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Tea at Te KuitiKen Avery 1960s |
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I'm havin' tea at Te Kuiti with my sweetie And then a row at Rotorua on the waves Do a tour of Turangi when the Maoris have a hangi Then I'll wind up in the old Waitomo caves. I'm go'ng'ta tread the narrow path at Ngar'awahia And dash to Dannevirke before the beer is cut I'm going't town at Taum'runui, wander down the Wangernewy Then I'm go'ng'ta live it up at Upper Hutt. I'm go'ng'ta chat about the Chateau Tongariro I'm go'ng'ta talk about the Tokomaru Bay And when I tell a man or two about the Manawatu They'll wonder why I ever went away. I'm go'ng'ta crow about the good old Coromandel And tell them where I'd like to see Waiwera shore Although it sounds like Taranaki well I'm shooting at Wairakei I can always hit the geothermal bore I'm go'ng'ta have a cuppa tea on Kapati Island And a cup of coffee in Kawhia town Drink a handle or a schooner when I tack at Takapuna Where the Waitamata never lets me down I want to eat a pie at old Paekakariki See the wishing well in Wellington and then when we pull in to Kaiwhara there's a fiver I can borrow So I'll turn around and do it all again. Interlude I'm go'ng'ta travel in by car to Invercargill I'm go'ng'ta meet a man at Manapouri Lake Though I'm not the one to boast I've been toasted on the Coast And washed ashore at Taylor's big Mistake I've eaten oysters in the stew at Stewart Island and met a mutton-birder down at Foveaux Strait I've tried to bluff them at the Bluff each time I said I'd had enough they put another dozen osters on my plate. I'm go'ng'ta canter on the plains at Canterbury I'm go'ng'ta rue the day I leave ol' Oamaru I'll spend the winter on the inter island ferry, makin' merry An' wait for North and South to come in view. Now you c'n see a lot that's new in ol' New Zealand You c'n keep your Port of Spain an' Mexico But if if you plan to go go away down A-o-tee-a-ro-a way A Kiwi always tells you where to go - "Look out for Trentham" - A Kiwi always tells you where to go. |
As a bandleader, recording artist and songwriter, Ken Avery made a lasting contribution to music in New Zealand. He was a regular performer on radio and television broadcasts, in concerts, and at jazz festivals. He and his band backed Johnny Cooper for 'One by one' and 'Look what you've done,' which were very popular and still sung.
As a songwriter, he noticed the popularity of novelty songs featuring wordplay on exotic names and in 1948 wrote 'Paekakariki.'
Later songs like 'Tea at Te Kuiti,' The dog dosing strip at Dunsandel,' 'Gumboot tango,' 'When the scrum is on the ball' and 'The way she handled the clutch' also reflected his wit, his quirky sense of humour, and the love of wordplay.
He died in Wellington in 1983, and is remembered as a warm, down-to-earth family man with great musical talent and a willingness to help other musicians.
Summarized from an article in the DNZB by Mike Harding.