Paradise

I visited paradise yesterday afternoon.

Stephen had lent his car to his mate and I was picking him up, after he had had an hour or two with his friend.

I have visited this property before, but I had never seen it in the light that I saw it in yesterday.

The journey to his house meant negotiating a long, metal driveway, and passing little cottages dotted in amongst the tea tree, which now filled much of the north-facing hillside. At parts, the grass in the middle formed a ridge that scraped across the car bottom, at other times, my little Honda Fit struggled with the steepness of the drive, but I got there. I looked where Stephen had parked previously but decided the grass might be too muddy, so ventured further up the hillside, and to my relief, found there was a parking spot. One couldn’t park on the safety of the metaled drive as other people lived still higher up.

I made my way along a little track, through some trees, and up to the one-bedroomed cottage, passing lush banana plants on the way. I took my seat alongside the two men in the porch area out the front, the sun pouring into this little enclosure. Across the gully, I could see the domineering shape of Ohakiri - St Paul’s Rock, a landmark for miles around and one that stood guard over the beautiful Whangaroa Harbour.

The energy of this place was through the roof. More banana palms enclosed the area, along with a grape vine and other fruit trees, while the tee tree completely surrounded the cottage. A freshly mown lawn enhanced the atmosphere. A cheeky quail could be heard calling out. There is always a watcher with these birds and he was probably warning his fellow birds that there were strangers about. We sat in conversation for an hour or so, then Stephen and I made our way back to the car.

Living in a place such as this would be my dream. It is sunny and private, and full of bird life, with an incredibly uplifting and healing feel. The energy was beautiful. But I think the reality would be different. Without power, any washing or night activity would have to be done by generator and I could see that the drive could become quite difficult to negotiate in wetter months. Places such as these are beautiful to visit but make hard work for those living there on a day-to-day basis. I think I have visited it twice before, maybe three times but I had never felt the energy as strongly as I did yesterday. This chap had split up with his partner several months ago, so maybe the place had been marred by the disharmony of the couple, when I had previously visited. Sometimes we hang on to relationships well past their use-by date, such as I did with my marriage. We might think we are doing the right thing by our children or be fearful of setting out on our own, but what I have realised is that we are doing nobody any favours by staying in an unhealthy situation. To me, the pristineness of this place we visited yesterday, is testament to this. I am sure Stephen’s friend would have experienced sadness after his partner left him, but look what he has created now. That kind of energy would heal any broken heart.

To top off the visit, we were handed a large bunch of green bananas, my favourite type. In a week or two, these should be ripe enough to eat. They are vibrant and healthy looking, just as everything was yesterday. It is lovely to have transferred some of that energy back home with us.