Those who Wander may not be Lost

Mon 20 May

Welcome to tonight's exclusive episode of NZ Girls.  You are the camera crew, piling into the back of Tin-Tin, exchanging nervous glances as KJ cranks the stiff steering wheel around the winding cliff side hair-pin turns, shifting from 4th to 3rd to 2nd as the grade takes you higher, overlooking the layers of rolling green hills terraced by hundreds of years of cattle grazing on the steep slopes.
With A's place lost in the rear view long ago, all energy blockers disintegrate.  The Beatles "Two of Us" plays in the background with the girls singing along gaily.  NZ Girls's theme song.  Pay attention to the lyrics; it's perfect.

Things get steamy when Tin-Tin chugs up to Ngawha Springs.  Bathing suits are required for soaking in the geothermal mineral pools… too bad.

The girls prance from tub to tub, testing for the perfect temperature like Goldilocks testing porridge.  This one is juuust right, a 39 (c) degree murky brown bath that appears as if Pig Pen was its latest occupant.
With mind and body cleansed by the hot soup, we continue on to Kawakawa to grace the world famous Hundertwasser toilets with our deserving derrieres.

An hour or so later the girls and the crew arrive in the Bay of Islands town of Paihia.  They have their hearts set on a 10k tramp just by Waitangi, the most historically significant sight in NZ.  The Waitangi Treaty Grounds became a place of extreme interest after 43 Maori chiefs signed a treaty with the British crown in 1840.  The museum on sight houses many culturally significant artifacts including a copy of the highly controversial document.  The girls decline the pricey admission fee and follow their feet into the bush in search of Haruru Falls, despite the sun's low position in the sky. 


Torches and rain gear packed, they brave the narrow, muddy path through thick ferns and prevailing pines, past bridges over calm waters, and even through a boardwalk meandering through a mangrove grove until they reach the falls just as the sun bids its evening adieu.  The falls are a semi circle of an all encompassing continuous din of rushing water.  They're beautiful, but the true purpose of the tramp awaits.  After all, this…  is… Kiwi habitat!  

The cameras switch to night vision and a hush falls over the crew and their subjects.  The girls don their torches and giggle expectantly.  Everyone's figures are dark green save the lights from the torches and the glow from eyes.  The trek takes twice as long on the return because the girls begin to sporadically jump off trail to follow a noise, or stand stick straight and hold up a librarian's finger, shining their light into the unknown.  Battery powered light is unnecessary on the mangrove boardwalk.  The nearly full moon illuminates the way in a milky pallor.  In the end, it's not the destination but the journey that makes the trip.  There are no predators to be afraid of!

The elusive Kiwi evades the search, but a cuddly Morepork Owl is spotted in a branch only a meter above the bobbing headlamps.  And what's more, the girls discover The Jewels of the Forest.  Spider's eyes!   At first glance they reflect light much like rain droplets, but if further examined they illuminate like facetted sapphires, shining back brilliant blue gemstones by the thousands.  Literally, thousands.  Even though they're harmless to humans, you'll regard a tromp off trail as a visit to Spiderville from now on.  Amazing what you can discover if you take the time to look.

A reunion with Tin-Tin, a ferry ride to Russell, and the girls spend their first night sleeping on the queen sized mattress located in the boot of an old tin can in the parking lot of a motel.  Another day, another adventure.  Every day is a little wilder when you're in NZ.

Tues 21 May

Watching the sun rise is an interesting experience.  It's light enough to read a book, but I can't see where it's coming from.  Then it drops a hint.  A tiny crack of gold peeking over the distant islands.  One looks remarkably like a

boobie, Double D.  The wispy clouds are streaked with purple and pink tints.  The moment of suspense builds, and then there it is!  That white hot liquid gold burning its way onto the horizon, so bright you have to focus on its reflection in the water to really see it.  Immediately I feel it on my skin and its warmth is so inviting I shed down to a sun dress while we prepare tea and breakfast.  Long Beach sunrise is not a bad way to start our first morning of nomadic living.

