Hello again beautiful
people! It has been a few weeks since I last wrote and as always it both feels
like it has flown by and like an eternity has passed.
So
much has happened in the last few weeks so I don’t quite know how to say
everything without sounding disjointed, but here goes.
First
of all I finally feel like I am settled. I no longer wake up sad in the
mornings. It feels like home and I am enjoying myself quite a bit. Classes are
going well. They are structured very differently than back home. There is
tremendous freedom to the point where I often have no idea what I’m doing, if I
am doing too little, or far too much. An example of a homework prompt is
research wood cotton and oil. Anything about them…
Each
class is split into two 6 week periods and we have one large project due at the
end of each accompanied by plenty of vague research in a workbook. I am still
figuring out what all of this means but I’m cruising right along!
I
continue to deepen my friendships with my crew of people here. Two of my close
friends and I just purchased plane tickets to the south island for spring
(autumn here) break and we are looking to do some intense tramps (hikes)!
Some
random facts about New Zealand
- Cheddar is called tasty
- Eggs are never refrigerated they are on regular
shelves at the supermarket.
- Coins don’t go below 10 cents. They also have
$1 and $2 coins and the lowest note is $5
- Coolers are called chilly bins
- Flip flops are called Jandals
- Swim suits are called Togs
- There is no tax added to stuff it is included
so the price shown
- There is no tipping
- Hiking is called Tramping
The
city is a magical place at night. It is mostly empty except for Courtney place
(the street with the clubs and bars).
I love going down to the waterfront and looking out. Feeling the calm
city behind and the wild winds over the water it is relaxing, invigorating and
beautiful. One of these nights a few of my friends and I decided to hike up Mt.
Victoria (a small mountain or large hill) which overlooks all of Wellington and
the surrounding bays. It was
stunning. Seeing the calm city tucked into the surrounding ridgelines with its
lights reflected in the bay with millions of stars above. We sat for a long in
awe of the gorgeous place we get to call home at least for the next few months.
We
then hiked back through oriental bay and stopped off to climb a huge web
located in a playground by the beach. I walked ahead through the water passing
washed up jellyfish my eyes transfixed on the enormous orange full moon that
was quickly setting over the ridgeline above the city. It was a beautiful
night.
A
few days later I got to experience my first truly windy day here. The wind
rushes through the streets almost knocking over pedestrians as they round corners.
There were moments where I could lean at roughly a 30-degree angle and have the
wind hold me up. I walked through the city grinning ear to ear, as the wind
seemed to playfully try to knock me off my feet.
Later
that night I was up the hill visiting some friends and I got ready to make the
30-minute walk home. I stepped out and immediately froze my eyes transfixed on
the moon. I stood there for at least 20 minutes in silence with my friend,
watching the show that seemed to be created just for us in that moment. It was
a clear sky with a nearly full moon. We were standing at the top of a ridgeline
so as the wind blew over the peak of the ridge we could see long thin
translucent clouds being created that would swirl off in little spirals that
resembled the effect when adding thick cream to coffee. Each time they would
pass across the moon they would create a circular rainbow. We stood motionless
as each cloud brought its own unique quality to our experience as if it were
dancing. After a while it finally
felt right to leave and with a heart full of gratitude I began my wonderful
night walk home.
Here is a link to a
poor quality video I took to remember the night http://youtu.be/PqtMp5bFvTU
The
clouds are stunning here. They are puffy and white and move faster than I have
ever seen. The sky is always full yet it is consistently sunny. The maori word
for New Zealand is Aotearoa which means the long white cloud.
A
different afternoon I was down by the waterfront with a few friends and found
myself completely floored by the intelligence of nature. I watched as a seagull
swooped down and picked up a mussel. He then flew up about 15 feet and dropped the
mussel onto the pavement. After a few drops it hadn’t broken so he flew up
about 25 feet and dropped it. This time it shattered. He quickly ate the mussel
and then flew off to pluck another. WHUUUUUT!? That is brilliant. That takes so
much forethought. I swear there’s always something amazing and inspiring
happening.
Speaking
of which I was inspired by something that I never thought I would be. Who knows
the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song “give it away ”? Many people think it is gibberish
or about sex but I read an interview with the lead singer explaining that the
song is about the theory that “The more you give, the more you receive, so why
not give it all away?” He was inspired by a German singer who insisted on
giving him one of her jackets that he liked saying that giving stuff away
especially if it has personal meaning creates good energy.
