Kongs Jungle Lounge ...

Life here on the Secret Island can be a lonely one... I've had to perfect my Mai Tai Making because to be honest the nearest bar worthy of the Tiki name is a twenty hour drive away! For that reason time on Tiki Central leaves me feeling blue as I too would like the choice and the local bar to call home that US based Tiki aficionados enjoy.

So you can imagine my delight when I heard of a new bar/resturant through Tiki Talk opening up just a couple of hours away down at Bondi. The restaurant specializes in what head chef Adam Dundas Taylor calls “Poly-asian” food, which takes its inspiration from places like Nobu and Hugos. The cocktail menu has modern, but respectful versions of favorites like Kongs Mai Tai, Marama Rum Punch, Beachbum Berry’s Miehana, and more.

I'll certainly be making a visit soon...

Kongs Jungle Lounge 110 Spring Street Bondi Junction, Sydney, Australia 2022 | 0280218122

Tiki Returned ...

I thought that I'd mark my return to regular posting with another Tiki Return of sorts. It's a really nice good news story and we all need some of those now and again.

When John Malcon turned 21 in 1943, he was about to leave the country (New Zealand) for the Pacific war. He specified "no presents" but a close friend ignored the request and gave him a sterling silver tiki on a chain. Mr Malcon had his initial and surname, army number, religion and blood type engraved on the back and wore it throughout his army service in the New Hebrides where 36 Battalion was working alongside American troops. He said standing on a sea egg spike while swimming in the tropical waters landed him in an American army hospital there and among the visitors he received were Admiral William Halsey and Eleanor Roosevelt.

With no other injuries from his war service, and with his silver tiki still around his neck. Mr Malcon is a member of the Feilding Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association and for 28 years he was a regular visitor to the Palmerston North hospital on behalf of both the Feilding RSA and the Rangitikei Club. It was not until he was there as a patient about six years ago that he lost the silver tiki which he had worn for more than 60 years.

"I had to remove all metal to have an X-ray and it was not until I was in the shower that evening that I realised my tiki was not around my neck," he said. "I retraced my steps and at the hospital the girl helped me search the X-ray department, but my tiki was not found. I didn't think I would ever see it again."

However, someone had found it, and recognised the number as an army number. About a year ago the person who found it called at the Paraparaumu RSA and gave it to President William Powell. He didn't do anything about it at first, thinking that it must have belonged to a World War II soldier, and the chances of finding him alive were slight. A few weeks ago his wife reminded him that a tiki should be returned to its owner and she set him on the path to find the J Malcon whose name was on the little silver tiki.

Mr Powell said: "I went to Trentham records but, although they could confirm John Malcon had been a serviceman, they had no knowledge of where he lived now or whether he was still alive." He contacted Palmerston North RSA last week but there was no Malcon on their membership, and White Pages showed no Malcon in Palmerston North. "So I went to Malcon in the whole country and there was a J Malcon in Feilding. I phoned John and asked his army number," Mr Powell said.

"That's something you never forget," Mr Malcon said."When he told me he had my tiki, I was quite overcome. When I got off the phone, I couldn't remember who he was or where he was from, only that he was returning my tiki."

On Tuesday Mr Powell and Paraparaumu RSA welfare officer Alan Dempsey travelled to Feilding to hand the tiki back to Mr Malcon. There was huge emotion over the fact that something which held such strong links with the war had found its way home.

From the Manawatu Standard.