael Fowler Centre tonight, and on Sunday will be singing with Wellington Cathedral Choir as part of a special Shakespeare-themed Evensong. More updates will be appearing here in the next few days, continuing the boy's-eye view of the tour. In the meantime, you may like to hear my interview on Radio New Zealand Concert FM from earlier in the week, which gives more details of the tour and background to the inner workings of the choir. This is available to download at http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/upbt/upbt-20090216-1214-Simon_Toyne-048.mp3.

The First Treble Update

After saying goodbye to our parents on thursday morning a collective sigh of relief was heard - we were free at last. The check-in at Heathrow was surprisingly painless and soon we were on course to New Zealand. After almost 8 hours the 'on flight entertainment' was starting to become slightly monotonous and ,personally, I just couldn't bring myself to watch another episode of Faulty Towers...

After stopping off in LA for a fairly uneventful hour and a half we took off once more into the inky black skys, the home straight. A new feverish light of anticipation shone brightly in the Trebles' eyes as they ploughed their way through a plate of 'Pasta and a Beef sauce'.

As the sun rose in the skys, the light fell on an excited choir, with varying amounts of sleep, just 2 hours to go! Many false alarms sounded as people claimed to catch sight of Kiwi Country, before relising it was just a cloud.

The weather upon arrival was fairly dissapointing - grey skys and rain, but it soon lightened up. After a lunch stop we drove to Mount Eden where we had some truly breathtking views of Auckland from the rim of an Extinct Volcano. After that we arrived at the Formule 1 hotel, changed into something a little more clean and walked to the Skytower. The Skytower was amazing, with its glass floors, bungee jumping experiances and resturants. After a chinese (eat as much as you like - so full marks there!) we returned to our hotel for some much needed sleep - the jet-lag was certainly starting to catch up with us!

The next morning we woke bright and early, downed a quick continental breakfast and got on the coach to Holy Trinity Cathedral to take part in the Eucharist. During the long sermon we had ample time to admire what was a very beautiful church. They certainly did a much better job of building Guilford Cathedral than the original one! After enjoying nibbles (egg and ham sandwiches, tea, biscuits and cakes) we breifly visited Lynn TSB before going for lunch independent. Then it was back to the hotel for some free time (which is now). Later on we're participating in the evensong at Saint Marys. So far the tour has been brilliant, I've enjoyed every minute...

By Jack Hawkins, Year 8 .

Perspective Views of an ATB

I like long-haul flights. This was my first experience of life outside Europe, and my longest period of time without returning home - all without parents. Result! There was food, drink and more films than one can shake a stick at, in fact so much so that no-one did any of the schoolwork they intended to do.

Customs officials are surprisingly friendly, as I came to discover, always interested in our trip, even the surly official in LAX, with a large 9mm sticking out of his belt. This same official made us all get off the plane in transfer, take fingerprints, check passports and generally make sure we had no WMDs about our person. We then (having not entered the US) were turned 180 degrees and marched back onto the plane, rather invading our privacy somewhat - 'you and your choir entered our airspace. Therefore we must confirm that you are not terrorists or members of the Nazi party. Oh and you're not coming into our country anyway.' It nearly got even worse in Auckland customs. A large calamity made by one of the U6 nearly cost him a NZ$200 fine. Having declared some sweets, he then forgot to declare an apple, (which is prohibited in New Zealand as it may ruin the country's ecosystems or something ludicrous like that) but was just given a warning letter, as he pleaded that he was only 17 (which very few others in the 6th form seem to do so far this trip. It's a small coincidence the drinking age is 18, isn't it!), so wasn't fined.

We were expecting hot, humid, tropical summer weather, maybe with a nice breeze and beautiful scenery getting off the plane. In all honesty, I envy you reading this back home. At least we can have snow. It was raining cats and dogs (metaphorical ones, as opposed to the ones we had to 'dispose or declare' along with any food coming into Auckland International) and did so for another hour or so, even though it was Auckland's hottest day for 120 years or so on Thursday. Mr Toyne was evidnetly correct when he said that Auckland was the only place in the world where you could experience all 4 seasons over the space of a day.

We then took a tour of the city by coach, seeing the cathedral and other places of interest, briefly stopping at Mt. Eden, the largest of the 50 (thankfully extinct) volcanoes that Auckland is built over, and the Sky Tower, the tallest building in Auckland and also where we ate dinner. We then took a surprisingly long route to find our hotel, crossing over most bridges and circumnavigating most parts of the city numerous times, much to the discomfort of a certain baritone, who ,having made a vow with the rest of the choir not to use the on-board toilet (due to a very unfortunate smell in Germany), had to wait patiently (and surprisingly silently) to relieve himself at the hotel. This was getting increasingly funnier, until our choirmaster brought a stop to our merriment.



