A magical day around Mount Cook. Shifting light, iceberg lake, birdsong and rock.
A place to dance and sing for the joy of it all and to feel the immensity of the cosmos.
Category / Spirituality
Beautiful water
Witnessed the baptism of 5 young men in Lake Opuha as the wind whipped across the water.
Walked down to the shore of Lake Tekapo and on to the interdenominational Church of the Good Shepherd. Too many small shepherds and angels around for us to squeeze into the nativity carol service.
Stained glass blue
Met our first stained glass Little Blue Penguin in St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, Dunedin.
Walked into the building to the opening bars of Elgar’s Nimrod on the majestic organ. Brought tears to the eye.
Friendship
Three glasses of crisp, local wine raised in good cheer to celebrate a loving and lasting friendship that has endured through great sadness as well as great happiness.
Thank you Clare and Di for sharing the last three weeks of your Great Adventure with me.
Guest writer – Jen
Doubtful Sound
Words struggle to give expression to the magical experience we had overnighting on the Fiordland Navigator in the wilderness of the Doubtful Sound on the west coast of the South Island.
Kayaking before dusk beneath the towering mountains; waking to the misty greyness of first light on the water; experiencing the total ‘Sound of Silence’ when suddenly the surrounding bird sound could be heard in all its glory; witnessing the pod of bottle-nosed dolphins passing us on their way out to the Tasman Sea.
Sheer gift.
Kyak image – Thanks Rosalea May.
Tranzalpine
Crossed the Southern Alps from Christchurch to Greymouth via Arthur’s Pass.
A phenomenal journey of wild landscape, changing sky and reflection on beauty.
Christchurch
We were saddened by the devastation of the city centre in the earthquake of 2011. Many buildings are still in much the same state as they were post the big quake and the numerous after shocks.
The original Christchurch Cathedral and Christchurch Transitional Cathedral appear to be poignant and iconic reminders of this journey to reclaim the soul of the city.
Discovered a red balloon between two rows of seats and experienced a strange sense of renewed hope as it soared up towards the cardboard roof.
Sea life
Last night we encountered the Little Blue Penguins who came back to their nests to feed their chicks after dark.
This morning we saw two young male Sperm Whales, dozens of Dusky Dolphins, Albatross and Giant Petrel.
We are full.
Sacred Landscape
Walked the labyrinth at Trelinnoe Park, a beautiful garden on the old coach road between Taupo and the port of Napier.
A time of peace.
Maori Meanings
We took a boat out onto Lake Taupo and got close to the glorious Maori Rock Carvings at Mine Bay. They are over 10 metres high and accessible only by water – in our case very choppy water.
The face on the largest carving above depicts Ngatoroirangi a visionary High Priest and navigator of the Te Arawa canoe, which sailed to New Zealand from Hawaiki during the great migration in the 13th Century.
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