A beautiful life

Saturday after a night spent on a secluded section of the 90-mile beach, which a local Maori man personally led us to, we all piled in the car and drove 45 minutes along the sandy shore. I was sitting out the window gripping the frame while the window glass wedged my bum between window and panel. The 90-mile beach is a registered highway in NZ. It’s drivable during low tide or if you have 4-wheel drive…which we do not. Without getting stuck or pulled into the ocean we made our way down the “road” and ended in a small town where we treated ourselves to a fish and chips lunch before hitting the road again in search of hot springs.

We soaked ourselves until or flesh was white and shrivelled and darkness had set in, piled back in the car in search of a place to sleep. Reeking of sulphur gas (hot spring aroma) we drove over two hours before finding a campsite in the Kaori forest. The rate to camp was outrageously expensive (over $20 a person to sleep on the ground!). So five of us piled in one tent, two slept in the car, and we woke at the crack of dawn to pile back in our house on wheels before we had to pay.

Driving through windy roads that circled some of the oldest and majestic forests in the world (second only to California’s Redwoods), we caught glimpses of the ocean below, waves crashing against rocks that stood their ground for millions of years. The sun was bright and warmed my skin, reflecting rays off my outstretched arm. I grabbed handfuls of rushing wind and was slapped in the face by my wild hair. The car was cramped- I was crouched behind Katie because we were sharing one seat—and the reek of sulphur was pungent on my skin. My hair has begun to dread organically (sand, salt and no soap) and the sun has started to bleach me blond and brown my body. Yet I have never felt more beautiful. I think it’s the rush of freedom, which leaves all my cares and concerns for time and personal hygiene behind. I have no agenda to attend to, no appointments to remember, to schedule to adhere. I’m with great people and we are all loving life.