Sunday, April 27, 2008

Ceid Mile Failte!

April 27, 2008 8:30 pm, Waipu, New Zealand (North Island)
Waihoihoi Lodge

"Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don't, you will leak away your inner contentment. It's easy enough to pray when you're in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments." -Elizabeth Gilbert "Eat, Pray, Love"

Yesterday I arrived at Waihoihoi Lodge, a gorgeous women's retreat center in Waipu, about 2 hours north of Auckland. It is a beautiful building, with vaulted ceilings, ocean views, and a huge organic garden outside. Most importantly . . . . I have my own room and bathroom!! I am WWOOFing here . . . which means I am working in exchange for room and board. For about 4 hours work a day I am fed delicious meals and I get my own room. So far work has included cleaning, cooking, and gardening. It feels rather like a weekend at home. I have plenty of free time, I get to sleep in (breakfast isn't until 8:30), and there are two dogs to play with. Free internet, cable TV, tea time all day . . . today we visited the beach, went for an amazing bush walk along the coast, and then we came back to the lodge and I baked cookies. I also helped Cerridwen make Spinach and Feta scones which turned out fabulously.

Needless to say, I am happily enjoying myself. It is such a blessing to be in one place, able to relax into my settings and feel at peace. I am really enjoying the work, both digging in the dirt, and the normal routine of cooking and cleaning. It does make me miss my parents house and their garden! I'm looking forward to enjoying it this summer. Mom and Dad- make sure to plant some Lemon Verbena so I can make that cream&fruit dish!

Oh! And this morning I went to mass with Danielle in a nearby town. Some of the prayers were said in Maori, which was very interesting. I was so happy to be at mass, and the priest (who had met me before mass), made sure to welcome anyone from abroad, "especially visitors from Massachusetts." The three women here are a mix of Catholic and Anglican. Today a guest arrived, a young Anglican woman priest who works in Wellington. The whole retreat has a lovely spiritual feel to it, and the mealtime conversations can be intense.

Funny note: Upon entering Waipu, you are greeted with a sign, "Waipu, Cead Mile Failte!" What is the Gaelic for "A Hundred Thousand Welcomes" doing in this small New Zealand town? It turns out that this was originally a Scottish settlement, and there is a strong Celtic heritage here. While playing with the dogs at the beach today, we actually saw a bagpipe practice!

I will check in again (trying to keep in touch more, obviously!!! Love you Mom!!!!!) soon!

Lots of Love
Anna

Thursday, April 24, 2008

In Which We Learn that Anna is in fact Still Alive . . .

April 24, 7:30 pm
Greetings from Wellington!


"Load the ship and set out. No one knows for certain whether the vessel will sink or reach the harbor. Cautious people say, "I'll do nothing until I can be sure". Merchants know better. If you do nothing, you lose. Don't be one of those merchants who wont risk the ocean!" – Rumi

Having spent maybe two hours total (or less) on the internet during my entire visit to the South Island, it is only now . . . upon my return to the North Island that I have a moment to blog. The South Island was crazy. Yoga crazy, party crazy, mountains crazy. I'm exhuasted, but happy!

The ferry from Wellington to Picton afforded us fantastic views, and the drive to Marahau (Abel Tasman) was also lovely. We stopped for a wine/shnapps tasting which was delicious, and stayed at Old MacDonald's farm right on the edge of Abel Tasman National Park. It was rustic, and away from the tiny town. Quiet, dark and lovely. We stayed there two nights and then Josephine (Sweden), David (from Vancouver) and I headed up to Takaka for the Yoga retreat.

The retreat at Anahata was amazing. It was quite like an Ashram actually, with bells waking us at 5:30 and chiming the times for food, meditation, etc. The two resident swamis dressed in orange robes, we held silence from 6pm to 8:30am every night. We were "fasting" so breakfast was nuts and fruits, lunch was veggies and maybe a grain, dinner was soup. It was wild.

The retreat was one of the most intense things I've ever done really, but in a really positive way. The first couple days I was really glad I was only staying for 6 days, but by the end I could see some of the attraction of staying longer. My favorite part of the whole experience was the silence. It was amazing!!! I LOVED it! You were basically forced to be by yourself and inward for all that time . . . something I had never experienced in that way. I was surprised at how enjoyable it was, and I firmly intend to pencil in time into my planner when I get home for silence. I slept incredibly well there, usually falling asleep at 9pm. The location was stunning with mountains and ocean views, and lots of cute sheep :)

We chanted "om" all day long and did a lot of work on Chakra clearing and opening.

