Gypsy traveller arrives in Wellington
A name is about the only thing tying Jola Josie McDonald down these days.
The young nomad has left a 9-5 existence in Norway for a ninemonth odyssey back in her home country in a house truck she bought and reconditioned herself.
Her unusual moniker and her gypsy heart are gifts her late mother bequeathed her.
Her mother had such respect for the owners of the property where her daughter was born, she decided to name her after them ... almost.
‘‘Their last name was ‘Jollie’. She made up my name from that,’’ McDonald says.
Her mother, known as ‘‘Heather Feather’’, died when McDonald was just 12.
After living in Norway for 11 years, she is back to find out more about her mum, and the gypsy lifestyle she loved.
It’s not the first time she has taken her home with her on the road.
Until she was seven, she travelled in a 1949 Bedford bus with her parents and three brothers, visiting gypsy fairs.
While the shell of the truck she purchased in Auckland was in place, she put everything else together herself, including a new deck, and a space for the toilet, which fits neatly into a seat.
And all the additions to the van are made from 100 per cent recycled wood - found or purchased at bargain prices.
She attracts a few looks on the road, but says people have been ‘‘understanding’’.
The notorious Wellington winds have been an interesting battle for the truck, she says.
‘‘I’m driving really slow because I can feel it [the truck] is top-heavy. When I drove to Wellington, there were strong winds.
‘‘The speed limit was 100 kmh, and I was driving 70-80.’’
As well as documenting her travels on social media, she is also making a documentary.
‘‘So far I’ve had good reactions. Here in NZ gypsies are a lot more accepted than other places.
‘‘In my documentary I’ll be talking about the connotations around the word ‘gypsy’ - in Norway it’s not good. A lot of people call selves gypsies, they are begging, living on the street. Here ‘gypsy’ means ‘travel’, someone who lives a nomadic lifestyle.’’