I have had the extreme good fortune to visit friends in New Zealand (south island, fyi) recently. The temperate climate there allows trees to grow much faster than they would do so here in Canada and as such, they seem ancient in a relatively short time. The landscape was entirely sensual: scintillating light on the ocean’s waves on a blustery day (it’s Fall there now, exactly the opposite of our season), jagged dry hills jutting up, and crumbling down at the same time (I saw rivers of gravel piled up at the bottom of some of the hills we tramped), and oh! the clouds. And the birdsong!
I’ve never before this trip had a place ‘tug’ on me to stay put as I did in Cloudy bay at Tania’s parents’ beach bach (that’s what they call a cottage). What a cottage! Sleeps about 12 (gotta love those grandkids), the top level had the kitchen, opening onto an enormous balcony, and windows everywhere.
A driftwood-lined pathway leads from the yard out to the beach (only about 50 paces to the water) where the crashing surf soothed my soul… sunsets, sunrises, the wind-gnarled pines, the wealth of new ocean debris tossed onto the beach each morning, it was a perpetual treasure to behold. I SO did not want to leave, but we had other meals to eat; other hills to tramp; other spas to visit!
If you can, get thyself to NZ’s south island, and give yourself time to breathe. The photo of me with the black Lab: that’s Buck, Laura and Harry’s dog. We fell in love, we did. I love Buck. There. I’ve said it.
