I don't know

Since Ngatimoti, I have traveled north to the Coromandel Peninsula once again. I spent the last two weeks at a Permaculture Design Workshop where I learned all about how to live sustainably and with as little impact as possible. Permaculture is a huge topic, so we only just scratched the surface of possibilities in a two weeks. To put it simply, permaculture is about finding ways for humans and the environments to exist and benefit from one another. I made great friends, Tom and Lein, who I hope to see again. After leaving the workshop, I came to Whitianga where I am now staying at the Freedom Farm. A wonderful group of people who have come together to practice and spread peace. They are truly an embassy of peace and i feel that I have always been a supporter- an ambassador of peace. I met an amazing man named Joshua, who I had heard much about over the last few months, and am inspired just by being around him. In my journal I wrote, "Joshua: intense light, massive presence but effortlessly flowing, navigating with ease. he walked right past the ticket man at an A's game- no questions asked- and tells me that kind of thing is easy. "what's really hard," he says," is mending a broken heart. that's tricky" somewhere i'm scared of him. he reminds me "our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond belief" he reflects the part of me that is pure love, greatness, hard work, and peace. But i don't like to look at that part of me. it demands full dedication, and yet i hesitate.
then this poem:

Who am I?
I am the boy who goes into town to but chips because I like that greasy, full feeling
I am the boy who didnt eat for 10 days and eats fruits and nuts
I am the boy who is shy around great musicians who are willing to share and teach
I am the boy who sings his heart song ont he corner of a city block.
I am the boy who needs a computer with internet to feel connected
I am the boy who plays guitar around a campfire and looks into others eyes and feels connected
I am the boy who needs the jarring stimulation of a hustling, bustling city to feel
I am the boy who sits quietly in the woods and feels at home
I am the boy who shrinks in fear
I am the boy who lives in greatness

it's been a while!

so much has happened in the last few weeks, a lot of ups and downs. I travelled down the west coast of the south island with a wonderful man named Bernie. He lives in sunclubs and nudist colonies, so he and i often got naked and went swimming or dancing or just chillin in the sun- full monty... I stayed with him a few days and he drove me all the way to dunedin where i met up with marshall anderson, a friend from UPS. We celebrated St Patty's day with some college folks in Dunedin. Then I headed dwon to Ivercargill and Stuart Island where I did a week of trail work on the Rakiura Trek. Flying in helicopters and taking water taxis to and from work was really exciting and a nice reward for all the hard work we did on the trail. Three 20-year old guys picked me up while hitching to Queenstown. They invited me to join their birthday celebration and so I partied with them and stayed in a really nice hotel that night. Then I headed further north to Wanaka and along to West Coast all the way up to Golden Bay. Spent a few days in a community called Rainbow Valley. I stayed with another German traveller there with whom I had great conversations and enjoyed discussing sprituality and the universe. Then I randomly met up with some Americans I had met earlier in my travels and we ended up going to a FUll Moon Festival near Motueka. After dancing the whole night and watching the moon set and sun rise, I went to find a family that I had heard about but didn't know much about. I hitched to there house in the eveing and they welcomed me right into their family and I have been here for a week now. This place is magical. The location, the community, and the work (if you can call it work) is inspiring, fulfilling... and I can't begin to justly describe the amazingness of this place. This family is so in-tune with the environment and truly open and mindful of a greater spirit. It is such a relief to be in a place like this, I want to share it with the whole world!

Cosmosis Full Moon Music Festival!

Let my words unwind the mystery
unlock the doors
and set us free
for this is the tale of my adventures
and how i came to be
steadily flowing
not shining, but glowing
this freedom feeling
so ripe as the day breaks to morning
let rythm run deep
and into your soul it will seep
nowhere to be but here with this breath
each moment
in streams of time
bonfire illumination
diamonds in the sky
and the moon!
oh bella luna...
your snake eyes in the night
bring me high to you
rainbows around the world
lets come together and love
far and wide
deep and permeable
eternal in truth.

Island Adventures

South Island

after hitch-hiking down to the south island, i am now staying with Andrew and Melisa who grow/sell flowers and raspberries here in Blenheim. I hope to amke it down to christchurch, dunedin, and then back up to golden bay in the next month. then ill head north again for the winter- where hopefully it will be a little bit warmer! hoping to work for a permaculture workshop in may and then sit another vipassana mediation course and do some more service at the center in helensville

Goodbye Mangawhai, Kia Ora Coromandel!

As per the request of my loving and caring father, I shall provide some narrations of recent events and my current whereabouts.
I lived in a stone house. Originally built as a milking shed, it has been restored as an accommodation for visitors on this farm. It was quaint, cozy, and old-school. I read by candle light and ate local fruits and veggies. In exchange for for meals and a place to stay, I worked a few hours on the property. I scraped paint off old Kauri planks, did some planting and gardening, and built a footpath through the woods to a waterfall. Healthy, sustainable agriculture and "permaculture" will no doubt be a focus of my life. I believe that learning to function off-the-grid and support oneself through small scale farming and local community cooperation will be crucial as the food industry, politics, and world-wide ignorance become more and more out of hand. As I learn more about this way of living, I am excited to share this knowledge and lifestyle with my family and the rest of the world.
The beach wasn't far away, so sometimes we would head down to the check out the surf. I spent a few afternoons busking at local markets, and usually make enough to buy some chocolate! Kiwis are generally pretty friendly and I often strike up conversations with listeners.
As I work, sing, or just simply the stars, I wonder where I will go and what I will do in my lifetime. I feel privileged for the freedom and opportunities in my life. I am realizing that the spiritual ideal of true freedom is entirely possible and ready for anyone to experience. The only thing stopping us from being eternally happy, peaceful, and liberated is... ourselves. As fun, exciting, helpful, or pleasant as worldly activities may seem, I seek something beyond them. I feel my addictions and attachment to this world so strongly and am noticing how often they rule my life; it is difficult to work through them to maintain any kind of awareness. Even after observing hunger during a fast, my desire to over-eat and consume, consume, consume is astonishingly powerful- often overwhelming. But I always try to move forward with a positive attitude, knowing this all will change.
I am now in the Coromandel, where I will be living at a retreat center. Last night, after playing music at a cafe and jamming with some musical folks, I met up with Donna and Lee Bost. They treated me to dinner and we toured the peninsula together. It was great to see them again! Thanks Donna and Lee!

Tramping with Panache

I've left the Land's farm and headed down south to Mangawhai Heads. For the last few weeks I've stayed with a family I met at a farmer's market. Craig and Gabrielle buy/sell organics, and while I stayed there I learned a lot about the effects of what you put in your body. Eating organic, fresh food makes me feel light and full or energy- something I guess I knew, but never really made the effort to practice. I also learned about cleansing the body, through fasting and other ways of removing the physical blockages that build up in our bodies from the time we start consuming food. I spent 10 days fasting on the beach and tried a liver cleanse, too. Now I am headed back to the Vipassana center where I will serve a course. Then... who knows?!