New Zealand Weekly Update #26

Last updated on April 22, 2023

17th of April until 23th of April 2023

Approximate reading time: 10 minutes

Lets get it started

This time, Saturday is blogtime, since I am about to go for a two day hike from sunday morning on and won’t be able to write about the week at sunday morning with a coffee at my terrace. Anyway, it has been a quite busy week and it started with my 33rd birthday. And on that day, I realised, that I am in New Zealand for almost 6 months! Time is running. It feels like ages since I have left Germany, yet it feels like days and like I have just arrived. And I am still in love with this country, its landscape, its easygoing people, its energy. Even if you fight daily problems, struggles and try to overcome different challenges, it feels different on this island. Daily problems doesn’t seem that big, that important. Difficult situations seems less difficult here, less powerful. Life, mind, body and soul just feel different here. Better. More relaxed and focused.
Well, lets focus on the last week and what was going on in Aotearoa 🙂

Happy Birthday!

Monday, 17th of April, birthday time. A day I will never forget, since some special people made it very special to me. The day itself was quite normal, since I was working a little bit and enjoyed the day with a dog of a friend of mine outside in the sun. And in the evening, I met some friends of mine in town, of course at the best pub in town – Kai Whaka Pai. And Laura, a friend of mine which I’ve met at one of my canyoning trips weeks ago, was able to reserve a table for me since she is working as a duty manager for Kai Whaka Pai. Last week, we did the Earnslaw Burn Track together with her boyfriend Brendan.
So I moved into the pub to say Hi and she went around the bar to wish me the best for my birthday. And then, she gave me a little present, a little green bag with something inside. And after I hold it in my hand for a couple of seconds and realised what might be inside, my heart stopped beating for a second. It felt like a Pounamu, like Toki. And I opened the bag – and it was a Toki! A greenstone from New Zealand. Probably one of the best presents you could give to someone else.

For those who don’t know about Pounamu (Greenstones) – here some information for you guys:
Pounamu is a term for several types of hard and durable stone found in southern New Zealand. They are highly valued in New Zealand, and carvings made from pounamu play an important role in Māori culture.
To be gifted a piece signified much about the relationship between the giver and receiver. It was a way of showing a person how much you value and respect them, their word and your relationship with them. And this tradition of gifting pounamu as a symbol of our respect, admiration or love for another continues today.
There are different shapes of Pounamu, hence different meanings and energies.
I received a Pounamu „Toki“ (alsko known as „Adze)
Traditionally, Toki was used by Māori to cut and work timber for meeting houses and carvings. Because of the determination, control and strength required to skillfully use the Toki, it became a symbol of ability, power and authority. Ceremonial Toki were traditionally worn by Māori elders and Chiefs to signify leadership qualities.
May the Toki bring the wearer strength, courage and inspiration on their journey in life.

Well, to gift a pounamu to someone else is more than a gesture. It is a form of respect, love and gratitude as well. It shows, that you appreciate the person as he or she is. It shows, that this person plays a very important role in your life and to be gifted with a pounamu is still very special and meaningful. And I am very grateful to be gifted with a pounamu by Laura and Brendan since those two people are part of my Wanaka experience, my New Zealand experience and part of my good and unique memories. And I also recieved a birthday card from Laura and Brendan. „To Felix aka the most competetive MF I’ve ever met“ – Well, cheers for that Laura 🙂

Well, after some tears at the bar, we had some drinks, some really delicious pie from Sophie, a friend of mine and by 10pm, a swim in the lake (of course naked from now on 🙂 ). And we ended up at Anthony’s house with some more friends, some more drinks and some more music 🙂
Even though it has been the first birthday away from home, it has been a really special one. With some special people around me, some really, really special presents and some memorable memories. Thanks to all of you guys who made my birthday so special and unique!

Autumn Arrowtown

Day off on friday, so I decided to drive to Arrowtown with Anthony, the german guy (and yes, Anthony is definitely not a common german name but it is the way it is guys 🙂 ). Arrowtown is close to Queenstown, but a lot smaller. And it is a very special and nice little city by the river (Arrow river). And since Anthony is still having some trouble with his leg and needs to walk with his crutches, it is quite fortunate that Arrowtown is such a small city. So we walked around a little bit, had some coffee at a vine shop, where we met a friend of Anthony, and enjoyed the autumn vibe in this city. About 160 years ago, some people found some gold in the river closeby and hence more people settled down to make big money. This is why Arrowtown was founded and you can still see some kids from time to time trying to find some small gold nuggets in the river 🙂
Well, the city is really small and so we just spend our time walking around, having a second coffee, some food and enjoying the nice weather and the river with stunning autumn colors around. Whenever you are in New Zealand and in the area of Queenstown, take your time and visit Arrowtown, it is worth it a visit!

Wanaka – place of learning

Even though I am living in Wanaka for almost 6 months now, I never asked myself what Wanaka actually means. So I asked the internet.
And the answer is still catching me:
Wanaka is believed to be named after a chief, Ō-Anake or Ō-Anaka, but it may also be from the word Wānaka which is a South Island form of wānanga, meaning sacred knowledge or a place of learning. Residents changed the named from Pembroke to Wanaka in 1940. (if you want to know more about Wanaka, find your information here).
Place of learning.
Sacred knowledge.
This made me think. Made me think about the last 6 months.
About what happend.
About who I met.
About who left.
About who stayed.
And about which situations are in my mind when I think about Wanaka, about New Zealand, about my time in this country. And about all the topics I was thinking and writing. About how to deal with struggles. About our energy level. About our gut feeling. About the power of music. About depression. About past experiences. About supporting others and yourself. About the question „why not“. About regrets and important decisions. About our ego. About failing forward. About restarts. About stubborness. And about so much more.
And yes, I aggree. I totally aggree. Wanaka is a place of learning. A place that challenges you. A place that shows you who you are. A place that asks you who you want to be. Where you want to be. With whom you want to be. With what you want to deal. And what your own limits are.
Wanaka is a place, that supports you to find even more questions. More answers. More opportunities. A place where you can grow, if you want to. If you are ready for change. For inner change. For progress. And for growing.
Wanaka is definitely a magic place full of energy – a sacred place of knowledge and learning.

What else to say?

6 months of living in New Zealand. 6 months full of stunning nature (and of course 6 months of being at the lake with my kayak from time to time 🙂 ).
6 months full of new People.
New experiences.
Amazing moments.
Memorable moments.
Sad moments.
Challenging moments.
„Aha“ moments.
„I knew it“ moments.
„I should have known it better“ moments.
„What the fuck is going on“ moments.
„I am not giving in“ moments.
Full of „I want more“ moments.

And full of „I am not giving up“ moments. And in the end, full of good, unique and great experiences. Since every experience is a good and important one in the end – if you try to learn from it, to use it to grow and to be grateful also for the sad and terrible moments. Since they give us a chance to change. To reconsider. To get to know ourselves even better. And to decide who we want to be and with whom we want to be.

Guys, have a great week, enjoy the time with the people around you. Be grateful for the time you spend together. Show people that you appreciate that you appreciate them. Share with these people the most valuable thing you can give – your time!

Speak to you next week.
Your DingyInternational
Felix