Beautiful New Zealand

Vistara: Harideva, Guruvati and family Christmas




Trying on my new backpacking attire, 50's and sick. My Grandpa would be proud.








Abel Tasman hike near Golden Bay. One beautiful beach after another for 3 days.








Convergence Festival, the theme was "Living it." The poster Siri started sums it up.

































West coast road trip. Limestone cliffs, limestone caves, glaciers, beaches, Southern Alps in the sunset, new friends, and lots of laughs.

Our Queenstown mansion, old friends and spectacular views of the Remarkables Range freshly snowcapped.

A Recipe For Chaos

Mix together:
One recovering alcoholic artist who is 65% smoke free
Two exuberant mischievous daughters, aged 5 and 7
One CEO who replaces sleep with coffee and cigarettes and stress
One Hare Krishna conspiracy theorist with a big crush on Mother Dearest
One legitimately insane German builder with too much knowledge of Vas is da PROBLEM!
One theatrical 17 year old boy with a passion for YouTube and chai tea
One 25-year old who has eagerly reverted back to a 17-year old as well
One dog with a limp and a neurotic cat with chlamydia in her eye
Too many meetings and changing plans
Lots of sugar and coffee
Rats in the trees

Remove from the mix:
Sense of direction and time
Privacy
Functioning machinery

Leave to stew for a bit, then see how much work has been done on the yoga studio/art room/wine and juicery/restaurant by the 6-week time limit.

Makes one big helping of Full-On-Chaos per person served.
*Whew*

An update from the Queenstown mansion

What a journey it's been. So much has happened in the past 2 months since my last post. It has been one hell of an adventure filled with love, laughter, new friends, old friends, chaos, reflection, Hare Krishnas, conspiracy theories, beaches, mountains, glaciers, sunsets, arrests, earthquakes, landslides, naked hippies, and the list goes on. Recapping everything seems to be too daunting of a task so I will quickly touch on a few experiences that stand out. The journey will begin and end on the west coast, where New Zealand meets the Tasman Sea. From my first swim at Sunset Beach, to my last swim in Haast.

Along the journey I've experienced:

1) 11/11/11. Ever since I was a kid I wondered where I would be on this day. I never could have imagined I'd be in New Zealand at one of the Maori's most sacred places to experience my first Hongi (a tradition involving a maori family inviting new people to their land, their Marae, and allowing them to be part of the whanau, or family). It was such a powerful experience to be welcomed into the family so traditionally. After the ceremony it is tradition to greet each person by touching your nose and forehead to theirs, and breathing in deeply. This greeting is also called a Hongi and is associated with the connection of the third eye and crown chakras and is usually accompanied with the greeting, "Kia Ora" (hello, be well). The crown chakra connection is considered to be a greeting to the ancestors who came before. Later that night after the ceremony, I was invited to experience my first Native American sweat with Lakota John from the Lakota tribe. Another amazingly powerful experience which began under my first full moon in New Zealand at exactly 11:11.

2) The sound of the rocks atop Mount Ngauruhoe (Mount Doom) vibrating under my feet as the polarity of the encroaching storm began to pull on them, forcing Siri and I to quickly make our way down the active volcano through the clouds and hail, leaving behind the steady breath of steam from Mount Doom's crater.

3) The feeling of the wind holding me upright as I test its strength while floating through the
magnificent Marlborough Sounds ON A BOAT.

4) Being picked up randomly at a train station in Blenheim, after discussing what to do next, by a man named Peter who asked me, "Am I here to pick you up?" Not expecting a ride I responded, "I don't know." He then asked, "Are you Neal?" And it was at that point we realized he was our next CouchSurfing host. A good example of syncronicity.

5) Watching in the rain as Nelson's 50-year flood pulled a hillside down slowly to my feet, cracking massive trees in half like toothpicks as it moved.

6) My first earthquake, and then my second and then my third. Although due to my ability to sleep through virtually anything I experienced the second two subconsciously.

7) Being gifted a nice bar of soap for Christmas and showing my gratitude while at the same time wondering if I smell like a dirty backpacker.

8) Going for a swim in the Motueka River after working in the hot sun with a 70 year old friend only to turn around and realize he's fully naked.

9) Full-on chaos... I'll let Siri explain.

10) Waking up on the Abel Tasman trail, after 2 full days of hiking,to our own small, beautiful, secluded beach, only to be interrupted after a couple hours by a huge tour boat unloading tourists fully equipped with 'to go cappuccinos,' flip flops, cameras, and grocery bags.

