I was wiped out this morning, probably a combination of getting used to the constant wind, delay Jet lag (which I seem to get for some reason. I am fine the first three or four days when I get to a new place but then the time change seems to hit me after that.) Probably also the fact that I was dancing for 2 1/2 hours straight last night, some thing I haven’t done in quite a while, and I’m not exactly in my 20s anymore! I was very lucky though, it’s a Monday morning and I did not have to get myself up and dressed to go to work, so I laid in bed and read for a while, then made some coffee and wandered up to the upper deck of the house to enjoy the beautiful blue sunny day.
I’ve been reading one or two poems every day from a book in the cabin called Big Weather – Poems of Wellington. It is very interesting reading these poems about New Zealand’s capital city, they are diverse in time, some from the 19th century mentioning gas lamps, location, mentioning wharves, suburbs, parks and tickle many memories I have of the city.
I’ve also gone back to the Martha Beck book I started a while ago, Finding Your Way In a Wild New World. It’s got all sorts of exercises for helping to get to know your true nature. Some of them are a little hippie dippy, but I think that’s what I need more of in my life right now, more understanding of my feelings and emotions, and less focus on productivity and efficiency. In fact a passage in her book quoting from Eat Pray Love struck a major chord in me. When I read “Please tell me what to do“ I began to cry, it hit home so hard. I sometimes just want someone to tell me what to do, which path to take. It’s hard not knowing what’s next, being in limbo. And yet at the same time I feel guilty, I’m not hungry or unsheltered, I have people who love me, I’m in a beautiful place. I chose to do this, I am so very lucky to even have the opportunity to feel this sense of confusion and loss. I think I’ve got my work cut out for me, trying to figure out what’s next.
I went for a wander through Central Park, checking out all the different paths that wind up and down through the trees. There is a beautiful walkway that crisscrosses the creek several times on these delightful curved bridges, it is enchanting. I did a bit more of the City to Sea walkway getting my hill work in! During my wanders I saw a graffiti artist at work, and some beautiful architecture in Aro Valley.
Later in the day I took the bus to Houghton Bay for a walk out to red rocks. I passed an area on the seashore with several stones that were painted, all with positive messages on it them. On one stone was written that in was the Kindness Rocks Project and the stones were there for people to take if they needed, give to a friend and donate those own stones. There was also a Wind phone, something that I had heard about on a podcast years ago-I think that phone was in Japan. It’s an old rotary phone that anyone can pick up and dial and talk to a loved one who is no longer alive. I think it is such a fantastic idea, and on this windy rocky stretch of beach, a good place for those sort of supports.
Along the promenade was also a sign to be cautious to look out for little blue penguins at night, as this is an area where they live and come out at night time. I think I may have to head over there one evening and see if I can see any of them!
The hike to Red Rocks (Pariwhero) was relatively flat on a stony and sandy road open to hikers, bikers and four-wheel-drive vehicles, except on Sunday when it’s closed vehicles, which I thought was a great idea. Since I was out on a Monday afternoon there weren’t too many vehicles on the road and only a handful of hikers, getting blown around like me! It’s quite exposed, with beautiful views and the weather was sunny and blue. It was a lovely hike, there were no seals basking on the rocks, which was fine with me as that was not the reason I was taking this hike, I came to see the rocks, which are not just red they are also purple and green, in stark contrast to the gray rock everywhere else in the area. One myth says that the rocks are red because they represent the blood the God Maui used to bait his hook when he pulled New Zealand out of the sea. Surprisingly there are even a few houses way out in this isolated area. I can’t imagine what it’s like to drive on this road on the dark, rainy night!
For dinner tonight I had lasagna from the local pie shop, it was delicious. Instead of cheddar, they use tasty cheese, It’s creamier and similar to medium cheddar in it’s sharpness. I also had leftover kumara, quinoa and spinach salad from my lunch the other day. Yum! By the time I was done with dinner, I was ready for bed. Looking on my pedometer at the steps and floors from the last week, I could see why I was tired. I’ve definitely climbed a lot more hills than I normally would!
