March 29 I am incredibly thankful for a woman named Megan and her friend who took time out of their day to literally spend all day with us. Because of her I had the best time checking out some things outside of the hustle and bustle of a city that felt a little too much like home. The day started on a train. It was a fairly nice train station and was different than our usual days of walking. The ride was nice and reminded me a bit of a public bus ride. Nevertheless it was an experience I will remember. We disembarked the train in the town of Henderson and met up with Megan. She teamed up with her friend and they were willing to take us places that we probably wouldn’t have gotten to seen if it weren’t for her. First we went to her nieces’ net ball games and saw a little bit of what that was all about. It was interesting, basically it is similar to ultimate Frisbee and basketball combined into one game. There is no backboard on the basket making it more difficult to score. It was fun to watch and the keiki were kiuke in the way they played. It reminded me of my little cousin playing tee ball. After that we headed to the Arataki visitor centre somewhere in the mountains. The view from the top was astonishing. It over looked what appeared to be a reservoir and the ocean. It was very green and lush. I wish I could have just chilled out on the lanai and just relax. It was a wonderful experience and as I read a few exhibits I learned a thing or two as well. After that we went on a short hike into some forests that reminded me a lot of home. There was an abundance wildlife and it was evident that this place was taken care of. We got to see some of the native plants of Aotearoa and learned the names of a few of them. It was a fun hike and I had a good time. After we went mauka, we went down to the beach. It was a long windy road and it was kind of narrow but after all that we arrived at a beautiful beach called Piha. It was a little different than the beaches back home. First of all it was a large beach. Also the sand was super fine grain and darkish grey in color. It was a windy day but the sun brought warmth. I touched the water and initially I thought it was cold, but after a while it wasn’t that bad. There was a huge rock on one side of the beach and there was a staircase scaling the side of it. A few of us climbed it and got a birds eye view of the beach. When we came to the beach, it felt relaxing as if time just stopped and we could have stayed there all day. Although it was a little different than the beaches I am used to it was fun. After the beach we had even more adventures. Megan was going to take us to a friends house who sells pounamu and other jewelry representative of the Maori culture. We were able to go to her house and pick out some of the nicest pieces of art I have seen. The woman was so nice and she basically welcomed 12 strangers into her home. She displayed pure aloha and that’s a great example of how we should treat our guests in our own homes. Megan also took us out to a nice little ice cream shop and to the super market where we were able to buy a lot of candy. Next we all ate dinner together. Megan and her friend drove us all back into town along with their children and we had a nice dinner together and we were able to meet and converse with some kids our own age. Overall this day has been incredible. The hospitality that Megan and her family showed to us was an example for me of how all guests should be treated. I felt welcomed like I had known her for so long. I cannot thank them enough for the time they took to spend the day with us. I am extremely grateful that we were able to get together with them and have an absolutely amazing day. Keenan
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May 2015
CategoriesContributorsThe members on the Mālama Honua journey will maintain this area to document their experiences. |