11) Being pulled over on the way to Takaka Hill with part of our Ruby Bay family, only to find out that our Hare Krishna Conspiracy Theorist friend doesn't have a registered car, or an ID, because he doesn't need them. It was at this point I had three thoughts: "You've got to be kidding me," "Is this really happening," and "Here we go." Throughout the rest of the experience I find out he doesn't believe he is a "driver" or a "person," his birthday is arbitrary because he "doesn't know when he popped out," and he doesn't have an address, or a name. Needless to say, this refusal to cooperate resulted in his arrest. He was pulled away with a smile on his face and we were left stranded with all our stuff, a crazy German builder and a 17 year old Australian kid and no clue where we were. We found out later he was a "Freeman," which is someone who refuses to subscribe to societal rules, good on him. We also found out later that he got out of jail within the hour and returned to the house on a motorcycle. Rock on.

Then there was Convergence Festival, a full on "break from reality" fest. I guess you would call it a spiritual, holistic, community love fest equipped with a sauna, swimming holes (which apparently attract mass amounts of public nudity), amazing people, lots of love, workshops, music, shamanic journeys I will forever remember, and more love. Toward the end of Convergence I had a very powerful meditative experience that inspired me to write the following letter on the nearest piece of paper. It should sum up my experience at Convergence. I have to admit I have never been able to write so quickly, while at the same time been able to articulate the thoughts in my head so clearly and precisely. When I finished and set my pen down, I was confronted by a lady asking to use the pen. I truly had no idea she was standing next to me and she caught me by surprise. When I turned to respond my heart began beating so intensely in a way I can only compare to an adrenaline rush. The lady then asked if I was ok and said, "I like the energy in this room," and proceeded to sit down next to me with her legs crossed, her eyes closed, and her hands on her knees. This is what it said:

• More than ever before all the infinite forms of life on this planet are in distress. Every part of our human selves is in pain, emotional, physical, social, environmental, and spiritual pain. Our surroundings, our necessities for life, our resources are being pulled right out from underneath us and we feel hopeless, at times. We feel hopeless at a time when we need hope more than ever. Convergence is that hope, that Love, that unity and purity that is in every one of us. It is these things that will save the life force on this planet and bring it back into balance as it should be. After all it is not until you hit the bottom that you see the light and gather to create a collective will, a collective energy, a collective consciousness that is pure and rich and more powerful than any cancer that plagues us now. What we have here gives me so much hope to keep fighting, expanding and moving foward in a direction of enlightenment. The unconditional love here gives me the power to confront all the negative energies I encounter, and I hope for the ability to change those negative, erratic frequencies into the soothing, peaceful rythm of life and love. We are circling together in so many different ways and this family, this unity, is so unbelievably sacred. Let us not forget this and go back out into the world with the power and tools to help prepare ourselves and the rest of humanity and life on this planet for a brighter future overflowing with that life blood we are all craving so intensely, that LOVE.

The Convergence experience ended with the start of an amazing journey with our new friend Ami in our new hybrid Toyota we somehow manifested. The three of us drove straight to the beautiful, majestic west coast, stopping only for a little hike through a maze of limestone cliffs and an hour spelunk through a cave filled to our knees with running water. The road trip down the west coast consisted of beautiful beaches, killer mosquitos, playing chicken with the Tasman Sea's massive waves and staring at the reflection in a pond of the sun setting on the magnificent Fox Glacier and beautiful Southern Alps. The last night of the road trip I had a moment of reflection and immense feelings of gratitude while standing alone under the nearly full moon watching as the waves crashed to shore under my feet. The greenstone-filled beach rumbled and breathed with each wave pushing and pulling at the shore line, and the scent of the warm driftwood fire burning behind me. It was my heartfelt farewell to the Tasman Sea and all its beauty and power.

So here we are, in our very own mansion overlooking Queenstown and its surrounding mountains and lake, free of charge. I never could have imagined this adventure would have led me here and I can't help but feel blessed as I look out the window at a sunset a photograph couldn't even explain. I have experienced and learned so much in the last couple months, it has been truly expansive. This trip has been full of self realizations, spiritual awakenings, beauty, and adventure.

Thank you to all of you who have helped me and supported me on this journey. I am full of humbleness and gratitude.

