Spaceships, beer and 'fire baths'

TOURING NEW ZEALAND: Free dung for everyone. Raise the school leaving age to 65. Limit the right to vote to people under the age of 18. Link the North and South Islands by bulldozing the Southern Alps into the Cook Strait. These are just a few of the absurd and impractical policies proposed by New Zealand’s McGillicuddy Serious Party.

I'm talking to the former McGSP leader, ‘Laird’ Graeme Cairns at the Jig on Sunday, an experience best described as a cross between being at a mini Glastonbury and a house party. The jig is a yearly affair that Graeme holds on his small farm in Te Pahu, around 20 miles outside Hamilton. The 200-250 strong crowd is made up of locals, ex-McGSP people and musicians who take turns to play on the truck trailer stage set up in front of Graeme’s big timber house.

The day is spend socialising, eating, drinking, dancing, and swimming in a nearby river. The weather was hot and humid and a quick dip soon sharpened the senses. That night everyone camped out in tents or camper vans. With its many features, including a double bed, storage space, solar shower, cooker and fridge, our camper Spaceship (www.spaceships.tv) proves to be the ideal wagon.

With his political days behind him and the party disbanded, Graeme has found other ways to fill his time. As he is also an actor, touring schools with an acting troupe, and sells saplings that he grows on his farm. Both tasks bring in some money, but he also arranges the occasional naked cricket match, which helps pay the mortgage. Needless to say, he is a bit of an entertainer.

As darkness draws in at the jig, a couple of baths are set up in the open air in a little spot secluded by trees. Fresh water is added to the baths and a wooden plank placed across the base of the bath that prevents bottoms from burning as firewood blazes underneath.

Then, around 9pm, with the party in full swing, modesty goes out the window. Under cover of candlelight, men and women striped off and enjoyed a soak while listening to the music. Meanwhile, children of all ages run around playing or join in with the adults who are square dancing on the lawn.

Adam, my boyfriend, is in seventh heaven, meeting up his old university friends, and at 3am, taking his turn in the fire bath. I declined, heading to bed early to prepare for another few hours on the road in our Spaceship.