My
Creation
Piwi was based on an idea I had after one of my my sisters told me of something similar that friends of hers had done with a little bear. They'd kept him going between friends for a long time and he popped up in places all over New Zealand, as well as getting to travel overseas on occasion too.
I thought it would be interesting to see just how far a little "Kiwi" from New Zealand could make it on his travels, relying on the help and hospitality of people we don't know.
Because New Zealand is soooo far away from anywhere else, way down at the bottom of the world, it's become a part of our culture that people want to travel overseas, to see the world... and that's become known over here as going on your "Big OE" (Overseas Experience)
That's what Piwi's doing and he comes along with....
A really cool box for traveling in...it has a collage of all sorts of New Zealand scenes around the sides.
(You can click on any image to enlarge)
He also has his own "Unofficial" New Zealand Passport and I hope that the people who receive him will fill in the Visa section to record where he's been.
And he has a letter of Introduction that travels with him to explain who he is and what he wants people to do.
Piwi's first port of call was to friends in New Jersey, USA...where he briefly caught up with "Goldie" another ex-pat Kiwi, but after that I have no idea where he's going to travel and where he's going to turn up next.
We're hoping that we'll get to hear back from him every so often and we'll be able to track his progress, which will be interesting for us and maybe, he'll promote a little interest or curiosity in New Zealand as well. Whatever happens to him, I've had a lot of fun setting him up and I hope the people who receive him do too!
If Piwi's been to visit you, "Thank You" for taking the time to show him around and helping him in his travels.
Helen