Cheers

The House of the Hari Guru

Harideva and Guruvati, also known by us as the Hari Guru or HuG, run a small farm and B&B in the remote and beautiful Motueka Valley, nestled among the hills and just across the road from the river. Their property is a quiet haven of beauty and peace, with roses and fuschia taking center stage this time of year. They have several houses on their property which they rent out to a few young families, as well as a small meeting space they rent to a nearby Hare Krishna community. We spent two weeks WWOOFing there over Thanksgiving, and ended up returning to their house for Christmas as well (because we all know how important it is to spend Christmas with family).There is no way for me to fully express how magical our experiences were during our stay, but I will try to touch on a few experiences that might give you a taste of the place.

First of all, speaking of taste, Guruvati is one of the best cooks I have ever known. She cooks strictly vegetarian (the only one exempt from that rule is the dog), also without onion, garlic, or mushroom (as part of their spiritual following). Yet despite their (and my) ingredient limitations, I never had the same meal twice, which would have saddened me had the next meal not been even better than the last. She wasn't an extravagant cook by any means, preferring to keep the main course simple with one or two side dishes, but she would always throw in something out of the ordinary (like homemade goat cheese or vegetable croquettes covered in berry wine sauce). We had artichokes from the garden almost daily, and homemade jams and juices with every meal. And don't even get me started on our multiple Christmas delights-- all I will say is, BEST.CHEESECAKE.EVER. Praline and graham cracker crust, cinnamon and honey swirls, fresh hand-picked berries... I should stop before the memory of it makes me drool on the keyboard.

Our stay with HuG marks the initiation of our journey into the broad and eclectic world of Spirituality and Religion. The Hari Guru are members of a spiritual following called Ananda Marga, the main mantra of which is Baba Nam Kevalam, translated to "Everything is an expression of the Divine," or, more simply, "Love is All There Is." I am so down with that. During our stay we often chose to join Harideva (or as Neal called him, "Hairy Dave") in his twice-daily kirtan meditations. Every morning and evening he would don his yoga pants and give us his secretive gap-toothed smile as he shuffled toward the meditation room, which was the signal. Guruvati would join in if she wasn't feeding the goats (her favorite pastime) or working on dinner, and we would all sing the mantra and move in unison while Harideva played the guitar. Singing and dancing together is a very powerful meditative experience in itself, and I often found myself surprised by how quickly the music stopped. We would then sit together and meditate to the sound of birdsong and wind. Afterward, we would walk outside in silence, only to be greeted by the sweet, heady scent of roses. This experience was meaningful for me in several ways. I found that starting the day with peace and mindfulness sets the tone for nearly all subsequent experiences for that day, making love-focused actions so much easier to choose. I also discovered how quickly and effectively movement and song can put me in a meditative state of mind, something which previously required a good deal of restless shuffling and forced focus to accomplish. HaHA-- ADHD is no match for the powers of movement!! Plus, I just really love the mantra. I could sing it every day and it would never get old (unlike my mind's usual fallback entertainment of "Baby One More Time." Just kidding. That would be terrible).

During our stay, the neighborly Krishna clan invited us to Sunday rituals. Every Sunday evening, the Hare Krishnas would have a call-and-response kirtan (spiritual sing), followed by a discussion-slash-sermon on the Vedas (various spiritual scriptures, such as the Bhagavad Gita, which are utilized by many different religious sects), then we would share a delicious vegetarian meal. It was always a memorable and unique experience, and boy, did we always leave with something to talk about! We would hear about justifications for vegetarianism, karma, other sentient planets, and the "so-called end of the world"; and then we would head back over to HuG's and hear Harideva's passionate response to it all. It was extremely satisfying to get to hear so many new philosophies and then stay up super late having in-depth discussions about reincarnation and home-schooling and the like with such an enlightened soul, especially since his viewpoints are paired with his powerful desire to implement socio-economic change for the greater good. Ananda Marga is actually only one side of the coin; the spiritual beliefs are a supplement to the socio-economic theory of Prout (aka Progressive Utilization Theory). I will not go into great detail about this, as those of you who are interested will get a much better understanding of it through your own research, but it is basically a social theory which creates tools for sharing the earth's resources to reach the highest collective good. Neal was particularly interested in the application of Prout in the real world, and he spent many evenings alternating between reading furiously and presenting me with his personal opinions on the subject matter. I personally have not often heard of spiritual and social belief systems being paired together in this way, since most everyone in the U.S. seems entirely obsessed with keeping religion and politics separate, so needless to say I was intrigued. It also sparked in me the urge to always keep in mind "the people" as a unit when I try to decide what is best for my individual well-being.

