this is the retreat center, in the courtyard

the maditation labyrinth. i can feel the energy radiating from it when i walk by. havent had a chance to walk it yet.

this is at the beach in waikawau, near the last place i stayed, karuna falls.

karuna falls

milling wheat for bread

so here i am at this retreat center. we're cleaning up the place for the next group, who comes friday. its a yoga & dance group. i'm allowed to partake in the classes. it is raining so much here, off & on. worse than seattle rain! but anyway its lovely. im a bit bored at the moment but am moving on on sunday and will try to take advantage of the space here whilst im here.

te moata

this is in mangawhai

an old photo, my first day working in mangawhai, picking macadamia nuts. all the red bags and beds are full of drying nuts.

hello every one, sorry to create worry, there's a lesson to myself, dont send an email on a bad day. i am at a place called te moata now, its a spiritual retreat center on the coromandel penuinsula. a buddhist monk just finished leading a silent retreat. i'll send pictures soon.

a hard days night

just a shout out to let everyone know all is well. i have left te manawa, and after being welcomed into the house as a part of the family, it is hard to leave! the next place i went to was south of aukland, but i got a really weird vibe there...didnt feel safe...cant ignore a feeling like that, you know? so i got a ride to the coromandel peninsula and hitched to the north end, spent the night on the back porch of a cafe in the middle of nowhere, and in the morning got a ride to an old hippie commune called karuna falls. only here for a few days, then i gotta figure out where to next.
when i was at te manawa, i was thinking, yea, i could live here, but being out in the wide lonely world again, part of me wants to come home or at least go back to te manawa. but i shall perservere, i shant give up.

te manewa

I am at Te Manewa, a small community of people
who have a farm in Mangawhai, which is about an hour north of aukland. the sun is very hot here, the plants are beautiful, people are very kind...
the people here at the farm i am on are super nice! on the first day me & another wwoofer, Julia from argentina, who is really cool, picked macadamia nuts,Tuesday we weeded a bed prepared it for potato & sweet potato planting. wednesday we dug a pond, and today we did multiple things, including thinning lettuce starts, hauling old roofing to make a fence, making seed soil...
it is so peaceful and magical here, the most beautiful place i have ever seen,
so here are some photos...

this is a protest march in auckland i partook in: people opposing night school cuts.

lovely views on the way up the west coast of the north island

on the east coast of the north island; the hen & chicken islands in the distance
the lovely beach!

the beach at Mangawhai Heads, and two of my hosts, Pauline & Malcolm

Te Manewa, the place i am staying!

Pauline talking about digging a pond here; also Julia & another woman who hosts here, Britta

one of the many amazing plants here; this one reminds me of dr. seuss

first day

I have made it here in one piece, surprising with three stops in between! i missed my scheduled flight out of seattle and had to be re-routed through aussie land, but hey, now i can say i've been there! moral of day: get to the airport when they suggest, three hrs. prior for international flights, even if your kitty isn't around to say goodbye to.
in auckland now, heading for my first farm tomorrow morning. i am in the future, by the way...it's not bright, its rainy. but i am quite tickled to be here.

speaking of tickles, this is mr. tickles. he cuddled with me while i read a book this afternoon.