Discovering Donkey Beach, an unofficial nudist beach, is not a bad way to erase some tans lines either.

The day of adventurous leisure peaks with a 3 hour catamaran cruise among the Bay of Island's 144 volcanic isles to the iconic 'Hole in the Rock' off the coast of Cape Brett.  With the low autumn sun sinking past the dramatic contours of the horizon, we watch a pod of bottle nose dolphins leap and splash by our boat.  Jamie's squeals of delight are adorable and I too utter cries of thrill each time the playful marine mammals burst from the sea below.

 Our day concludes as it began.  Beachside.  This time on Otamure Beach near Whananaki, a few hours south east of BOI.  We sit in our camp chairs dining on canned tuna and road side bell peppers, necks craned to behold the brilliant stars above.  It's nearly a full moon.  Orion looks over us, his gaze inverted in the southern hemisphere.  Our entertainment tonight: a lightning storm in the distance accompanied by the sound of waves crashing on the beach.  Where am I?  Is this real?

Wed 22 May

After a warm breakfast and a beach walk we head to Whangarei to meet our next WWOOFing hosts, a German couple.

As the days pass we get to know U & W better and better.  We open up to them and in return they enlighten us with their opinionated world views about raising, killing and eating meat, past lives, cranial osteopathy, botany, organic gardening, GE (Genetically Engineered [organisms]), the NZ health care system, German heritage, sailing, energy healing, and many more diverse topics.  They are quirky Germans that never had kids of their own because they were too busy spending their 20's sailing around the world.  You name it, they've sailed there.  Stranded with no wind for months off the coast of Venezuela, fishing in the mediterranean.  

They're well read, don't believe in fad anythings (diets, trends, gossip, rumors, beliefs, etc.), which means they form their opinions based on their own educations (U has at least one degree in botany) and extensive roll-up-your-sleeves-and-dig-in research.  They know a lot about many subjects and know at least a little about most subjects you could evoke.

In fact, U reminds me, in looks and in mannerisms, of Steve Mertz.  He's sharp and witty with a dry sense of self-deprecating humor, has kind eyes and a big heart.  He knows more random facts and information than the average bear, and can float away on a tangent for dozens of minutes.  Regardless, he's entertaining and you end up listening to the whole spiel anyway.  You just have to listen a little more carefully because of the thick German accent.  If you know Mr. Mertz you can pretty much conjure an image of U's forest of facial hair.  A head full of wavy white locks cascading into a wiry full beard and mustache.  You could cover a home-made badger with his beard clippings.

Now that I think about it, W looks a little like Kara Mertz.  Now I'm thinking too much about it.  Anyway, they're a well-suited couple with a lot of respect and love for each other and it creates a welcoming, cozy energy throughout their home and 180 acres of land.

I assume the positive vibes carry that far, but I can't explore the full acreage because most of the land they leave as native wild bush, untouched by tractor or hoe.  They land they do cultivate are grazing paddocks for their kune kune pigs, goats, chooks and cows.  They have multiple green houses, storage sheds, veggie garden beds, trellises for passion fruit and chocos (green pumpkin-like fruit in the gourd family), loads of fruit trees, and a few other developed plots, including the one we're currently helping U clear for more fruit tree planting.  "A massacre of trees to plant more trees."  Is what he calls it.

Sat 25 May

A day off.  We've only worked 2.5 days, but apparently we've earned it.  My body agrees after the hours of timber hauling.  So we catch a ride into town (Whangarei) with U & W at 7am.  Backpacks full of rain gear, maps, and PBJs, we embark on a 13k practice tramp beginning at Whangarei Falls (the Kim Kardashian of waterfalls) and terminating at the town basin where U & W retrieve us.  After taking in the cascades pouring over basalt cliffs, we meander through native bush following the Hatea River and Wai Koromiko Stream.  A canopy walkway  gives us a bird's eye view of the forest floor and safely delivers us to the doorstep of several ancient Kauri relics.  The bark is dimpled and hard as cement, but the roots are shallow and fragile, making any foot traffic highly detrimental to the venerable old saps.  Without the raised walkway you cannot approach any Kauris due to rampant Kauri die-back disease spread by contaminated soil on visiting soles.