Finally, although I very much enjoyed the farm work we did, it was a relief to get a little break once in awhile. Harideva took us down to swim in the cool river water a few times, and once we went on a bush walk to help him reset his rat traps. Supposedly we were walking on an established trail, but in my view, it was a "trail" only in the way the ferns and vines trailed behind my barely visible hiking boots as I struggled awkwardly along. I was also entirely convinced we were going in circles. The birdsong and beauty quickly overcame the obstacles, however, and we were once again wooed by New Zealand's mystical nature. We got home and were greeted by the tinkling sound of Guruvati's laughter as she observed the panting dog, our dirty clothes, and the leaves in my hair.

There are so many stories to tell about our growth and shared love with our hosts, but the point is that our eyes have started to open to new ways of living which can help us to keep joyfulness and mindfulness in our Here and Now. It is hard to forget how fortunate we are to be here when every other moment is an awe-inspiring experience, and we will definitely never forget that it all started at the House of HuG.

Raglan and the Fantastic Mr. Ross

Four totems representing the Four Directions (NSEW) and Four Elements (Earth Air Fire Water)

 

It has been a few weeks since we have had the chance to post any stories for you all, so it is probably near about time to catch everyone up.

Last you heard (aside from my recent Thanksgiving post), we had just arrived in Raglan on the North island and met up with our CouchSurfing host, Ross.

Ross is a gregarious jokester with a bit of a filthy mind and a heart pure as gold. He has been in a wheelchair since the age of 16 (rugby accident—that’s why they now make opponents touch shoulders before a scrimmage), though definitely not bound by it—he has taken on more pee-your-pants extreme activities than I actually knew existed, and he is pretty self-sufficient for having limited use of his digits and the like. What a rare fellow. We liked each other right away, but it was all over when we discovered a passionate shared love for Austin Powers. I commend Neal for his powers of endurance during our long feverish competitions of rehashing one quote after the other followed by bouts of hysterical laughter. He also is a practitioner of BARS, a healing technique where the hands are placed on certain points of the scalp to release energy, promote healing, and bring forth positive energies. We learned much about his ideas of coming to a greater understanding of one’s own body and its silent messages, which he believes opens us up to the deeper truths of our daily existence and provides us more opportunities to be joyful. Ross’s favourite question is: “What do you require?” and his mantra is: “What else is possible?”

Immediately after our arrival Ross piled the three of us into his van and gave us the tour of Raglan. He showed us the city center, a collection of less than a hundred shops and restaurants jumbled together, small enough to walk its entirety in about ten minutes. We looked out upon the mountains and bays and he told us their Maori histories—discoveries, conquests, communities, living people. Then he drove to the top of a very tall hill overlooking the roiling ocean waves. The view looked quite familiar, as Raglan is fairly close to Port Waikato, but on the top of the hill was a circular walkway circumnavigating four large totems dedicated to the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. He explained the significance of these guardians in Maori culture and gave us the chance to take photographs before carting us off to the next point of interest. Over the next several days, we were invited to join him in many enlightening experiences, such as attending a gallery opening for a Maori women’s group, visiting a community house with a garden meditation circle, hiking to a dizzyingly tall waterfall, and having tea with a woman who had built her entire house sustainably using packed earth and composting toilets. These teaching and sharing experiences deepened our understanding of the people, cultures, and powerful energies of New Zealand, while showing us the true loving spirit of Ross himself.

Ross has several people deemed caretakers who come in and out to help him with various household tasks, as well as a whole host of friends and acquaintances, whose presence has created a very unique sort of community. Dierdre was one of my favourites: a sharp-eyed, expressive, slightly rotund kiwi woman with exuberant grey curly hair and a tongue to be reckoned with. I am convinced she was Irish in a past life. She had been a chef for many years and knew how to cook just about everything. She was the master of the kitchen and liked to have full control over any comings and goings while she was there. The first morning we met her she was doing dishes as Neal and I looked for cereal bowls, and she said loudly to nobody in particular: “I could get this kitchen cleaned up right quick if I just had a moment alone to do it!” so we scooted out and waited on the outskirts reading books until she finally looked at us and exclaimed, “Well, are you going to have breakfast this morning, or not?”

