News

Oct 11, 2023

Meet the gnome travelling around the North Island with his 'mistress'

When Judy Rice was setting off on her North Island adventure, she had no

When Judy Rice was setting off on her North Island adventure, she had no shortage of travel companions to choose from.

The 69-year-old boasts a collection of more than 300 gnomes, who usually live in her garden at home in Christchurch. But she thought one might like a change of scene, joining her on what she describes as her "big OE" across the Cook Strait, where she is spending several months house-sitting in different places.

"I looked around and thought, ‘who will I take with me?’"

While she is quick to declare "they are all my favourites", the gnome she ultimately selected was Winkle – a little fellow sitting in a rocking chair, reading a book.

READ MORE: * Christchurch gnomologist's 'whacky' gnome quest continues * Flying with his gnomies * Kidnapped garden gnome goes on around-the-world adventure of a lifetime

Since departing in November, Rice and Winkle have enjoyed all sorts of activities together, including a ride on the gondola in Rotorua, a visit to the big L&P bottle in Paeroa, and a cruise on Tauranga's iconic Kewpie boat.

Rice has been documenting their adventures in a blog, Judy and the Travelling Gnome – all written from the perspective of Winkle, who usually has a few choice remarks to make about his "mistress".

"It's just my stupid sense of humour, really."

Winkle also appears in all the travel photos, and is often pictured with restaurant staff, tour guides and other characters they’ve met along the way.

A particular highlight was getting to meet the captain's right-hand man on the Cook Strait ferry.

"I asked the staff, ‘would my friend Winkle and I be able to go and talk to the captain on the boat?’ They said, ‘we’ll see what we can do’, and arranged for someone to come down and take me up.

"We got photos of the captain's sidekick and Winkle sitting on the bridge around the navigation area."

Rice said she sometimes encountered people who were curious about Winkle, which could lead to some interesting conversations.

"In Picton, we met a Canadian couple who were very fascinated by him. I said, ‘meet Winkle’.

"They burst out laughing, and said ‘you’ll never guess our surname’... they were ‘Mr and Mrs Winkle’. They were tickled pink."

Rice said she had long dreamed of road tripping around the North Island, but it had been put on hold as she had been caring for her unwell husband and mother. Both passed away within weeks of each other, at the beginning of last year.

But when she was finally able to plan the trip, she found herself daunted by the prospect of doing it on her own.

"I’m quite a reserved, sheltered person. I don't branch out of my comfort zone too much. For me, this was a humongous adventure I was going on and I’d get a bit nervous from time to time, thinking ‘can I really do this?’"

While bringing Winkle had started out as a "bit of a funny idea", having him there had encouraged her to make the most of the experiences.

"It's a big thing for my confidence, and I’m delighted I’ve done it."