I
love this idea. It feels like a beautiful way to live and like it would clear
out clutter and energy resulting in straight up abundance! See there is
inspiration everywhere! Well-done Red Hot Chili Peppers!
Moving
right along. The other day I came to the incredible realization that I hadn’t
used any form of transportation for 24 days. No cars, busses or even bicycles. This
is something that had never occurred to me before and I thought this might
actually be the longest I had ever gone without using a vehicle. Even during
outward bound we would take a shuttle ever couple of weeks. This was an amazing
realization for me. And it felt very freeing to only use my legs for
transportation for nearly a month. It feels incredible! And that streak would
still be going but I broke it for a very good reason. I finally got to get out
of the city and into some incredible nature.
Last
Friday 3 friends and I were invited to house near lake Taupo for the weekend
which is about an hour and a half drive from the Tongoriro crossing which is
considered possibly the best day hike in the world. So we were obviously going.
But we needed a car, as it is a 5-hour drive from Wellington. The only rental
car agency with cars available would only allow people older than 25 to drive. So
my streak came to an end with me hopping in a car and driving on the left side of
the road for the first time. For
the first hour or two this felt like a constant math problem, especially at
intersections. But I relaxed once we got out of the city. I was driving on the
largest road in New Zealand, Highway 1, which is only one lane each way and
would frequently go through small towns. That’s right the largest road feels
like back country farm road. My newfound comfort shifted when night fell. This
was very strange as the headlights would frequently startle me because at my
core it felt like they were in the wrong lane. But with the mantra “stay left,
stay left” in my head we made it safely.
The
next day we got up at 6 and drove to the Tongoriro trail head. There were tons
of people there for the first half of the day but once we got to the emerald
lakes (a bit over half way through the crossing) we turned back and had the
whole place to ourselves. The terrain here was gorgeous and unlike anything I
had experienced before. Not a tree in sight. Just the most amazing colors of
rock produced from the surrounding volcanoes. We stopped at the emerald lakes
for lunch. Two of the lakes were bright green and the other was an intense
blue. There were little streams of steam shooting up all around that were crazy
hot. We also found these amazing rocks that continuously baffled my mind. See
what I mean here:
On
our way back we decided we were going to summit Mt. Ngauruhoe (Mt. Doom from
the lord of the rings). This mountain is an active volcano and could not look
more like a volcano. It towers above all of the surrounding mountains and is
almost perfectly conical with a red rim around the tip (yes that red tip you
see in science projects is real!) From the base it is roughly 4000 feet up. I
don’t think this hike would be allowed anywhere in the US. There was no trail we
were to simply go straight up. There was no life on this mountain, only
volcanic rocks some large most small all on a bed of more rocks. It was an
enormous 4000-foot scree slide. This proved to be the steepest thing I have
ever climbed without being on belay with a minimum angle of about 45 degrees
but it was often more like 60 degrees. We had to be on all fours as we slipped
our way up searching for larger rocks that were relatively stable. Every few
steps a rock would fall loose and roll a few hundred meters down the mountain. It
felt as though I could almost free fall if I jumped off the face. We eventually
found our way off the scree field to a more secure area of larger rocks that appeared
to be an un climbable vertical scar from the ground. This proved to be far
easier than the scree. From here we hit the more secure bright red rocks and
then the pitch black area before the summit. At this point rain clouds rolled
in and it began to drizzle on us. This added a new layer of fear as we were on
a completely exposed surface. We decided to continue on and made it to a horseshoe
near the summit that we believed to be the crater. We took a food break and
then picked the larger of the two humps to summit. As I approached the top I
quickly realized that this was in fact the crater. I stood on the rim which was only about 10 feet wide looking
down into a perfect bowl that was probably two football fields wide by at least
a football field deep. The rim was an intense vermillion red. It was an
incredibly surreal experience. We were also now atop the tallest point in the
surrounding area and the view was unreal.
We were within the clouds. At times they would block out all sight, making it feel like we were on a razors edge in the middle of the sky. We stayed at the
summit for about a half an hour soaking up the prize we had won from a climb that that gave us the gift of being fully in the moment for hours by its stunning views, textured terrain and by pushing us to the edge of and exhaustion and fear. Once we were fully saturated we decided it was time to make our way back down.