In order to have us stay longer than he usually allows guests, Ross gave us several projects in his garden. We helped him plant squash and tomatoes, dig a new section of garden for potatoes, prune the leeks and pick kale for dinner salads. He has a lovely backyard and it was fun work with so many other people around to chat with. On one rainy day, we tried doggedly to dig until the rain got so heavy that our forks turned into giant earth clods and we were forced to stop. The rain here is quite different from the typical cold needle pricks of Colorado: soft, fat, slightly cool water washing gently over us, a very pleasant experience until the water started soaking our underwear. Then we were just too wet to work any longer and we went inside to watch the falling rain from the supreme comfort of the sunroom loveseat.

During these rare moments of inactivity, I read The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck. The book is extremely well-written and accessible for everyone, with striking messages about money, food, community, and family. She won the Pulitzer Prize for her work, and in my opinion it is a prize well-earned. I am not going to go into details here because you could probably get a better synopsis from Wikipedia if you are interested, but I recommend it to anyone interested in social and environmental issues.

Our last outing with Ross was first to his parents’ dairy farm for an evening of bourbon and political discussion, then to the small town of Te Kuiti, where we celebrated 11/11/11 (twice) with a small host of enlightened and loving people on a sacred marae. We spent two powerful days there with him, attending meditations, singing crystal bowls, and a full-on two hour Native American sweat lodge before he dropped us at the end of the road, where we immediately hooked a ride straight to Taupo. It was good to keep moving and exploring, but definitely tough leaving him—we have a good friend in Ross and we are grateful for his gifts to us. In the words of Austin Powers, “You’re one groovy baby…baby!”

Happy Thanksgiving, Family!

It is so weird to be here when I know that all of America is celebrating today. It is hard to imagine that it is the fall and winter season back home when everything is bursting into bloom here. I am enjoying the sunny and warm weather, but I can’t help but feel a twinge of sadness knowing that I’m missing the chance to sit comfortably next to my family on the couch with the warmth of the fire pushing away the chilly weather outside, preparing to share the meal together. Neal and I are WWOOFing at a charming Bed and Breakfast between Nelson and Motueka on the South island of New Zealand, and we did have a Thanksgiving meal of sorts with our gracious hosts and two guests last night (since yesterday was Thursday here). We had forgotten until just a few moments before dinner that it even was Thanksgiving, assuming it was next week, so it was a bit of a shock to us when the calendar told us otherwise (what are the odds of our hosts having an American calendar on their wall? Very strange). Nonetheless, we made the most of it and ended up spending a lovely evening talking about families and children and spirituality, eating delicious green curry with rice, sweet salad with flower petals in it, and slices of fresh pineapple for dessert.

I have been keeping a list of things I am grateful for since our trip began, as a method of allaying fears and keeping the peace and many “goodnesses” within my mind along our journey. Here are a few things on that list:

• We arrived safely and on time with all of our luggage
• We have never been overly hungry or cold
• We have been outside nearly every day
• We did NOT get food poisoning from the restaurant with a mouse turd in the roti
• I got in to New Zealand (though we are still waiting on my work visa…)
• Oranges
• Chocolate
• Animals (including goats, cats, magpies, and dogs-- not including roosters at 5am)
• WWOOFing and CouchSurfing hospitality
• The beach
• Cultivation and newness
• Random kindnesses and good advice
• Good books
• Philosophical discussions
• Pie
• Meditation rooms and music
• I have an amazing travelling companion—resourceful, engaged, sociable, good with directions, and adaptable!
• I am ALIVE and here to experience it!

Yes, life is good at the moment. Currently we are enjoying spending time with our hosts Guruvati and Harideva at their Bed and Breakfast, talking about family, food, and the PROUT social theory in between planting potatoes. Neal is reading PROUT books like crazy, getting all riled up about our current political and economic situation. I am reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, and I am so engrossed by it that I read 300 pages in 2 days. I had to stop myself after awhile because my eyes were crossing. I am also excited to bake with Guruvati—she is an amazing vegetarian cook, and she owned a pie making business famous in Nelson for ten years, so there is a lot of wonderful stuff for me to learn! We look forward to what else life has in store for us and are constantly amazed by how seemingly miraculously everything is falling into place for us along the way. Keep that positive energy flowing, and remember all that there is to be thankful for!

A few New Zealand photos

We have been having an amazing time experiencing so much of the picturesque scenery that New Zealand has to offer. Unfortunately, we have been unable to share any of these breathtaking moments with the rest of you... until now! Thanks, CouchSurfing hosts, for letting us commandeer your computer for a couple of downloads.