In 2km we climb from sea level to 241m (nearly 800ft) in elevation.  Should have been a breeze coming from a city whose average altitude is at least a mile above the sea.  Feeling my heart pumping in my hammer-smashed thumb, we ascend the eroded volcanic cone to Parihaka Reserve where the remnants of Maori settlement remain.  Apparently there are household terraces, kumara (sweet potato) pits and a few sacred Pa sites along the ridge, but to the ignorant eye I never knew what I was looking at.  

The summit provides an orienting view of the city and harbour and is the site of Whangarei's War Memorial.  We take a seat and I pull the hood of my purple rain jack over my head as the drizzle begins and we finish the last of our PJB stock. 

The path back down is quick and follows a creek descending from a natural spring pouring from a subterranean source.  The water is ice cold and clear as glass.  I cup my hands like Oliver and sip, drinking in a bit of NZ that becomes a part of me.



Back at home (U & W's) we sip tea by the fire as the rain pours and the wind blows and plan our first big tramp to take place next week.  I am stuffed to the gills with warm fuzzies.  Content, relaxed, at peace, warm and cozy.  Living in the moment, I've forgotten what day it is in Colorado.

Sun 26 May - Tues 28 May

We've probably spent more time eating here than working.  W is a great chef, concocting rich meals from mushroom & pork gravy on mashed potatoes to chicken & veggie soup over home-made noodles.  Always accompanied by a fresh green salad from the garden.  Apple, current & nut strudel to die for.  I've eaten every meal here like it's my last.  It's poured rain off and on, even hailing a time or two. 

U, in his nearly constant zen-like state, instructs us not to work too hard, so we take a tea break every hour or so, per his gentle persistence.  As long as they're happy to feed us and satisfied with whatever tasks we can perform, then I can't complain.  Their way of life is simple, not at all in a low intelligence way, but in an uncomplicated, worry-free, yet still productive fashion.  Why stress?  Take in one endeavor at a time, and get it done at your own pace.  Don't force it and don't focus on the whole lot.

I've learned a lot here, mostly just by listening.  I have trouble expressing myself when I feel a bit over my head intellectually.  

Our next adventure awaits.  On Wednesday we leave U & W and head for a 3-4 day backpacking tramp on Cape Reinga.

Projects at U & W's:

Cutting and hauling fallen timber (Totara & Titree) to fire basin and burning for charcoal.  Shoveling charcoal into bags and loading unto tractor.  Harvesting & deseeding choco (pumpkin/squash like veggie).  Repairing & refurbishing inclosure for ducks.  Weeding garden beds.  Fruit tree harvesting.  Fish tank filter cleaning.  General organization of fish's glass house.

Pictures:

Ngawha Springs

                                                              Hundertwasser toilets

Haruru Falls

Long Beach sunrise

Breakfast on Long Beach

Dolphin Cruise

Hole in the Rock

Sunrise on Beach 2

U & W's Belted Gallaway

Kunekune Pigs!

Perfectly Lonely

Mon 5/13

The third full sun day in a row, and hottest by far.  Loving the lack of rain.  Ate lunch sprawled out on the porch in the hot rays.  Waiting for Isla and Polly to deliver our little Tin-Tin so we can begin our adventure.  They arrive, we pay up and give them a tour of KP, then we head back into Auckland to take them home.  After dropping them off I jump into the drivers seat, nervous but amped for my first drive.  Think left.  I pull out, stop and the first intersection, signal right.  And of course right away a speeding fire truck comes zooming up behind me, honking its horn condemningly.  I am clearly in the way, but I can't pull into oncoming traffic, so it pulls around me and speeds off to the left.  I think the coast is clear so I ease forward just as another fire truck, sirens blaring, comes out of no where from my right just as I'm pulling out.  I freeze just in time for it to streak past me, then I gun it into the far lane, narrowly missing a stream of cars headed for our right side.  If I can make it through that without out crashing or wetting myself, I think I'll be alright.

