Agatha Down Under
New Zealand Listener|June 9 - 15 2018

A trip to New Zealand in 1922 provided excellent raw material for the British crime writer.

Redmer Yska
Agatha Down Under

Agatha Christie sailed into Wellington on a perfect day in July 1922, surrounded by a cast of characters that could have come out of Murder on the Orient Express.

There was the bombastic Major Belcher; his sinister secretary Francis Bates; Mr Hiam, the root-vegetable expert from East Anglia; and his twitchy daughter Sylvia.

Christie was the wife of a member of a British trade delegation travelling the Dominions to promote an “Empire Exhibition” – a kind of world fair – to politicians and businessmen. In her seaboard diary, she called New Zealand “the most beautiful country I have ever seen”.

She was midway through a challenging voyage. A devoted wife to the debonair Archibald (Archie) Christie, she looked after the entire delegation as they struggled through three overheated months in South Africa. “I iron their clothes for them … deal and shuffle for them when we play cards,” she wrote.

In Australia, she spent two more months living out of suitcases. When Belcher got a septic foot in Melbourne, Christie went out and bought him socks and linen. He repaid the favour by shouting at her.

She would later write: “If anything put him in a bad mood he was so impossible … he’d go red in the face like a turkey cock … when he recovered his temper he could display so much bonhomie and charm.”

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NEW ZEALAND LISTENERView all
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 mins  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024