SEA SPRAY

A SMALL WONDER OF SUMMER

Watching the sea spray along the esplanade, each plume hung in the air, for just a moment.

Every seventh wave creating a gushing roar and a clap against the wall that ends in an unexpected showering of salt droplets. 

I cannot help but laugh when I am soaked by the spray. 

---

“I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way, where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.”

— John Masefield

ROSES

“It was roses, roses all the way.”

— Robert Browning

My grandmother always grew roses, and in our own small garden there were several shrubs of small pink roses. I liked to pick the petals off each one, gathering them in my hand, fingers closed, until I had an abundance and I could throw them up in the air like pink confetti. 

The saying goes: take time to smell the roses, and although it is an overused cliché, there may still be wisdom in that advice. For, we may always find pleasure in a rose garden.

For instance, the Italians of the Renaissance, the French Impressionists, and the English gardener's of the Victorian era all took time to smell the roses; planting them in vast gardens that were separated from the traditional herb and vegetable plots, where flowers were grown for a medicinal purpose.

These jardins d'agrément, or gardens of pleasure, were created simply to be enjoyed - for walks, for picnics, for paintings and happy meetings, for ornament and sweet perfumes, and for the delight of all that looked on them. In those days, a rose garden was a retreat, where one could take tea, listen to music, and watch the play of light and shade over the flowers. 

A ROSE Spell

to bring oneself closer to nature

If one wishes to become closer with nature, and to enjoy a few moments of beauty, then this is a charming ritual to undertake. 

- Go into a garden, and walk in meditation, slowly gathering the petals of one large and two small purple roses, then endow these with the light of the moon by placing them on your windowsill at night. It is a lovely thing to do, to say a quick hello to the moon while you are doing so. 

- Then take one scoop of fresh snow, or of spring water, and place the rose petals into a glass jar along with your snow or water. Place this in the sun in the afternoon, while basking in the warmth alongside them.

- Finally, use your rose petal concoction to make a herbal tea or a bath, letting the hot water release all the sweet perfumes of the crushed petals. 

TE WAIKOROPUPŪ SPRINGS

LIQUID CRYSTAL

Through the forests of Takaka flow an abundance of waters, all underground, making their way towards the sea and carrying with them the energy of life. Yet, in one small area of the forest the waters bubble up into beautiful springs, creating an aquatic wonderland. These are te Waikoropupū Springs.

The waters of these springs are so very clear, that visibility can be measured at up to sixty-three metres, making this some of the clearest water in the world. Looking down into the springs, one can see all kinds of grasses, seemingly close enough to reach out and touch. However, these plants are actually bobbing about six metres below the crystal clear surface. 

Dive down into the springs, and you would find an underwater forest: long tendrils of red grasses, golden aquatic pillow weeds, pasture weeds and forest mosses swaying in the moving waters, delicately framed by rays of light, which perfectly reflect the whole scene onto the roof of the springs above. 

If you swam a little further through the forest, you would find the Dancing Sands, where over 14,000 litres of water rise from the dunes of the floor every second, creating small vents where the sand seems to shimmer in the water. 

SACRED SPRINGS

In such a beautiful place, with its impossibly clear water and dancing sands, it is easy to feel the magic of the earth. The local Māori people have long known that te Waikoropupū Springs are home to a female taniwha, a water spirit, who is both brave and wise. For this reason, the springs have been called waahi tapu - a sacred place - and they are used for healing, and ceremonial purposes.

The magic of the place is very visible, if one looks closely... Each visitor seems reverent of the springs' beauty, and in some sections, people have woven flax fronds into beautiful shapes as a kind of gift to the area.

In such special places, I try not to disturb the delicate balances of ecology and spirituality by swimming without permission. Instead, it feels simply wonderful to pick up on the pure energies of life flowing through the area, and to feel a sense of gratitude for the miracle of H2O... water.

WILD WATER

Further down from the springs lies the sea, only four-hundred metres away. Here, the sacred spring waters meet those of the vast ocean...