Cleansing Tin-Tin after the run in with fire trucks

Tues 5/14

Last day of work.  It flies by.  Jamie and I pull books from shelves in the WWOOFers lounge in preparation for a remodel.  A Spice Girls CD provides a brief rock out session to "Wannabe."  We gather a pile of books that appeal to us, flipping through in search of interesting quotes and facts. 

A male praying mantis cannot ejaculate while his brain is still functioning.  Which is why the female devours his head while they are mating.  It is only when she is snacking on his protein rich cerebral matter that he can release his sperm and impregnate his coital cannibal.  Learn something new everyday, eh? 

We prepare for tomorrow's launch then meet everyone at the local pub for a final hurrah!  Nothing says safe travels like fried sea food and beer.  Gathered around the table, I realize this is only the second time I've been to this pub; when I first arrived and again on the eve of our departure.  In only two weeks my relationship with these people has transformed from politely cordial to full on family matters.  There's something about traveling that lifts the veil of how we "should" be, and allows us to just BE.  Just be you, and you will be loved for it.  We're all in the same boat; bearing our souls, shining that light, there's no time for the bullshit.  Reuniting for Christmas with these crazy people would be a dream come true.  We finish the night cuddled together on the couch, lazily watching Back to the Future.  Blissfuly nostalgic.  Feels like home.

Wed 5/15

We're flying.  Tearful goodbyes over, we speed northward in our little tin can, prayer flags flapping in the breeze.  We reach Dargaville by noon, where we hang a left in search of the sacred Waipoua Forest, home of the largest living and most hallowed Kauri tree in NZ, the Lord of the Forest, Tane Mahuta. 

First we catch sight of the distant blue and are drawn in.
We bump down a gravel road over a few rolling hills until we reach it, the Tasman sea.  Just its name, to me, sounds wild in nature. 




Dark, porous volcanic rock spills from the cliff side, held in place only by whatever plants manage to sink their roots there.  We drink it in, the rip curl folding then crashing, the salty smells carried in on the wind, the calls of the seagulls.  Every now and then it sinks in; we're in New freakin' Zealand.  This is one of those moments.

Tin-Tin ambles along the winding road until we reach the Waipoua.  A thick canopy of pines and ferns, relics of pre-European native NZ, turn the vast expanse of blue into an azure sliver. 

We're standing at the base of Tane Mahuta, a 2,000+ year old Goliath whose branches stretch over 50m into the sky and whose trunk would require 8 adult tree-huggers, hand in hand, to get the job done. 

To be in the presence of a living being so primeval makes everything else seem utterly insignificant.  All the wars we've waged, the discoveries, inventions, revelations, religions, empires, and here it has remained, Lord of the Forest, patient and wise, observant and stoic, leaves collecting 2,000 years worth of sun, roots nourished by two thousand years worth of soil, providing refuge, solace and inspiration.

We load Tin-Tin onto the ferry at Rawene and make it to A's before dark.  He greets us with the hug of a grandfather you don't see all that often, and one you're not particularly close with.  He's a soft-spoken, white haired, wiry older man, probably in his late 60's.  We get a quick tour of the grounds just as the sun is setting.  A's little slice of paradise.

Thurs 5/16

I'll paraphrase:

"It crushes your soul, working, slaving away for someone else.  I spent many years sitting all day in an office and poking my head outside to say, 'Hey, it was a nice day.'  So now I do things here when I want to."  We begin work after lunch, around 1pm.  It's not really 'work' though, because A says, "I prefer to call it 'doing things.'  If it starts to feel like 'work' we'll find something else for you to do."  So we grab some gloves, ear muffs, an axe, a rake, and a shovel and spend the cooler part of the day chain sawing and hacking timber into pieces small enough to fit into the mulcher, or saving the the heartier pieces for firewood.  We're a couple of axe wielding lumber-jaynes.

