Preparing lunch in the main living space
All hands (and mouths) on deck!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Om, Hari Om!
2000 feet above Pohara Beach, up a very steep, ‘long and winding road’, we discovered the Anahata (Heart-centre) Yoga Retreat – see www.anahata-retreat.org.nz Getting to the top of the ‘hill’ stretched our nerves a little – not knowing whether our van would make it, and having to drive through three small fords! We eventually arrived at Anahata in brilliant sunshine and were immediately spellbound. The views are stunning, the neighbours few and far between, the lifestyle simple and relaxed, the food enticing and the people very different to anything we had encountered previously. We were made to feel very welcome, offered a tour, and the opportunity to stay for a week of ‘participation experience’ – which we did!
We had an interesting and in many ways challenging week. We met some fascinating people, had lunch one day at the founder’s house (Gorgeous - lunch and the house, not to mention the view!), did a lot of early morning chanting and yoga, followed by lots of karma yoga (work with awareness!), yoga nidra (deep relaxation), and we took part in several havans (fire ceremonies) including one on ‘the night of the dark moon’ – Shivaratri – a big celebration in India to honour the marriage of Shiva and Shakti and to acknowledge the power and energy of Shiva to transform.
Every morning, after morning practice (6:00) and breakfast (7:30), we would all gather in circle (8:15) to discuss the day ahead, who’d been allocated what work for the day, say goodbye to anyone leaving, and share anything anyone wanted to share. I found a wonderful book of poetry in their library from which I shared the following five poems:
“Wake up to another day
Only to continue yesterday”
“Tomorrow
When I wake
I will see today”
“You are speaking
And I am listening
But where is the speaker?”
“Tomorrow will always be
For some and not for others
Who cares?”
“I am therefore
you are
In the presence
Of the present
we are”
Amusing, inspiring and very thought-provoking, don’t you think? We enjoyed them. Hope you do too.
So, we spent our 100th day in New Zealand stretching and balancing our bodies, hearts and minds in the height of beauty, including some very colourful, playful, native and wild parrots, called Keas, who literally ate my shoes!
Now, we’re back down the hill – ‘back down to earth’ perhaps? Enjoying a couple of days rest to integrate all that we experienced and learned at Anahata.
Then, we’re planning to journey around the rest of Golden Bay before returning to visit the Riverside Community and Nelson.
More next time ...
Love Richard and Julie xxx
Balmy days at the Tui Community
Yes, this is where they make it.
We didn't realize until we got there!
WWOOFers Barn at Tui
Our fellow-WWOOFers Misha and Patrick
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Early days on the South Island
Our early morning ferry crossing to the South Island on 5th February was calm and uneventful. After a quick stop at Blenheim to restock our larder, we headed west in to the Wairau Valley arriving at the campsite we were looking for by about 3pm. The next couple of days were very hot, approaching 30 degrees in the shade, so we stayed put and enjoyed the swimming pool and our very shady spot under some trees.
From here we headed west to Murchison to meet Berylla (a great friend of Joanne’s in Otaki), her daughter Briana, son-in-law Ron, and their ten week old daughter, Pippa – all of whom live in yurts on their 100 acre section! We spent a magical few days with them all, thoroughly enjoying a very different way of living, and doing a few little jobs to help out. One of the many delights of staying with Berylla was swimming in the Matakitaki river to cool off after the hot sunny days (30-40 degrees!). Another was tramping up the Johnson Creek Track to see the site and effects of a recent (1929) earthquake that resulted in a landslide that completely dammed the river. As well as an amazing home, Berylla had a wonderful collection of books and she very kindly suggested we borrow some, which we did, including ‘Intuitive Astrology’ which we are both finding fascinating. Sad to leave, we drove in to town to say goodbye to Berylla at her office at the Murchison Resource Centre – where she does a job similar in some respects to the one Julie had in Frome. From here we journeyed west to Westport and then south to Punakaiki.