The chanting was incredible . . .every morning we had yoga (asanas and pranayama) at 6am for an hour followed by chanting. We chanted the 32 names of Durga 9 times every morning, followed by 15 verses from some huge ancient chant. We had two amazing fire ceremonies that were mind blowing.

The night after the retreat Josephine and I headed down the nearby town to catch an early morning bus. We stayed in a lovely hostel and made garlic bread which we had been craving. Then we tried to go to sleep. And I couldn't sleep. At 2 am when the air raid alarm went off (calling the local fire crew), I gave up and got up and showered. Finally at 4:30 I managed to sleep for an hour before I had to get up to catch the bus. It was so strange. It almost felt as if I had been on super duper relaxing drugs for the previous 6 days, and I was in withdrawl with my nervous system all ramped up.

The next day we hopped back on the Stray bus, heading down the west coast. Our first night was in Barrytown, where we stayed at an old Miner's pub. Happy hour didn't start until everyone put on wacky outfits . . . it was one big silly party! The next day we headed down through amazing scenery to Franz Josef. I took it easy the next day and took a small walk to see the glacier, but I didn't walk on it. After the amazing glacier walk I had in Argentina, I decided to save my money and not walk on this one. Franz Josef was a lovely small town with a good bar at the hostel.

The next night we saw all sorts of beautiful natural phenomena, like the Pancake rocks, as we drove through to a small lodge in the middle of no where. Angelo, the Italian, taught Josephine and I how to make risotto, just like Mama made it. It was delicious. Then there was karaoke night (I actually sang, folks, beleive it or not), and both Josephine and Angelo were in the top three. It was a another fun time.

Queenstown was amazing, great nights out, incredible burgers (the Fergburger), and an outstanding day trip out to Milford sound. The scenery was dramatic, breathtaking, and everything that I wanted when I came to New Zealand. There were dozens of dolphins swimming along with the boat, jumping, playing, and having fun. It was fantastic, and I got that natural-world-high that I'm always looking for. It was sad to leave Queenstown for the long ride to Christchurch. The views on the way to Christchurch were amazing, however, with stunning views of Mount Cook, and gorgeous green-blue lakes.

I rested in Christchurch, ate Chinese, and went to bed early!! The last two nights I spent in Kaikora, which is a gorgeous small seaside resort, filled with dolphins, seals, and cute cafes. Today I am in Wellington, and tomorrow I have a 12 hours bus ride up to Auckland!! Then I head up to Waipu for wwoofing at a women's retreat center. I am very much looking forward to the down time!

Sorry that the descriptions of New Zealand have been so brief- everything here is so busy and crazy that there isn't a whole lot of time for interneting!! I'm missing everyone and sending my love! I'm looking forward to seeing my parents in Europe, and I can't wait to see Florence and Krakow!

Lots of Love!
Anna

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Kiwi-Land, Northern Style

Motueka, South Island Wednesday 4-09-08, 3:00pm

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” - Bill Bryson


Hello all, after a long absence! Things have been busy busy, go go go here in New Zealand, but I think its time to play some quick catch-up!

Auckland was a big city, which is never my favorite, but some good times were had. Cooking with new friends, a bit of shopping, some sight-seeing. The Museum was amazing, and walking across the bridge was incredible. Auckland is full of lovely little volcanic hills, and I got to climb a few for some gorgeous views of the city (pictures eventually). I stayed at Base Auckland, which was hopping with backpackers, and I found myself constantly heading out with someone, or chatting over drinks in the evening. There was a hot tub which I rented out for myself and spent a lovely hour in looking out over the city.

After some debate about how to get around NZ, I finally decided to join a backpackers bus. There are three main ones, Kiwi Experience, Magic and Stray. Kiwi is known for its young, rowdy, partying crowd, so I skipped that one. Stray had a special discount going, and it is the only one that actually has stops inside of the National Parks, so most of the lodges are actually in the bush/on the ocean, as opposed to in a city. Stray has been spectacular, and I'm very glad I joined on.

The way these buses work is that you can hop off at any point in time and then hop back on, as long as you complete your circuit within a year. No problem for me, since I'm flying to Sydney on May 6th!

Okay, quick recap of what you've missed:
On Monday March 31st we headed out of Auckland to the Coromandel Peninsula. We visited gorgeous Cathedral Cove and swam at Hot Water beach (the water was steaming!!!), but because of some tidal weirdness we couldn't dig the tubs and soak (does it still count, Michelle? I have pictures!). We had a lovely BBQ at our beach side lodge in Hahai and got to know each other.