The Hotel Formule 1 is a 'lovely' building situated between two conveniently placed adult video shops and a nightclub (Mr Toyne chose where we were staying, didn't he?).
The breakfast room here - which is the same as the bar, the lift area and reception -is widely stocked, offering a wide continental breakfast (consisting of Coco Pops or a cereal that looks remarkably like dog biscuits, and toast) with instant coffee or tea. The fact it was instant was really very important. A certain member of staff was unimpressed by this and so this morning, having returned from his 20 minute 'run' - (hah, if any word was ever more inaccurately interpreted, it was that one) hurried off down the road for a cappuccino from another coffee shop. It could only really be one member of staff couldn't it?

Tom Nichols Year 11

Tiffin Boys' Choir - appearances in New Zealand

The choir's performance schedule is as follows:

Sunday 15th February
9.30 am, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell, Auckland
Participation in Cathedral Eucharist with Auckland Cathedral Choir

5.00 pm, Old St Mary's Cathedral, Parnell, Auckland
Choral Evensong
Stanford in C; Hear my Prayer (Mendelssohn)


Tuesday 17th February
10.40 am, King's College, Auckland
Performance in College Assembly


Wednesday 18th February
5.30 pm, St Andrew's Church, Taupo
Recital

If ye love me (Tallis); Salvator mundi (Tallis) ; Ave verum corpus (Byrd)
Hear my prayer (Mendelssohn)

Five Spirituals from A Child of our Time (Tippett)
Rejoice in the Lamb (Britten)
Organ Music by Bach and Vierne


Saturday 21st February
6.00 pm, Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington
Kotuku Rising Concert
Five Spirituals from A Child of our Time (Tippett)
Hear my prayer (Mendelssohn)
plus Daniel Rodriguez, Zane Te Wiremu Jarvis, the choristers of Wellington Cathedral, Shakespeare Globe New Zealand, and much more besides
http://premier.ticketek.co.nz/shows/show.aspx?sh=KOTUKU09


Sunday 22nd February
5.00 pm, St Paul's Cathedral, Wellington
Choral Evensong with Wellington Cathedral Choir
Stanford in C; Song for Athene (Tavener)


Tuesday 24th February
7.30 pm, St Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin
Recital
If ye love me (Tallis); Salvator mundi (Tallis); Ave verum corpus (Byrd)
Organ: Chorale Varié sur le thème du Veni Creator (Duruflé)
Angels; The Lamb; Hymn to the Mother of God; Song for Athene (Tavener)
For lo, I raise up (Stanford)
Organ: Fugue sur le thème du carillion des heures de la cathédrale de Soissons (Duruflé)
Rejoice in the Lamb (Britten)


Saturday 28th February
7.30 pm, ChristChurch Cathedral
Recital with Christ's College Choir
Chichester Psalms (Bernstein)
Organ: Chorale Varié sur le thème du Veni Creator (Duruflé)
CHRIST'S COLLEGE CHOIR – Music tba
If ye love me (Tallis); Salvator mundi (Tallis); Ave verum corpus (Byrd)
Five Spirituals from A Child of our Time (Tippett)
Organ – Toccata (Dubois)
Rejoice in the Lamb (Britten)

Sunday 1st March
5.30 pm, ChristChurch Cathedral
Choral Evensong

Steal away (arr. Tippett); Stanford in C; For lo, I raise up (Stanford)

Welcome

Welcome to our blog!

The Tiffin Boys' Choir are about to embark on a two-week tour of New Zealand, singing in the Cathedrals of Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch, as well as Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre and St Andrew's Church, Taupo. Along the way, we will be hosted by members of the Kotuku Choir, the congregation of Wellington Cathedral, and by students and families from Christ's College, Christchurch.

We have been staggered by the amount of support we have received from individual donors, local businesses, trust foundations, and arts organisations - to all of you, a big thank you! This blog is a way of keeping in touch with you while we are away: the boys themselves will be posting their experiences every two or three days, and we hope it will prove to be an enjoyable read....

Further information about the choir and the tour can be found on our website, www.tiffinboyschoir.org.uk.

Finally, we are getting ever closer to our target of £15,000. If you are able to contribute, please use the Justgiving site - every amount helps, and makes a big difference.