South Island Experience Part 1: Kaiaua to Kaikoura

It is no surprise that the trip down to the south island, taking two days and a ferry ride, would be just as of memorable an endeavor as the time on the south island itself. Assigned to us was to observe the changes in land-use while in the vans. It meant we would have to stay awake in order to watch the road. That happened for a bit, but surely we fell asleep in time. Lake Taupo and Mount Ruapehu were two of the greatest sights along the way, between the cows, sheep, and pine forest we were supposed to watch.


We stopped for the first night just outside of Wellington, the capital city, in Hutt Valley at a motor park. After a day in the car we all became little children when we saw the playground just outside our cabins. We even managed to deflate their moon bounce, almost the size of a basketball court. Oops.

The next day we boarded the Interislander to ferry from Wellington to Picton in the south island. Not much happened here, except a nap and a bit of photos on the 10th deck on top of the boat, which was large enough to be a cruise ship. This day we also encountered fur seals for a time on the way to our first destination, Kaikoura. This was the most stunning place I have ever been. The mountains rose to alpine heights just after the grass appeared at the back of the beach. I have a video of the sunrise, which you might get to see in my video series if the internet speed allows. There we stayed at the local marae and were once again welcomed into the tangata whenua. It was extremely comforting to be accepted as family long before we would even exchange our names.



We slept in the whare nui, the house of the ancestors. The walls were decorated with wood carvings in panels that represented either a part of the iwi’s ancestral history or the neighboring iwi’s that shared some part of their history. They say that each panel may call to those who sleep under them. As I was the last to get my bags into the room, I was not able to chose my panel, but that did not seem to matter. A pair of war-like mermen took up most of the space within the panel. They represented the people of Gnati Momoe who fled to the Chatham Islands to avoid the inter-iwi wars. A trophy found under the panel was what really struck me as providence. The trophy was won by the iwi in a competition of cultural and athletic skill. It was named after the Premier Chief of the iwi Bill Solomon, who shares the sir name of my mother's people. For no explainable reason I was to sleep under the Solomon Trophy for four nights. That night I felt safe and comfortable, with no disruption to my sleep.

The whole experience at the marae was moving. I have spoke before in this blog about living life in moderation, but it was here I was finally able to bring resolution to that discussion. More precise than practicing moderation is the quest to find a balance in your life; a physical balance of the body, a spiritual and intellectual balance of the mind, and a calculated balance of your actions. I also found that although I do not ask why certain unexplainable things happen in the world, I can feel an energy that connects all things on earth, a life-force perhaps. Not necessarily the midi-chlorians from STAR WARS, but something. Something that regulates karma and stimulates the bind by which people are attracted and find love. No one being is in charge of this energy, which is how conflict and hatred is created, through jealously and emptiness within those who have not found their spark of energy. Ask me about it sometime. I maybe on to something here…at least for myself.

At the marae, two men named Tai and Brett greeted us. Each shared how they related to the community, the importance of the whare nui and its stories, and a bit of moari culture. I can now count and sing a few songs in Te Reo. It is also customary for visiting people to participate in a concert with the host whenua. I sang “A Sailor Ain’t A Sailor” or "The Last Shanty" a sea song, which I grew up with hearing. This was not entirely random, as you will find out a bit later. I also managed to drum a bit between verses. The closing ceremonies predictably ended in tears as everyone regretted ever having to leave such a welcoming place. Our waiata for the occasion was a song I have been writing since a think on the beach in Leigh. It is far from finished, but I guess the first few verses were good enough to use to strengthen the mana of our spoken words for the ceremony.

Equally exciting…The second morning we were there we woke up before light and headed down the road to Dolphin Encounter. Yes, I swam with the dolphins at sunrise. It was nothing short of magic. We interacted with a pod of about 200 dusky dolphins, the most acrobatic of porpoises. There were thirteen of us, clad in wetsuits, diving, spinning, and chirping like a dolphin. We were truly their entertainment for the morning. For our entertainment we sang some songs of the sea on the boat ride back to shore.



From Kaikoura, we headed to Craigieburn to study alpine ecology. However, you will have to wait at least a day to hear of those times. Kia ora!