2 Women. 1 dog. 5 Weeks. 12 destinations. One summer. (Part 3)
Motueka – Wellington – Otaki – Tokaanu – Te Kuiti – Auckland – Kerikeri – Cape Reinga – Auckland – Tokaanu – Otaki – Wellington – Motueka
Thelma & Louise would be proud of us. In a world that is still dominated by patriarchal capitalist empire, 2 Women went on an adventure, to wake up to their own culture outside of patriarchy – an Archan culture. Staying with friends, village weaving along the way. They succeeded, they failed. They honoured their own and encountered their incompetencies. They did not kill and they did not get killed. They live to tell the tale of their journey:
(Missed part 2? Read it here)
Part 3: Tokaanu
Next stop: Ahi o Te Manawa, in Tokaanu, at the Southern end of Lake Taupo.
As we drive through Desert Road, Annika says: We will see some Kaimanawa horses (wild horses in the area). And immediately I do! They are drinking at a water hole close to the road. Magic.
We arrive in the evening. I feel sad being there, and glad. I get to see my cat. I feel a lot of fear – getting everything done, sorting things out. The flowers are abundant! All the calendula I had sewn to seedlings and planted in the garden were in full bloom, abundantly. The poppies were going, the garden was in full force. Millicent and I had sewn and looked after cabbage seedlings over the winter months, and now they were finally grown into large cabbages. Annika made them into Sauerkraut while I packed, sorted, threw away. The idea was to leave the next day. Yet Annika was bleeding and wanted to stay. I said Yes – if I have a held conversation with Jay. He said yes and I found a spaceholder. So we had a first held conversation. It was a start.
I realised how I had closed my heart to him and around his presence. I apologised for the expectations and resentments I had held against him. Something shifted. We stayed another few nights. We were unclear where to from there. Annika wanted to go back to Motueka. I wanted to go North. She agreed to come along to drive to Auckland, to visit Jo. We pack, say our farewell, and leave Ahi o Te Manawa to drive along the Western side of the Lake. I miss the turnoff and 40 minutes later we end up in Te Kuiti. We’re in search of a good reception to be able to handle a couple of Zoom calls. As we drive, we both hesitate. Is it really where we want to go? Let’s stop. I take my archetypal talisman necklace and use it as a pendulum. It is clear: Drive South.
So we have our Zoom calls in Te Kuiti and then drive back to Ahi o Te Manawa for another couple of nights.
We finally leave on Tuesday 12th, driving to Auckland and staying with Jo for a night at first which turns into two nights. We meet Sally and Alicia and Ines. And we hear of a horse place an hour North. Annika wants to go and gets an appointment for Thursday morning. I want to meet Lysa Black and it works out divinely that both of them are on our way.
While Annika gets her horse lesson, I lie down by the side of the paddock under a tree to sleep. In the early afternoon sun, I sleep deeply for an hour. It is deeply relaxing to my system to be on this land. Once awake, I join the horse lesson and see Annika move the horse magically just with her energy. I am intrigued.
Meeting Lysa is similarly powerful to meeting Ariana. This woman speaks straight to our beings from her dragon. I am reminded of the power of dreaming, and stepping into my own power.
Thursday afternoon, we head off towards Kerikeri.
Read about the next part of the journey here.