On a Gentle Note
ADVENTURE
We have now been settled for several weeks in our last significant house-sitting in New Zealand.
But before getting here, we spent a few days in our van to explore the last remaining corners of the North Island.
Honestly, VanLife is much more enjoyable in Spring. This time, we literally celebrated the Winter Solstice—the shortest day of the year—in the car, going to bed at 6 PM since the sun had already set by 4:30 PM, and it was freezing cold.
Nevertheless, as always when we had to hit the road, the elementals blessed us, and we managed to avoid the rain, which is typical at the end of autumn (and pretty much all year round in this country, otherwise, it wouldn't be so green).
After a few days in Auckland, hosted by an Italian and a Kiwi whose house we will be sitting before my departure to Tahiti, we headed towards the Coromandel Peninsula.
We stopped in the national park there to hike to a viewpoint overlooking the largest waterfall of our trip. Yes, but the viewpoint was miles away from the waterfall!
I'm sure it was impressive, but from such a distance, well, not so much. But the short hike in the woods was still lovely.
(That was by zooming in as much as possible with the most powerful lens we had. Still beautiful, I know)
Then we hurried towards Hot Water Beach.
The concept is so cool: on the beach, with your shovel, you dig your own little pool which fills up automatically with hot water due to underground geothermal activity. Then you settle down in the warmth to admire the fresh waves of the Ocean dancing before you. Pretty neat, right?
Yes, but when we arrived, the sky was overcast, and the wind was quite cold. Did we muster the courage to dig and warm ourselves in the thermal water? No.
The idea was really cool, but it was cold, it wouldn't be long before nightfall (yes, at 3 PM), and we didn't feel like being all salty and sandy without being able to shower afterwards. So, we said hello to the beach, watched braver people venturing on it with their shovels, and then went to warm ourselves up in a tavern with a fireplace, right next to our campsite for the night.
And that was Hot Water Beach, by Mélissa and Dani!
The following morning, we motivated ourselves again and set off in search of another beach: Pokohino.
After a short hike, we arrived at an enchanting cove, surrounded by forest and bordered by rugged cliffs that opened onto the vastness of the Pacific Ocean.
There was even a small cave that reminded me of Courbet's The Origin of the World, probably passable at low tide and leading to other secret spots.
There was truly something whimsical about this place, where we stayed for a long time, meditating in silence, in harmony with the surrounding Nature.
Then, we headed to Roturoa, the iconic town known for its strong sulphur smell.
A quick stop, however, to see yet another waterfall (obviously) and visit the Karangahake Gorge on the way (it felt like being in the Mines of Moria, which was both fun and a bit scary).
Today, we finally climbed the sacred Mount Manganui and paid our respects to the Pounamou overlooking it, and this weekend we will visit the final stop of our Lord of the Rings tour: Hobbiton.
Tauranga is a city where it’s really nice to live, facing the Ocean, with many alternative and connected people, and where the Sun almost always shines.
But our stay is coming to an end, and I am about to go silent for about ten days. What "scares" me the most is that I won’t be able to write or draw during all that time; I haven’t spent a day without creating for months. But still, I'm really excited about it!
❂ I’ll probably tell you more when I return, but in the meantime, thank you for reading ❂
In Roturoa, the nights were cold, but we were able to warm up in fantastic hot springs at dawn, so it was worth it.
The Hot'n'Cold spot is one of my favourites in this country. Another place full of magic where we could relax in the early morning.
The cold river meets a very hot stream (hence the name), so you can choose the ideal temperature depending on where you sit. All illuminated by the gentle rays of the rising sun filtered through the trees and steam and lulled by birdsongs.
Extraordinary.
We also saw many bubbling mud pools, as well as immense pines in a very pleasant forest, although they were all but native.
Then, after dining (at 5 PM), at the night market listening to live music, we celebrated Yule by going to bed early, the night before our departure for Tauranga.
Since then, life has been flowing peacefully, with sweetness, joy, and Abundance.
What else can I say? We are staying in a sublime house, facing a bay overlooked by Mount Manganui and constantly warmed by the infallible sun. It’s the middle of winter, and I’m writing these lines in a t-shirt in the garden, to the cheerful sound of birds.
Conditions that make daily happiness and the manifestation of a perfect life easy, as it’s already what we are experiencing.
We have navigated the Cancer season properly in this sweet home: creating, strolling with Dita—the pirate dog—creating more, and just enjoying ourselves, basically.
