Well.. New Zealand continues to awe me at her beauty.
Yesterday I hiked this gorgeous waterfall known as "Bridal Veil Falls" ... The only Bridal Veil Falls I have hiked is located in Provo, Utah... This one here displays so much more majesty. Hata is quickly becoming my mentor and guru. He and I discuss philosophy, spirituality and nature for hours on end.
New Zealand is one of the last places on Earth relatively untouched as a whole. The government even respects the land. The farm animals here are raised naturally, grazing the green hills, organically eating and organically producing; miles of free range to roam. Instead of being cooped up, side by side by side, living in their own feces, shot up with hormones to produce more meat, at a faster race, so more people can sit on their butts in a drive through, gorging themselves with the pain of the animal who was fattened far beyond their natural size, simply for profit.
Bridal veil falls was peaceful. There was no tram going up it (as they tried in Provo,) traveling to the top simply so trash could be thrown down the falls over and over again.
It was free. It was beautiful. It was respected.
There are these amazing trees here, called Ponga trees. These are like giant tree ferns. In the sunlight, they are the brightest shade of green I have ever seen with my naked eye. They grow in families on the hillsides, and depending on how the light strikes them, they glow many different shades of green. They look soft, like silk, and flutter lightly in the gentle breeze. I have fallen in love with them, as with most all the scenery here.
After hiking Bridal Veil Falls, Hata drove me along the coastline. Most coastal highways I have previously driven are paved and slick. They are smooth and the ocean is a gorgeous deep blue...
Here, however, I was driven along a backcountry dirt/gravel road through nothing but farmland with a few scattered houses run on solar or no power at all. Placed delicately on the mountainside, they overlook miles and miles of green rolling hills and forested tress one direction, and miles and miles of turquoise blue/green ocean the other. The ocean here is a color unlike anything I have seen - even in the Virgin Islands. In the sunlight it glows a turquoise much like the bridesmaid dresses I originally picked for my wedding... Only clear and pure, all the way to the bottom of the sea. It sparkles and the clouds create shadows across the ocean-top. Accented by rolling, untouched hills... It is truly paradise.
We drove for hours along the coastline from town to town, stopping periodically to chat with cows or sheep out of their gated acres, grazing wildflowers along the roadside. The animals here just emit an aura of happiness. The meat tastes different too... Almost more... Clean? Even the mcdonalds here apparently post on their boxes which fields the meat comes from - WOW! Very different than big business corporate 'merica.
I am learning so much about surfing from Hata, his beautiful daughters and nephews and nieces. They truly do work to live, instead of living to work. It is a beautiful mindset and lifestyle. Everyone in Raglan races out to catch the surf immediately after working. The houses here are simple and just what people need, not filled with wants and desires. I am learning to slow down and just breathe in each moment. It is truly beautiful.
The other day Orcas (Killer Whales) were swimming in the bay here. The Bay is this curve of ocean water, entering Raglan with a park built around it so people can enjoy in many forms and fashions. It was so fun to run with the whole town out to the ocean to ooh and ahh at the majestic whales, blowing ocean water out their spouts. There was quite the great clan of them there - maybe up to 8 or 10. Babies even!! So I obviously was excited about that :) There were paddle boarders and small-boaters out in the Bay right next to them! It was so beautiful. The general population of Raglan has a deep love and appreciation for land and the ocean and truly takes the time to appreciate it.
Though I leave Friday to the South Island for a few months, and many more lands of New Zealand are yet to be seen by these two blue eyes... Raglan has captured a part of my heart that will never belong anywhere else. I will not be surprised if, when I extend my trip, I end up spending several months just in Raglan.
The Spirit of the lands of New Zealand are so different than anything I have ever experienced... It is like Hawaii, El Salvador, California and the mountains of Colorado all packed into one... Just populated with much less people, trash, and money, and filled with much more farmland, respect and spiritual wholeness.
I am in love <3
Xxo
Yesterday I hiked this gorgeous waterfall known as "Bridal Veil Falls" ... The only Bridal Veil Falls I have hiked is located in Provo, Utah... This one here displays so much more majesty. Hata is quickly becoming my mentor and guru. He and I discuss philosophy, spirituality and nature for hours on end.
New Zealand is one of the last places on Earth relatively untouched as a whole. The government even respects the land. The farm animals here are raised naturally, grazing the green hills, organically eating and organically producing; miles of free range to roam. Instead of being cooped up, side by side by side, living in their own feces, shot up with hormones to produce more meat, at a faster race, so more people can sit on their butts in a drive through, gorging themselves with the pain of the animal who was fattened far beyond their natural size, simply for profit.
Bridal veil falls was peaceful. There was no tram going up it (as they tried in Provo,) traveling to the top simply so trash could be thrown down the falls over and over again.
It was free. It was beautiful. It was respected.
There are these amazing trees here, called Ponga trees. These are like giant tree ferns. In the sunlight, they are the brightest shade of green I have ever seen with my naked eye. They grow in families on the hillsides, and depending on how the light strikes them, they glow many different shades of green. They look soft, like silk, and flutter lightly in the gentle breeze. I have fallen in love with them, as with most all the scenery here.
After hiking Bridal Veil Falls, Hata drove me along the coastline. Most coastal highways I have previously driven are paved and slick. They are smooth and the ocean is a gorgeous deep blue...
Here, however, I was driven along a backcountry dirt/gravel road through nothing but farmland with a few scattered houses run on solar or no power at all. Placed delicately on the mountainside, they overlook miles and miles of green rolling hills and forested tress one direction, and miles and miles of turquoise blue/green ocean the other. The ocean here is a color unlike anything I have seen - even in the Virgin Islands. In the sunlight it glows a turquoise much like the bridesmaid dresses I originally picked for my wedding... Only clear and pure, all the way to the bottom of the sea. It sparkles and the clouds create shadows across the ocean-top. Accented by rolling, untouched hills... It is truly paradise.
We drove for hours along the coastline from town to town, stopping periodically to chat with cows or sheep out of their gated acres, grazing wildflowers along the roadside. The animals here just emit an aura of happiness. The meat tastes different too... Almost more... Clean? Even the mcdonalds here apparently post on their boxes which fields the meat comes from - WOW! Very different than big business corporate 'merica.
I am learning so much about surfing from Hata, his beautiful daughters and nephews and nieces. They truly do work to live, instead of living to work. It is a beautiful mindset and lifestyle. Everyone in Raglan races out to catch the surf immediately after working. The houses here are simple and just what people need, not filled with wants and desires. I am learning to slow down and just breathe in each moment. It is truly beautiful.
The other day Orcas (Killer Whales) were swimming in the bay here. The Bay is this curve of ocean water, entering Raglan with a park built around it so people can enjoy in many forms and fashions. It was so fun to run with the whole town out to the ocean to ooh and ahh at the majestic whales, blowing ocean water out their spouts. There was quite the great clan of them there - maybe up to 8 or 10. Babies even!! So I obviously was excited about that :) There were paddle boarders and small-boaters out in the Bay right next to them! It was so beautiful. The general population of Raglan has a deep love and appreciation for land and the ocean and truly takes the time to appreciate it.
Though I leave Friday to the South Island for a few months, and many more lands of New Zealand are yet to be seen by these two blue eyes... Raglan has captured a part of my heart that will never belong anywhere else. I will not be surprised if, when I extend my trip, I end up spending several months just in Raglan.
The Spirit of the lands of New Zealand are so different than anything I have ever experienced... It is like Hawaii, El Salvador, California and the mountains of Colorado all packed into one... Just populated with much less people, trash, and money, and filled with much more farmland, respect and spiritual wholeness.
I am in love <3
Xxo