From what I've pieced together, A spent the better part of his adulthood at a 9-5 engineering job in Auckland.  Like so many rat-racers, the competitive, fast-paced lifestyle didn't suit him, but unlike so many, he left.  So about 15 years ago he found 100 acres just 3 km past the sleepy little bay town of Kohukohu, and started again.  Fruit trees cover the property, ranging from most imaginable citruses (orange, lime, lemon, grapefruit, tangelo), to guava, feijoa, apple, apricot, peach, banana, even macadamia nut!  And what does dear A do with all this fruit?  He makes some jams, jellies, marmalades, but turns most of it into liqueurs and fruit wines.  Kiwi wine, apricot liqueur.  We'll see if we get to get our feet dirty and squash some fruit up!

We begin our day with a hot bowl of A's home-made muesli and a cup of tea.  The sunlight filters in a rich yellow through the mist and the fruit trees.  Not sure what to expect for our first day, our curiosity is piqued when A announces that every day after breakfast he must take his massive white guard dog, named Mister Dog, on a walk around the property because he won't relax until he's scouted out his territory.  So we set out on a narrow path in the bush that winds through the native pine trees. 


Totara, Kahikatea, Rimu, Miro, Titree, and even a couple of ancient sacred Kauri left by the settlers.  We top out on a bluff that overlooks Hokianga Harbor, a long stretch of sea water that mixes with fresh river water from upstream.  We climb a steep 4x4 drive to Wally's house, a friend of A's who purchased a bit of property from him and built a gorgeous little house with breath-taking 360 views of the land.  All electricity runs on a wind turbine and solar panels, and there only place to relieve yourself is in a composting toilet underneath the house.  We have some tea, admire the views, discuss the natural history of NZ, and snack on some tree tomatoes growing in the yard. 

As we wander on, A introduces us to the native flora and a bit of local ecology, all the while Mister Dog braves on, sturdily blazing our trail.

It's already noon, so we break for lunch and enjoy our sandwiches in the sun on the porch.  I sit there soaking in the autumn rays, supposedly the last sunny day before the rain starts up again.  Until now, everything has reminded me of something.  KP's trees and rain from My Neighbor Toroto.  Driving north through the countryside and it's autumn in the hills of Tennessee.  But this, here, the trees, the bird songs, the vistas, the autonomy, is perfectly singular.

It's a quarter past one when we don our gear and begin 'doing things.'  Which is where the aforementioned axe babes scene commences.

Jamie and I make dinner, a random bake of whatever veggies we can scourge from A's fridge and some from the garden.  Right now he's only got mustard greens, beet greens and some red lettuce growing.  A watches his favorite television program, The Big Bang Theory, while Jamie and I read.  The only time he seems talkative at all is when he's explaining the plot of the show.  He smiles to himself as he watches it.

Sat 5/18

Our first day that feels like we're really earning our keep.  After yesterday's kiwi fruit loading and caravan washing, I felt our purpose here had been forgotten.
Instead of dinking around all morning and waiting 'til afternoon to begin, Jamie and I take the reigns just after the morning walk ritual.  This time we walk with purpose; to get our heart rates up.  Call us Westerners, busy bodies, what have you, if we stop moving now we may never start again.  Maybe A's lackadaisical work ethics aren't quite up our alley. The sun comes and goes between showers, but it is warm and strong. 

We weed grass from a 10x10 fenced bed, add compost and bone meal for fertilizer, then mix it all back in again and water it down.  A stood there, showed us what to do and how to do it, then stood back commenting that we needed to do it differently, that we didn't have enough power or that we were cheating if we missed a spot.  We both felt pretty uncomfortable and un-nurtured. 

Finally we finished close enough to his standards to earn a trip into the tiny town of Kohukohu, population 190, to see the art gallery.


