Kia ora te Whānau
Tau Hou hari. Happy New Year. Like many people, Ben and I have this week returned from our summer holiday. We were in the Far North for some of our time away but managed to avoid crossing paths with the person who left managed isolation infected with COVID-19, unbeknownst to her or the health professionals and officials. It is good to hear that she is now recovered.
A long held wish of mine was to visit Cape Reinga or Te Rerenga Wairua, literally the ‘leaping off place of spirits’ in traditional Maori belief. According to Wikipaedia (and our tour guide) in Maori mythology the spirits of the dead travel to Cape Reinga on their journey to the afterlife to leap off the headland, climb the roots of the 800-year old pohutukawa tree (still there) and descend to the underworld to return to their traditional homeland of Hawaiki via the Te Ara Wairua, the Spirits pathway. At Cape Reinga they depart the mainland, they turn briefly at the Three Kings islands (which were clearly visible to us) for one last look back towards the land, then continue on their journey. It’s a beautiful place and I found it very moving to visit and pay our respects to all who travel there and appreciate it in earthy or spirit form.
In the picture you can clearly see where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. The day was unusually calm, we were told, so the meeting of the two waters seemed serene and graceful but can also be a dramatic and ferocious clashing of the two oceans. Things can change very fast – a metaphor for our times. It is a special place in Aotearoa, worth protecting and indeed, enhancing given it’s importance in Maori tradition. The area around the lighthouse is a marae and it would be great to see the local iwi able to welcome visitors on in the traditional manner. We were fortunate to have a guide who was able to tell us the local stories as we travelled with him.
After our pilgrimage to the Far North we are ready to start the year. It is already apparent that we will have to continue to be vigilant about COVID-19 during 2021 and the measures adopted to protect ourselves and our country. We all have a role to play – do don’t forget to scan or sign in, turn your Bluetooth on, wear a mask where necessary, and wash or sanitise your hands frequently.
On Monday Rev Dr Jim Cunningham begins his three month ‘supply’. We also will hold our first Parish Council meeting next week. During January Jules Collinson, who has been Rainbow Room Coordinator since April 2018, resigned. So we will begin the process to find a new Rainbow Room Coordinator shortly. And of course the Ministry Settlement Board is continuing its work to find a new Minister for our Parish.
In these up and down times, kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanu.
Lynne
