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Published: February 3rd 2008
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Hi from the Maitreya Meditation Center....
So, its been a couple weeks since I last wrote and its been kind of a wild ride since then. I will only mark the highlights really to keep the length down a little.
When I last wrote, I was in Nelson for a little RnR after the Abel Tasman. The next day I moved on to Kaikora, a small town along the north east coast of the south island. Kaikora is located along a Peninsula and was a once famous whaling town so there was lots of history and a strong fishing culture. It rained here and I was glad my tent held up since it was the first inclement weather we faced together (I actually got soaked trying to move the tent under more tree cover when I should have just climbed in and trusted the "waterproofing").
The next day, I was heading out for a hike when I met the loveliest woman named Pam. We got to talking and she invited me to a satsung (dharma/spiritual talk) where she was going that day, along with two other young people (James from the UK, and Corina from Austria, both my age).
chimney by the sea
the only thing left from the original customs house in Kaikora There wasn't really room for all of us and our heaps of luggage, so Corina and I sat in various yoga poses in the backseat crammed in between all this luggage. It was great fun, despite the fact that the car's tire rubbed the wheel well every time we went around a corner and bottomed out a couple quick times going up hill. ha ha, but Pam was such a sport and was more interested in getting us all there than the integrity of her car. We eventually made it through Christchurch and on to Ohunitahi where we were going to be staying. Ohunitahi is basically a small spiritual community/farm that is run by several families and a spiritual teacher all living together. Its basically a commune, although that may mean different things to different people. This group also owns a cafe where they have the most amazing food and MOST INCREDIBLE Chocolate. It was "divine" as Pam likes to say, truley out of this world.
I spent a couple days here, listening to spiritual talks given by the teacher and working on the farm for free accommidation (tent site). It was fun, but the place was a little
The gang
Clockwise: Me, Pam, Corina, and James at a coffee shop before parting ways : ( crowded and I decided after a couple days that it was time to head back up into the hills (enough talking about the ego and enlightenment, I just wanted some fun!). It had also been awhile since I had been hiking and I was eager to get into some backcountry. James said he was interested in coming so the two of us just packed up and headed up into the hills where there was a rumored trail. We found it and had a lovely couple days of hiking through sheep and cow pastures and looking over the most amazing scenery. It was another peninsula with bays and inlets woven in between dozens of mountains and these cows and sheep lived along all sides. It was so interesting to hike amongst all the crap left by these animals and see their reactions as we approached or as they felt threatened with their young. Beautiful scenery and a couple of fun conversations between James and I. He was so rugged, he hiked the entire two days without any shoes! At the end of the second day, we ran out of trail and had to walk along a country road. We wanted to
camp one more night so we hopped a barb-wire fence along the road and camped in chest high brush on the edge of someone's pasture. It was hillarious to me because it was so random and totally different. The next day we grabbed a ride into this small french settled town at the end of the Peninsula for some coffee and a look around. What a fun trip! It will be my last hiking trip for awhile and it was a perfect one to end on.
After that, James and I met back up with Pam and Corina at Ohunitahi and Pam brought us all down to her place two hours south in Timaru. She lives on a beautiful farm overlooking a low valley (can you tell its farm country down here). It was so relaxing and we had the best time....admitedly doing lots of girly things (poor James, I know he was really bored and a little uncomfortable at times, but he hung in there like a trooper).
After a couple days, Corina and I rented a car and sprung off on our own. We borrowed a little Daihatsu that looks like a stunted mini wagon but
SHE Cafe, garden
The garden of the Cafe owned by Ohunitahi'e members gets good gas mileage. We spent a couple days being wild and traveling around the north part of the south island. We stopped to swim in rivers, had a dozen coffees in little cafes along the highway, got lost a few times and were continously laughing and goofing around. It was the most fun I have had in ages, honestly. We spent a couple nights sleeping in the car in car parks along the roadside. In New Zealand, half the tourism industry is built around this exact sort of thing. Thousands of people rent mini-vans which are set up for camping and drive around the country doing exactly what we were doing.....so rest assured its pretty safe and we always made sure there were other people around. One morning we found these secret hot springs that a friend told us about and I took a luxurious soak in this hot pool right alongside a river, surrounded by forrest. It was beautiful, secluded and rainy and cold so it felt so amazing. What a beautiful time we have had. This morning, we found the most beautiful river and went swimming in it, but it was cold so I did a lot
Hiking with the cows
Backdrop of Govenor's Bay of screaming before I got all the way in (I told you I wasn't hard core right?)
Finally, this afternoon, we made our way to this meditation/retreat center. This is the place where Pam, James and Corina met before they invited me into their group. It is beautiful here and much more quiet and relaxed than Ohunitahi. I am spending a day or so more before I have to start making my way up to Aukland and catch my flight to India.
I will sent pictures when I can figure out the machine here. Sending lots of love and warmth, always.................sarah
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Sarah
non-member comment
New Zealand
Your photos are abosolutely beautiful! Glad N.Z. ended well for you.