New Zealand, or Aotearoa in the native Maori tongue, the land of the “long white clouds.” And long lines of white, puffy, sheep that dot the rolling green hills…and cows, big cows. We saw a dinosaur cow the other day, absolutely huge, probably mated with a yak. And the family of colorful pheasants at our free DOC camp site at Matai Bay who I formally named, Father George Henry, Mother Beth, and daughters Sophie and Clara (they begged for food and were quite tame to humans, good eating, but we had no way to make them our meal). And the ducks, sweet ducks, one of which rode into a little wave barrel today as we peered into the storm surf while driving along the west side of the Corammandel Peninsula. Cute duck, didn’t know they could tear up a wave like that. Ryan and I agreed, if we were an animal by birth or in our next life, we would want to live in New Zealand. Although, every time I look at those monstrous, plump cows I think of the “Angus, New Zealand beef burgers” that McDonald’s in New Zealand proudly serves. Pretty good sandwich, Ry gave in and ate one…sigh.
No, but the true New Zealand, ah, yes, the true Aotearoa is a land of great mana, spirituality, serenity, and adventure. At every turn, every town, every new sight a story unveils itself, quite an inspiration really. The landscape speaks of distant pasts of the ancient Polynesian ancestors who voyaged here on waka thousands of years ago. It is a rich, deep, history of a Pacific peoples who believed in the special care of their pa and who held the understandings of the intricate workings of nature and all that is in it closely. If listened to carefully, the winds howl the voices of Ranginui (Wakea), Sky Father as it continues down the lush tropical, heavily ferned valleys of Papa, Earth Mother. The Maori hold and embrace their genealogies; their ‘iwi have held strong through the introduction and forced intrusion of drastic challenges.
The current New Zealand living however seems remarkable. The practice and care of sustainable living is encouraged in the townships and citizens seem to take extra precaution to care for their precious natural resources, like wai (fresh water). Land usage is either agricultural/dairy/meat farms or protected environmental reserves, like the Waipoua (Wai-water, Po-night, Ua-rain) ancient Kauri forests. This is where Tane Mahuta (the largest kauri tree in Aotearoa) majestically stands. I could have remained there all day, staring up at the magnificence and presence of Tane, the guardian of the forest and of all that is living. Absolutely stunning, so tranquil and peaceful place.
Life here is slower, which is not a bad thing. Sometimes life needs to slow down a bit to put into perspective what really is important in life…family, relationships, and yourself. Sometimes life can get too overwhelming, you need that time, to look back and think, “what am I doing?” “Where am I going with this?” Life is good when slow…you begin to care again… Neighbors care for other neighbors, each share a portion of what is harvested or made, kind of like a bartering system still in place and in practice. Family owned butcher shops, dairy shops, veggie and fruit stands line the towns, how wonderful, the idea of communal stewardship to each other and the land. That’s how things begin to work. It’s all about balance. In our opinion, Aotearoa is an excellent example.
Our blog of New Zealand will be a mixture of pictures, actually, many pictures that will contain, hopefully, short descriptions of places that were visited and experienced. We understand that the blog is extremely behind, but internet access here in a 1st world country while driving the entire North Island in a tiny camper van is much more difficult to find (and much more expensive) than in the “3rd world” country like Bali where the internet café was only a mo-ped away from our homestay (and 10x cheaper!). We ask that you be patient, our faithful readers, there is much in store that we would like to share with you…
Aloha-U’I and Ry
No comments:
Post a Comment