The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Help Me Find My Hat! (In New Zealand)
JustPlainPavek
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Ok, this is a super-long shot, but what the hell I'll give it a go:
Back around New Year's 2006-2007 I visited New Zealand and, after much driving across the country's many lovely one-lane bridges, found myself in a town called Kaikoura on northeast corner of the South Island. In said town, among other activities, I purchased myself a very nice wide-brim hiking hat. It was olive drab / green, had snaps on the sides for the brim, and a few ventilation holes at the temples. That's nothing special, you may say, and I'll agree, but it served me well until I stupidly left it in the back seat of a taxi van in central Zambia a year ago this summer. I've been pretty much hat-less since, and I'm wondering if there's a chance I could find myself a matching replacement without having to take a trip back to the South Island all over again (not that I'd mind, really, but that's going to take some saving up first).
The label on the hat read "Eskay", whose continued existence as a supplier of hats I've been unable to confirm from several internet searches. www.eskay.co.nz appears to be a dead link, and this is the only hat of theirs I've been able to find for sale online. Which makes me think I'm probably not imagining this, but nonetheless is not at all what I'm looking for.
So I ask you, NZ forumers -- have you heard of this company and its hats? Do you know where I could buy one and have it shipped to the US of A? Or should I just accept that this is the hat that got away?
Many thanks to anyone who can indulge my weird request here.
Back around New Year's 2006-2007 I visited New Zealand and, after much driving across the country's many lovely one-lane bridges, found myself in a town called Kaikoura on northeast corner of the South Island. In said town, among other activities, I purchased myself a very nice wide-brim hiking hat. It was olive drab / green, had snaps on the sides for the brim, and a few ventilation holes at the temples. That's nothing special, you may say, and I'll agree, but it served me well until I stupidly left it in the back seat of a taxi van in central Zambia a year ago this summer. I've been pretty much hat-less since, and I'm wondering if there's a chance I could find myself a matching replacement without having to take a trip back to the South Island all over again (not that I'd mind, really, but that's going to take some saving up first).
The label on the hat read "Eskay", whose continued existence as a supplier of hats I've been unable to confirm from several internet searches. www.eskay.co.nz appears to be a dead link, and this is the only hat of theirs I've been able to find for sale online. Which makes me think I'm probably not imagining this, but nonetheless is not at all what I'm looking for.
So I ask you, NZ forumers -- have you heard of this company and its hats? Do you know where I could buy one and have it shipped to the US of A? Or should I just accept that this is the hat that got away?
Many thanks to anyone who can indulge my weird request here.
JustPlainPavek on
0
Posts
Here's the best picture of the hat I can find:
So yeah, it's wide-brim, floppy enough that you can actually fold it into a triangle, olive green.
As for the store in Kaikoura, I'm afraid I don't remember for sure at this point, but I think it was near the north end of the main drag in town -- which Google Maps tells me is called Churchill Street? Just a touristy hat and hiking gear place, no memory of the name. Definitely can't ask for your friend to go searching around for it but if he does happen to spot it, I would probably be willing to Paypal for its delivery assuming it's not going to cost me $50 or something...
Thanks guys, this stuff is what makes the internet an amazing thing.
I talked to a lovely young woman there and explained your situation and described the hat you were looking for and she was more than happy to help me search for this hat. She even offered a hand-stand for me to hang hats on while I was taking photos but I thought this was a bit excessive.
Anyway, without further ado: Hats I found that might be yours
Hat #1: Fit the description but had this "OPTIMUM" tag on the side so it might not be it
Hat #2: The photo doesn't really do it justice, the brim is a bit wider than it looks
Hats #3/4: Probably these that you're looking for. They're identical except the one on the left has a flap built into it that can drop down the back of your neck. The model is the previously mentioned lovely young woman who showed me round
The Eskay tag from hat #4 - just to see if I've got it right
The cost for all of them is somewhere between NZ$25 and $30.
If only Don LaFontaine was still alive...
You've already gone more than out of your way for this so if there's a way I can buy direct from them, that's probably easiest. If not, I can arrange a Paypal transfer in advance of your mailing it whichever way would be cheapest and most convenient for you.
Truly, a heartwarming tale of haberdashery indeed!