At Punakaiki we stayed at the Te Nikau Retreat in the hope of meeting the owner, Hamish, a friend of a friend. Unfortunately Hamish wasn’t there but we stayed for one night anyway because Pancake Rocks is just down the road which we wanted to visit the next day. From here we decided to head North to Golden Bay, staying at the Tui Community in Wainui Bay for one night, followed by two nights at Totaranui DOC site in the Abel Tasman National Park. Right now we’re staying at Pohara Beach Top 10 Holiday Park (although apparently there are 48 of them!), catching up on washing, enjoying hot showers, and some of the other 4-star amenities, including wi-fi internet access!
Hope the UK weather isn’t getting you down too much. Would love to hear all your news.
Lots of Love
Richard and Julie xxx
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The clear, refreshing waters of Otaki River!
Great fun!
... better than a bouncy castle!
Deep, fast-flowing and ... Cool!
And home again for tea!
And home again for tea!
January, Jocelyn, Jo, Joanne, Veronique, Yvonne & Myrto
So where did January go?
After Dance and Voice Camps at Rissington in Hawkes Bay, we spent a delightful week staying with Jocelyn and her children, Hannah and Aaron, at Hastings – just managing to squeeze our van in to her front garden! We also met Jocelyn’s new man, Cameron, and spent many a delightful hour discussing 7 Words, NVC (Non-Violent Communication), the ‘Five Languages of Love’, and much more with them both. Had a picnic on Ocean Beach, discovered an amazing health food shop – Chantels – in Napier, went tramping in the hills of the Te Mata Range, spent an afternoon with Jo & her two year old Ethan whom we met at Dance Camp, and ended our time with Jocelyn and Cameron with a wonderful meal out at Pipi’s Restaurant in Havelock North.
Then we crossed the country from East to West (and a little south!) to stay with Joanne (also from Dance Camp) in Otaki, about an hour’s drive north of Wellington on the West coast. Another delightfully relaxing and pleasant week. Joanne was brilliant, like pretty much everyone we’ve met here, and gave us free run of the house whilst she went out to work. She took us to a Sufi Healing Circle prayer meeting one evening where we met five other beautiful women, all of whom made us feel very special. One Friday afternoon, on her day off, she took us to a fantastic swimming location on the Otaki river, where we had great fun jumping off the rocks in to the river, skimming stones across the water, and remembering what it’s like being a child ‘messing about on the river’. The water was so clear and refreshing. Yet another Dance Camp contact, Yvonne – who runs the Blissmillah Cafe at Camp – also lives near Joanne, so we called in to see her retreat centre on the way back from our swim in the river. Veronique (Guess what? Also from Dance Camp!) lives just up the road from Joanne, so we spent one evening with her discovering ‘WasGijs’ (ask me!), sharing 7 Words, her work with NLP, and looking through some of her fantastic book collection – heaven!
Another surreal experience we had whilst staying with Joanne was visiting the Coehaven Cinema with her – see www.coehaven.biz – a bizarre ‘home cinema’ in Otaki, just up the road from Joanne’s house, screening equally bizarre films! Sat in the front row, which consisted solely of large sofas, with our feet up on footstools, and watched ‘My Brother Is An Only Child’ – an Italian film (with subtitles) set in the 60s and 70s, all about facism and communism – and we were the only three people there!
On Sunday 1st February, we left Joanne’s and Otaki, heading south to Wellington and the ‘mainland’ (South Island) beyond! In Wellington we stayed with Myrto for a few days, whom we met at Voice Camp, and her husband Des, a lovely couple with a big house and big hearts. From here we explored some of the sights of NZ’s capital city, including Mount Victoria Lookout, Te Papa Museum, the Botanic Gardens, and the Cable Car. Watched a brilliant film called ‘The World’s Fastest Indian’, starring Anthony Hopkins as Burt Munro – a New Zealander from Invercargill who spent his life building and racing a very old motorbike – the ‘Indian’ – and who still holds the record for the fastest speed on a 1000cc motorbike, set in Bonneville, USA.
Tomorrow, 5th February, we set sail at 8.25 am, for the South Island and the adventure continues ...
Much love to you all
Richard and Julie xxx
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