Toko, astride the Forgotten World Highway, is about 10 minutes' drive east of Stratford. It's dairying country. There's a pub, school, hall, rugby club, domain and tennis courts, a big-iron trucking company.
Also nestled into this rumpled volcanic landscape of central Taranaki is the home of author Emma Pearl, who writes books for children and adults. Toko is her adoptive land, a long way from Buckinghamshire, where she grew up in a whānau that included her very literary great-uncle, Roald Dahl.
What sweet-toothed youngster hasn't salivated over Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or chortled with The Twits? His irreverent and funny works have reached across the world for generations.
"My grandmother, Uncle Roald and my family all lived within a few miles of each other in Buckinghamshire," says Pearl. "It was like one big, extended family. Uncle Roald was my maternal grandmother's brother and the closest thing I had to a grandfather after my other grandfather died.
"I sort of filled the gap between Roald's own children and his grandchildren - at a time when he was doing most of his writing for children, so we spent quite a bit of time together."
This included Dahl teaching his young relative to swim. "I was five years old and not too keen on getting wet. He said if I could swim a width of his indoor pool, he would buy me the biggest box of chocolates you could get.
"I practised and practised ... and finally did it. Uncle Roald clapped, cheered and gave me a big hug. 'Come on,' he said. We got into his car and drove to the village shop where he bought the biggest box of chocolates they had and gave it to me."
An even bigger treat came a few years later when The Twits was published. "He had dedicated it to me. It was such a huge thrill for a seven-year-old bookworm like me to see my name - 'For Emma' - inside the flyleaf."
Denne historien er fra July 8 - 14, 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra July 8 - 14, 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
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.
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?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.