Letter From New Zealand

Reprinted from "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", July 1969, page 31

This is our last letter from Chris Buys on his trip to New Zealand. I had a card in between his two letters, but I've either already sent it to Portland to the publisher or lost it. Anyhow, I remember he said he had traveled over 400 miles in New Zealand and had only seen pottery. Here is part of his last letter I would like to share with my readers.

"I did investigate the New Zealand insulator situation more thoroughly, but as you suggested, many foreign countries including New Zealand have predominantly pottery insulators. I did become friends with the head of the Turinga (small town in North Island) telephone company and he kindly supplied me with about 7 different kinds of pottery insulators with N. Z. stamps on them. He feels there are some real old glass ones in the head shop on the South Island and said he would check that out next month when he must attend a meeting there. I did get a hold of the only type glass I saw in New Zealand... that is... a large (10 lb.--I know, because of shipping expenses) green (like our mushroom pottery type) French insulator. Well, I just must wait a couple of months now for my shipment from Papeetee and New Zealand in hopes that none of them will be broken."

Let's all hope Chris gets his foreign insulators all in good shape. It would really be heartbreaking if any of them are damaged.

It's bad enough to get a United States insulator in the mail damaged. I know, because we just received our second damaged one today. What does the Post Office do to them? Run a bulldozer over the package? Thank goodness for insurance, but I'd rather have the insulator. Our special thanks to Chris for sharing his journey with us that are less fortunate and are stuck here at home. Hope someday we can make it back to Boulder, Colorado and see your insulators, Chris.