Heaven in Wainui Bay

Wainui Bay - Mohua

I spent easter at the Tui Community in Wainui Bay. Wow - talk about relax. It could have been the lack of car and city noises, replaced by birdsong. It could have been the untouched native bush absolutely teeming with insects and life, or it might have been the friendly weka that lives beside the house. Maybe the adobe home, with no straight lines, warm in winter and cool in summer, designed to capture the sunlight and be at one with the land. Or perhaps it was the organic freshly grown food or the general vibe of a group of people with common goals and aspriations. I feel inspired. Tui isn't perfect but it is a lot closer to it than the way many of us live.

We can learn the lessons from communities like these, and add our own learning from runaka and marae. Because that was the big missing area for me, Maoritanga, Kai Tahutanga. You can feel the histories close by. There is very little gap/veil between the past and today out there. The voices are still there, our voices are still there.

Our communities, on our land, in our way, for us. That is my goal and dream.