Kaiteriteri: a golden day at the beach

Yesterday was a day of relaxation and reading. Got through a bit more of "How Yoga Works" which is an amazing book giving me lots of food for thought. Hadie is reading it as well -- she does the day shift and I do the night shift. Also, am reading Richard Russo's novel "Bridge of Sighs" and am enjoying it very much. Have to read more of his books. (We did pop to the village shop to pick up a few things and I selected a bottle of local savvie from Neudorf Vineyards which is located on the next road up from Kelling Road where Stillpoint is. And next to the village shop in the old post office there is a shop selling local preserves, cheeses and such. I bought some local garlic sausage and a small bottle of area olive oil -- there are many olive trees around here.)

This morning I did my laundry and hung it out on the line to dry and we got in the car and headed north on the Moutere Highway (highway being a funny word for the two-lane winding road). We stopped in Motueka to visit the Saturday market. Bought a green beaded bracelet that looks lovely and fresh against my browning arm. Had a fresh whitebait fritter on toast for a bit of a snack - yum yum. We then went for a bit of a walk on the main street as I needed to visit the bank machine. I loved the looks of this building which used to be the Mouteka High School and is now a museum. This seems to be a fairly typical vernacular for the area -- I must find a website or a book for more information on the style.


It was then time to pop into one of the coffee shops for a latte and a scrumptious ginger cake. Refreshed and restored we walked back through the market and bought some herb plants (basil, sage and coriander) to plant outside the yoga shala kitchen. Then back in the car and we headed up Highway 60 (another slow winding two-lane road -- the speed limits change all the time as you are always coming up on a twist or turn) and we headed up to
Kaiteriteri and found ourselves a spot on the beach. (Even though Stillpoint and Upper Moutere are in the hills with all kinds of farms and vineyards, the water and beaches of the Tasman Bay are just a hop, skip and a jump away -- or even just a hop. Spectacular area.)


We relaxed in the sun for a bit and Hadie went for a swim. I couldn't bear the thought of wrestling my bruised bum into my swimming cozzie today (even though I am much better and could get in and out of the car in under five minutes) so I just relaxed on the beach.


Then it was, of course, time for a little picnic lunch. We had brought some hummus and celery sticks, an avocado, some gorgeous rich rye bread, a lemon and a piece of brie with us so we munched away at that for a bit and talked. Hadie has lived in a lot of places and has had a number of jobs -- fascinating. She (and Mayo last week) has also pretty much convinced me that a trip to India is next for me. We then went for a walk on the beach to check out the sand castle competition (there was a family day going on with lots of activities for kids). There was some pretty creative stuff. Here are a couple of my favourites ...



Then it was back in the car and back on the "highway" to return to Stillpoint. We stopped off at a Buddhist centre nearby to Stillpoint and Hadie said a prayer while I listened to the wind whistling through the trees.

Back at Stillpoint we found that the two new arrivals for the week had come in. Takako is a Japanese woman who has been to Stillpoint seven times. She will be here for six weeks -- as a freelance writer she can work while she is here. She is currently working on a Japanese translation of "How Yoga Works", the book that I am reading so that was very interesting to talk to her about. The other woman, Amy, is from Cornwall but she has been travelling and working a variety of jobs in New Zealand for a while. She hitchhiked here from Christchurch, stopping in Golden Bay to camp on the beach last night. There are a lot of hitchhikers here -- something you just really don't see much of in North America anymore. Testament to the openness and relative safety of this wonderful country, I guess, and their acceptance of relaxed, free-spiriting lives. So there are only four students for this week, plus Sarah who arrived last Thursday to start her job here for a few months as manager (she will do her practice with us in the mornings.) Tonight we had a 'sushi party' and made rice and a bunch of accompaniments -- egg, salmon, cucumber, mushrooms, onion, avocado -- and had a chat while we ate.

Another truly lovely day. I feel so blessed to have been able to take this trip. I really feel myself coming back to myself and it feels fabulous.