We wandered around for an hour or so, grabbing a scoop of the local favorite flavor of ice-cream, Hokey Pokey.  Saw some spoon-billed birds and took a few pictures.  Kind of felt like we were treading through a sludge of energy draining goo.  As lovely as the sights were, we both felt ready to move on.

Sun 5/19

Yesterday in town we saw a poster advertising a drop-in yoga class at Waiora Gardens, just a few km up a steep and winding dirt road from A's place.  My body isn't just telling me to go, it's screaming.  We skip the dense muesli and swap it for chia seeds in water with fresh kiwi fruit.  I'm feeling lighter already, a happy change from last night's food baby of pasta Alfredo.

The moment we pull down the drive out of A's place my fuzzy head begins to clear.  We're laughing and singing again as we arrive in the gardens.  The early morning light casts a golden, misty glaze on the fields spread out like patchwork quilts below us.  A friendly puppy and its lovely owner greet us warmly as we approach.

Energy.  It hits me like a bolt of lightning.  The energy of a place, of its people, is so real.  If I hadn't realized it before, or hadn't had it so clearly articulated, I'm a firm believer now.  My eyes well up with tears as the positive vibes rush in.  I can smile, I can laugh, I can breathe and move and feel!  The energy at A's is stagnant, static.  Not terrible or unsafe, just immobile.  There are piles of junk everywhere, inside the house and out.  Cobwebs matted against nearly every window, in every corner.  It's not totally filthy, not putrid, but there is no flow, no circulation.

Don't get me wrong, the views are more than lovely, there are hundreds of birds singing happily, and A isn't a bad guy.  So there's something about the energy of the place.

That's clear now that we're here.  It's a community, like KP but much smaller.  The buildings are modest but creative and colorful.  Every porch, every walkway is lined with gorgeous flowers and succulents.  There are gardens, a swimming pond, an open, large vaulted ceiling in the kitchen/living room, and a spacious room for yoga with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the bush.  It's a little slice of paradise and the energy is Re: rejuvenating, revitalizing, reviving, regenerating, reawakening, reanimating, etc.

THE BEST YOGA I'VE EVER PRACTICED.  We sit in a circle and introduce ourselves, 10 women, 10 unique, open-hearted women, then pick Unicorn cards.  Jamie's says "Be yourself" and mind says "Breathe out the Stress."  Perfect.  My body is thrilled as I breathe in new life, forcing the inert air out and away.  My mind is clear, my muscles loosen.  Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

We're leaving tomorrow to camp in Russel and then head down the east coast to Whangerai where we'll meet our next WWOOF hosts on Wednesday.  Stay tuned!

Projects Completed at A's:

Wed: Arrival.  Dinner: roasted veggies.

Thurs: Chainsawing & Axing Totara wood into smaller pieces.  Running termite wood through mulcher.  Hacking solid wood into firewood.  Hauling and unloading mulch into piles.  Hauling and unloading firewood into separate piles.  Dinner: roasted kumara and other veggies.

Fri: Trip into town to collect boot full of reject kiwi fruit from harvesting plant.  Grocery shopping.  Scrub and wash outside of 2 caravans.  Dinner: Green curry w/ rice and veggies.

Sat: Weeding 10x10 garden bed.  Pitch-forking and raking soil.  Raking in compost and bone meal, then smoothing over and watering.  Dinner: Pasta Alfredo w/ veggies and salad.

Sun: Transplanting pak choy seedlings from compost pile to refurbished garden bed.  Clipping and weeding around apricot trees.  Mulching below all apricot trees.  Dinner: Pea stew.

Pictures:

View on the way to Rawene

                                                      Waiting for Rawene ferry to Kohukohu

                                                    Jamie and Mister Dog on Wally's porch

View from Wally's

                                                      Wally and his Tree Tomatoes

                                                          A cracking Macademia nuts

                                                              Jamie cracking nuts

Fantail watching us

                                                  Spider web with morning dew

View from A's

Kingfishers

What's left of the Kohukohu bank vault after a devastating fire

Local wildlife

Kohukohu

Kohukohu