Southland - New Zealand
ADVENTURE
There we are, settled in Dunedin with three mini poodles and not two, but four emus! Quite paradoxical, this fascination with giant birds resembling dinosaurs that make bass sounds and sprint unexpectedly, mixed with a feeling of guilt for staying in the house of people who decided it was normal to confine such wild animals in their garden.
The compromise I found with my conscience is to remind myself that it wasn't me who made this choice; I simply thank the infinite power of abundance that allows me to spend two weeks creating in a warm place with a view of the ocean and great food in my belly every day (Dani seems to be inspired by the large modern kitchen, much to the delight of my stomach).
But, before getting here, it was van life adventure time in the extreme south of the country, which is actually the subject of this article!
The journey began heading from Roxburgh to Fiordland where, as its name suggests, we hoped to see fjords. Spoiler Alert: we didn't see any. It's simple: we decided to start strong by getting close to the country's most famous fjord, Milford Sound. The thing is, to truly access the incredible views that make it famous, you have to take a boat that costs an arm and a leg, and to reach the best views, hike for several days with overnight stops in huts. Except that these famous huts, well, you have to book them in advance to be sure of getting a bed, but they've been fully booked for the entire season since reservations opened last April. And as (you already know if you've been following me for a while) I like to show up like a big tourist and improvise, well, obviously, I didn't book anything. The idea was more to let the magic of the country and chance carry me. Poetic, often very pleasant, but not really productive in this case.
So, we did get close to Milford Sound by land, but our somewhat tiring and too-crowded hike was simply to catch a glimpse of a lake far off in the mountains. Okay, I'm exaggerating; the scenery on the way up was still very beautiful. Look:
And, on the way to the hike, we also stopped to see mirror ponds with, again, lots of people, but, above all, we went on the first of a long list of forest walks and, this time, there were only birds to accompany us to the waterfall surrounded by lush vegetation that we discovered there. I even made a new friend, who almost landed on my hand after the photo was taken and who kept coming to fetch me!
We discovered a common passion for forests (especially since we have a quality camera that allows us to capture the magic of these enchanting spaces), where we progress slowly, making as little noise as possible and marvelling at the moss, mushrooms, and especially the birds in their natural habitat. We feel good there—far from human agitation, sheltered from pollution, simply admiring the beauty and tranquillity of Nature, trying to disturb it as little as possible.
You'll tell me, no big surprise here; everyone knows that trees transmit more energy than buildings. Except that, like all tourists in this country, the first thing you think of when you go exploring is reaching impressive viewpoints to discover breathtaking landscapes. But you don't necessarily think of visiting an endemic forest, since there are forests everywhere. So it's a bit by chance, but with starry eyes, that we started our exploration of New Zealand's woods. We first visited Fiordland National Park, which borders the country's deepest lake, then followed the ocean without ever reaching it because the woods were too dense, before turning back and taking another route because, really, after two months, I needed to get back to the immensity of water.
The real magical combo is big forests bordering deserted beaches. Yes, cliffs are beautiful. But being alone between the calming density of the trees and the free power of the ocean, with sunrays warming your face and the sea air ruffling your hair (we always come back to Pocahontas), there's no better way to commune with the elements.
Then, we ventured further south, exploring Southland in search of penguins and seals. We didn't have much luck with penguins, but we saw dolphins in the distance, as well as seals frolicking happily among the rocks of Nugget Point. Then we went to the southernmost point of the country, probably one of the southernmost in the world before Antarctica. And, above all, we walked in the woods.
As "luck" would have it, a friend shared with us a twenty-one-day challenge to attract abundance just as we got on the road. Needless to say, noticing abundance and expressing our gratitude was rather easy in such circumstances. I was a little apprehensive about returning to such a confined space without real stability, but I actually spent my vacation week thanking the Universe and the Sun that accompanied us (the heavy rains resumed as soon as we arrived at our current house).
Who knows what the next adventure will hold for us?
❂ In the meantime, I'll be drawing in front of the Pacific. Thank you for reading me ❂
