Sightseeing

‘If everyone would look to their left,’ said a smooth artificial voice over the audio link, ‘you’ll see several buoys floating on the water just off the coast. They mark the submerged town once called Tākiriwa. These days it’s a popular diving spot.’

The passengers craned their necks to look out the aircraft windows. 

‘Bet there’d be loads of interesting things in all those old houses,’ said the middle-aged woman sitting next to Lola.

‘Probably. Have you been?’

The woman grimaced. ‘Oh, no. Not me. I’ve got a dreadful fear of the ocean. People take their lives in their own hands going down there. Air tourism is much better. The planes are so comfortable, don’t you think?’

Lola squinted at one of the bright yellow buoys. ‘I guess.’

‘I’ve been on several of these trips. The Waikato Desert was a highlight. The north has been on my bucket list for ages, though, so I’m glad I finally made it.’ She hummed. ‘Is this your first trip, honey?’

‘Yeah.’

‘What made you decide to come on the tour?’

‘This place,’ said Lola, staring at the rolling swells and glimmering white caps. ‘The town that used to be down there. That’s where my family lived. A long time ago.’

‘Goodness, really?’ The woman leaned over to get a better view. ‘It’s a shame there’s nothing to see.’

As she spoke, the plane dipped to the right. The woman patted the back of Lola’s hand. ‘Bit boring, wasn’t it? Don’t worry, next on the route is the last kauri tree of the Waipoua Islands. I’ve heard it’s thousands of years old. Isn’t that amazing?’

Lola wasn’t listening. She twisted her neck until the buoys were no more than specks in the distance, indistinguishable from the trembling of light on the water.

First published in Changing Landscapes: Flash and micro fiction from Northland (2023)