Endless rain

Rain in Kawhia, falling heavily night and day, during a recent visit to sort out matters of possibly great cultural importance.

- Steve Braunias

My brother Mark lived there for 24 years until he collapsed on the footpath near his front door in December, and died the next afternoon at Waikato Hospital. He owned the town's old bank. It was his home and studio. He stored paintings in the vault. I travelled to Kawhia earlier this month with my sister's family. Quite a lot of reunions have been held these past six months. Death does that. A funeral is a special event - you only die once. But after death is slow and enduring, long after the sharp claws of grief let go and you move around each other in the rooms of the deceased, making cups of tea, washing the dishes, staring out the window at rain.