Winter Solstice

black swans at lake taupo with florian and jojo

Lake Taupo is the biggest lake in the southern hemisphere

This treasure is made of flax and just happened to be laying around..

Solstice time.

Everyone's candle

My Future.

Iris with our glow sticks

Lantern trail

Yesterday was the winter solstice and at Tauhara we held a festival. Kids from the local Steiner school came out with lanterns they made and walked around outside with them. We ate homemade pizza and didnt have to do dishes! Bless those Steiner parents. Once those little rascals left we had the real shabang which started with lighting of the candles in celebration of the return of the song. then the dances for universal peace began. We did the Kiwi take on singing Kumbaya around the camp fire, but it was Hallelujah around a star of candles while dancing in a spiral thing. It was weird but cool? The three Asian girls quickly exited after this.  German guy didn't even attend the beginning. I stayed because I knew some poetry was about to unfold. Patrick had been a trucker all his life and bam!- writing poems. Super rad. I totally shared my fav by Shel and it rocked. there was a cute couple who played the uke and bass and they did a few songs. And another lady who played the uke and guitar and her own songs which were so good! I thought she looked familiar and guess who it was. The lady who had been at Harmony Farm who came to have a jam session!! So crazy that we met up again! 

I met this lady from Iran who was the nicest! And she was into the peace dances man. Swayin and movin, girlfriend was feeling it. She went out of her way to really talk to me which was surprisingly nice, and just shared so much of her story with me. People here are like that though, they want to get to know you and what is happening in your life. Sometimes I think 'ok who are they fooling, this is unreal' but I think they are genuine. hopefully at least. I really connected with the lady Maria who is a complete gem, a professor at a university here and full of laughter. I saw her giving a tarot reading to someone and I have always been curious but felt it was sort of depressing thing. I asked her if I could watch her do one but she offered to give me one. It was an absolute positive experience. I'm not staking everything on it but yea it was rather accurate (though I suppose you could say that about a random horoscope reading..) and I like to think everything was true. But only time will tell and I didnt have to spend a large amount of money, so I am pleased.

The kids are planning a trip for tongariro crossing and i feel for them. They are out of their minds to be doing it at this  time of the year! I hope they make it! It makes me feel so glad I did it during the summer and was mostly prepared for it. I will be lonely when they leave because then it will just be me here. Crossing my fingers someone else will show up!!