RAGLAN

Bridal Veil Falls

         

The view from Katalina and Javier's packed earth house

                                 The sacred cemetery of the Four Winds marae over November 11th

The four-directional path marking the gathering house that burned down (and will someday be rebuilt), with tents of fellow seekers in the background

Our gregarious and hospitable CouchSurfing host, Ross, outside of the Four Winds dining hall

TAUPO

Huka Falls

MORDOR!!! Also known as the Tongariro Crossing

Yes, Mount Doom is for realz! Woot!

The storm approaches

A light blanket of hail over Mordor

WELLINGTON

THE FERRY TO THE SOUTH ISLAND

The Marlborough Sounds

MONKEY BAY (near BLENHEIM)

Hope you enjoy this little taste... More to come!

New Zealand: The Sensory Experience

Neal did a good job of explaining our life over the past few weeks, so I thought I might just keep it simple with a few of my most striking and meditative moments in New Zealand so far:

-- Biting into a juicy, pungent, couldn't-get-riper tangelo
-- Smelling fresh-cut grass and moist new-turned earth
-- The wind between the sheltering trees
-- Annie's shrill but firm voice calling the dogs: "Crocket, Lulu, Flossie!"
-- The spine-creeping feeling upon discovering the cockroach on the toilet seat, its antennae waving at me lazily, immediately after standing up
-- Soft sand between my toes
-- Wind and surf spray
-- The stinging feeling of salt water in my sinuses after wiping out hard (again)
-- The hot New Zealand sun beating down on my shoulders and face as I paint the rafters, and frying my knees as I squat to hammer another row of bricks (don't worry, Mom; I wore sunscreen)
-- The lifting feeling in my stomach and spirit as I look out upon the ever-expanding horizon

My two favorite experiences in New Zealand so far have been on Sunset Beach. The first evening we decided to walk along the beach during extremely low tide to see the Waikato Sand Dunes. The tide had gone so far out that the only sign we were not walking suspended in space was the firm sand beneath our feet. Distance was merely an illusion, and time felt like a dream. The mist coming off of the breaking waves was rising up to form a translucent curtain of contained light and air, giving an otherworldly feel to the distant landscape. The colors were cool and muted, still holding the light of the day while preparing for the oncoming night. I fully understand why they filmed Lord of the Rings inthis country! We walked along the beach in the thick space between sand and water, stepping lightly around jellyfish, tracing shapes with sticks and picking up shells. Suddenly the black-green sand began to mix with a new sand: soft and fine as powdered dry paint and a deep indigo blue. I plopped myself down and ran my hand and arms through the warm moldable softness like a little kid . Neal went off on his own for awhile, and when he came back to gather me I was so sad at the prospect of leaving my happy place that I gathered a handful of the fine, sticky sand into my hat for bottling later. By the time we got to the dunes, the sun was setting and the tide was moving in, so we just stepped quickly into a quiet corner for a brief glimpse and reflection, then headed home for dinner. As we walked out of the dunes, we spotted the marks of horseshoes walking past which had not been there before. Ghost Horse rides again!
The next evening, Dean told us that a bunch of surfers were going out to catch some bigger waves before nightfall, so Neal and I went out to watch. The reef was exposed due to low tide, and we discovered all sorts of unusual sea creatures hiding in the still-moist areas: crabs, anemone, starfish... We climbed on rocks worn down by water to expose the veins of other materials running through; other rocks sharp and jagged and dark as night; and sand with bits of shiny neon shell still gleaming, not yet fully broken smooth ands all by the currents. We passed an older surfer, his face grim and bloodied, walking back to his car. We scrambled on top of the biggest rock we could find, slipping around in our flippy floppies until we could see the whole ocean laid out in front of us. The surfers were few at first, but slowly grew more numerous until there were about 25 dark shapes floating and bobbing between the gigantic waves. An even older man passed below us, barefoot on the rocks with his face and some of his shaggy white hair painted with zinc to look almost like a clown. We watched in awe and admiration as he picked his way delicately between the sharp rocks and battering waves, and paddled slowly but steadily out to join the others. We watched with the wind whipping our faces until we got too cold and hungry to sit any longer, and then we worked our way back home again. The ocean is a magnificent force that is not to be taken lightly, and it very swiftly puts our own size and meager influence upon nature into sharp perspective. Good on ya, surf enthusiasts! We have a whole new level of respect for what you do.
We are now in Raglan, another beach town a bit south of Port Waikato and not much larger. We stay here until Monday, just in time to celebrate Guy Fawkes and light things on fire with the rest of the country! "Forever remember the 5th of November..." And never forget Sunset Beach.