Tuesday we drove to Raglan, which is a surfing town. On the way we hugged some giant Mauri trees that were at least 600 years old, and had a fun photo shoot. In Raglan Helen and I, who had met back at Base Auckland, hitched for the first time in our lives, to get down to the surf beach and watch our fellow travelers try it out. That night we had fish and chips, I lost in a poker tournament and we did a really really long fast zip-line (they call them "flying foxes" here) in the pitch black . . . I was shaking for at least 20 minutes, but it was great. They love their adrenaline rushes here! Amazing stars that night in Raglan.

Wednesday I had a sore throat so opted out of the wet and wild caving expeditions in Waitoma, and instead had some of the most delicious garlic bread of my life with Josephine, a lovely Swedish girl on the bus. We stayed close to Rotorua in the house of a Maori tribal leader. We had a traditional Kiwi roast, learned some traditional Maori dances, and the girls learned some Poi. It was very friendly, enjoyable, and didn't feel exploitative at all (I had been worried!).

Thursday I hopped of in Rotorua for a night (as did a number of people on the bus including Rachel, Helen and Josephine). I went of to Hell's Gates and saw incredible thermal activity including mud volcanoes, steaming sulphur lakes and pools so hot the water cooks a full size pig in 30 minutes. I had a lovely mud bath, followed by a dip in the sulphur pools--- absolutely amazing!! It was great to have some quite time to myself to relax!

That evening the girls and I ate massive amounts of nachos at the bar attached to Base Hot Rocks hostel, and then went to the movies to watch "The Eye." It was scary and freaked us out, which was fun.

The next day Josephine and I walked up to our new Stray bus and were greeted by blasting Japanese reggae music and a full-on dance party spilling out of the bus. We all danced in the aisles, introduced ourselves, and took at least thirty minutes to settle down. Great group.

We landed in Taupo, where there is a gorgeous volcanic lake, skydiving, bungee jumping and hot springs. A group of us headed up to the natural hot springs, which were absolutely amazing. Right in the middle of the town park are these hot waterfalls spilling into hot-tub temperature pools (surrounded by palms and ferns of course), which tumble town into a lovely cool river fit for swimming. We loved it so much we came back that night and sat back in the hot pools while enjoying a gorgeous view of the stars!

Saturday was intense, with a 7 hour climb on the Tongariro crossing- up past Mount Doom (from Lord of the Rings) and its neighbor mountain. The uphill was grueling, but the views fantastic, and amazing red craters and emerald lakes rewarded you when you reached the top. The last hour on the way down tested my attitude, but happiness prevailed and I was still pleasant and happy when we reached our gorgeous lodge within Tongariro national park. We all piled into the hot tub, and later enjoyed delicious food, wine and desserts at the lodge's bar.

Sunday we headed to Wellington, where a group of us checked out the Te Papa museum, which was incredible. Internet, laundry, and phone calls were all priorities, and it was nice to get things done. In the evening we headed down to the bar (we stayed at another Base hostel) and lost in a very fun bar quiz. My team did win for the best name however (why the judge thought that "Sasquatch Sexual Rebellion" was a good name beats me), and won free tequila shots. We danced until we couldn't dance anymore and then crashed into bed.

Monday the 7th we took the ferry over the South Island (yay!), had a fantastic wine and schnapps tasting in Marlborough area, and then headed to Marahau in Abel Tasman National Park. Yesterday I slept in and wandered about with Josephine and Shevonne, a lovely Irish gal. We walked about an hour (the park is soooo beautiful!) and found a lovely little beach on a bay where we camped out for about two hours, sun bathing, reading and relaxing. The day was restful and relaxing and much needed!

Today I am in Motueka waiting for a 4pm bus to Takaka. In Takaka, Josephine, David from Vancouver and I will be heading up to Anahata Yoga Retreat center for the next 6 days or so. There is a retreat going this weekend, and I am very much looking forward to some meditation, yoga, vegetarian food, and beautiful scenery (we will be up on Golden Bay in Abel Tasman National Park).

Next Tuesday or Wednesday I will be getting back on the Stray bus and heading down the West Coast of the South Island!

Hopefully pictures soon!

Michelle-- I'm hoping you'll count me in for Hot Water Beach, and I'm working on the others . . . I already missed Lake Taupo, maybe I can make it up somehow (preferably with something OTHER than skydiving :).

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Anna