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