The
way down was incredibly fun. I felt like a god. With each step I would push my
heel into the sandy scree and rotate my foot forwards helping control the
sliding. Each step would go for 10 to 15 feet. It felt incredibly safe because
if I fell (which did happen) I would only fall about 2 to 3 feet back onto a
reclined bed because the mountain was so steep. I felt like I was walking in slow motion yet flying. I
couldn’t wipe the smile from my face, although to be fair I didn’t try.
About
half way down I saw a man sitting in the rocky scar. I paused and we made eye
contact. He then called to see if I knew the best way down. I began to explain
and quickly realized he was terrified and alone. I left my bag with my friend
and worked my way across the scree field to him. He was embarrassed to ask for
help but very happy to see me. I immediately introduced myself, his name was
James and he was a freelance adventure writer who wrote for a few companies
including national geographic. I guided him from stable rock to stable rock
through the scree until we got to a less steep area a few hundred feet down.
He
quickly brightened up and began talking about his adventures and his time in
Australia and New Zealand. He was a truly incredible human being.
I
felt deeply honored to have had this experience. He had been stuck there alone
for 30 minutes disoriented from vertigo. I felt so grateful that he would break
through the embarrassment and ask for help it occurred as an incredible moment
of self-care and for me it allowed me to make a connection with an incredible
human being. And lets be real there isn’t a much more badass way to meet
someone than descending Mt Doom together. The whole experience occurred to me
as the universe finding equilibrium. I was in my comfort zone experiencing joy
and James needed a hand but more than anything it seemed he simply needed
company, someone who cared and would be a friend even for just a few minutes.
As soon as I got there he relaxed and he quickly found his roots and moved into
a beautiful confidence. All I had to do was genuinely be there with him as a
friend and a fellow human. I could feel everything settle within both of us and
everyone evolved left with more richness. It was a perfect moment to bring
balance to a situation, equilibrium.
Once
we got to the bottom I gave him an apple and a plum shook his hand and we were
on our separate ways. Moments like this give me the deepest sense of gratitude
for life, moments of true connection, perfect just as they are. I may never see
him again and yet we had an enriching moment of shared humanity. Life is pretty incredible!
Later that night we went to a natural hot
spring near where we were staying. The spring cascaded down a 8 foot waterfall
into a pool at the perfect temperature. The waterfall was powerful yet small
enough for one person to tuck into the hollow of rock below it and be engulfed
by warm water. while I was in the hollow below the falls I had the most intense
feeling of connectedness with the earth. My hands were like magnets on the
ground below me, my spine seemed to involuntarily straighten and I was filled
with a powerful feeling of nature like I have never felt before. It was a sense
of strength and a presence that seemed to be holing me accountable to be
exactly who I am. It felt as though the water was washing away all bullshit and
left only me, rooted and strong.
After thanking the spot we went back to the cabin got a good night
sleep, picked an exorbitant amount of fruit from the trees in the back yard and
then drove back home exhausted yet filled by a perfect weekend.
And now for my American beauty moment of the post!
I was sitting in my room on the 7th floor catching up on
work while a huge storm raged outside. As I worked something outside caught my
eye. There were little white specs slowly moving past my window. It almost
resembled snow but it was in the 60s outside. I darted to the window and
couldn’t believe my eyes. The intense wind was hitting the building in such a
way that it was blowing directly up the wall loudly passing my cracked window.
It was so strong that the raindrops had stopped directly in front of my window.
Hovering perfectly at my eye level. One larger drop sat quivering and after a
few moments split perfectly in two. These two hovered for a moment before
shooting straight up and out of sight. I sat there for 10 minutes watching the
raindrops dance about in front of my window with feelings of joy and amazement
bubbling through me. Then the winds shifted allowing the rain to fall and
allowing me to move back to my work reenergized.
I think that does it for now. I have added some photos below.
The first is of me and my three friends ontop of a ridge line with
Mt. Ngauruhoe in the background.
The second is a
photo of the four of us at the summit of Mt. Ngauruhoe surrounded by cloud with
the crater behind us.
The third is a
photo of the walk back to our car between two ridgelines.
And the last is the
fruit we picked just before heading home.
Thank you again for your interest in my life. Love to all.
Cheers,
Aiden
