It was the 70’s sort of mid-way or thereabouts
Auckland coming of age, Antoines & Clichy
Ad Agency reps being wooed all over town
wine for a full-colour triple-page spread

Rick was his name, a groovy photographer
fresh from the Outback, his camera slung
carelessly across his neck, the strap festooned
with luggage labels like a Pacifika lei

He wore these labels like a pro and I guess he was
they flew him to Huka Lodge with some journos
put him up where Zane Grey once slept some
rustic extravagance (I did the expenses)

The journos caught trout at Lake Taupo
doing the sums, it seemed viable they’d
paid a scuba diver to watch out for them
feeding their fishing lines for the story

It was a great story, Muldoon and some sheep
on the front cover of the South Pacific issue
and some incorrect stats about Maori infant
mortality – hey, they only had three days and

hey they sold a triple-page full-colour spread
to the likes of Philip Morris – it’s a while ago now
I can’t be sure but mostly back then it was
tobacco companies funding TIME MAGAZINE

souls sold over flash white tablecloths
mostly men in suits possibly French wines
we girls in the back office doing the sums
typing up the invitations making reservations

Time has moved on and now we have Casey
bringing back the good old days
(a ciggie with your lunch anyone …)