Te Kohanga 2013

I planned to go to Te Kohanga, otherwise known as Castle Hill for the Matariki new moon. This was my first visit to this sacred place, that is about an hour out of Christchurch.

Christchurch

June 8, Flying from Auckland to Christchurch, arriving at 1.45pm. Firstly went to stay with a fellow artist, Robyn Webster, and her partner, a sculptor, the late Llew Summers. Llew had built the house in Mt Pleasant, where they were living, and it is a beautiful art piece in itself. The house, is also called ‘Castle in the Sky’, is built over seven levels. It was good to spend some time with them, and in their house full of art. They happened to be hosting a house concert that evening, so I didn’t have to go far to hear some eclectic local music by candlelight.

June 9, on the next part of the journey to see and hear the teachings of the Dalai Lama at CBS Arena, at 10am. I don’t know what happened in there, but afterwards I felt really good. And was practically skipping along the street with my travel bag. I noticed the audience afterwards felt considerably ‘lighter’. It was in a big stadium and you could see him sitting with the other monks who travel with him, and then there was a big screen behind him. An Explanation of the Four Noble Truths and a Public Talk.

Springfield

Then I caught a bus to Springfield, and stayed at the YHA Springfield, the staff were very friendly. The fire was going there, as it was a cold wintry evening. There is a large donut sculpture sitting in the town, as the Simpsons producers send one to all the Springfield towns around the world! I was on my way the next day to Te Kohanga.

Te Kohanga

10 June – A New Moon with Matariki – beautiful day – I was there for five hours.

The next morning I was booked in for an early pick up from Springfield. A shuttle van got me to the area of Flock Hill, the driver dropped me off on the roadside and Castle Hill was before me.

When I arrived there was a blanket of fog, looked amazing, my first views of Te Kohanga. It was quiet and still, no one else around, and also quite cold. I looked like I was in the movie Vigil when I arrived as I was all rugged up. The fog lifted later and the sun came out to visit, so it got really warm.

In 2002, the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, visited. He described this unique place as ‘the Spiritual centre of the Universe’. He reportedly at the time, didn’t resonate with the energy of Christchurch, and was drawn instead to the boulder field at Castle Hill.

If your not a fan of rocks then look away, as there are lot here…

The Waitaha called the area ‘Te Kohanga’ or ‘birthplace of the Gods’. It had astronomical significance as a key ‘observatory’ for the coming weather predictions. Many of the population migrated from the coast in summer. Supporting this role, and tending the sacred vegetable of the kumara. The limestone geology was seen as ancestors, and sacred due to the eons of creatures whose remains had built up the rock since ancient times.

“Within these high mountain ramparts stood the greatest school of learning in the land and maybe in the world. Here, the old lore, the most sacred knowledge of all, was taught and stored. Here Waitaha placed their cosmology, their understanding of creation, for all who visited to see and record.”

‘In Search of the Southern Serpent’
by Hamish Miller & Barry Brailsford

The light language is now flowing out, and there were lots of songs too. As I had started speaking it that year, with singing in my everyday when I walk down the street. With LL coming forth in certain places, I also spent a lot of time in the sun with different rocks, and really felt the energy there. Lying on these rocks, felt like a recharging in a way and I felt somewhat energised after my time spent surrounded by these sacred rocks and tones they hold.

There was one rock on the left hand side entering, that I could sense quite strongly – the same size as all the others really. And then the clearing later – with rocks in a circle – lots of mahi around the outside – bringing voice/toning, and sitting and standing in certain areas.

The energy at Castle Hill is what I would imagine Lemurian energy to feel like. On my travels there have been two other places that I have felt this same energy, Castle Lake at Mt Shasta, and Amaru Muru in Peru. For some reason these three places, held the same energy for me. It is a peaceful energy.

Before going to Castle Hill I had read ‘Sunshine before the Dawn’ by Judy Satori, also in this book is written about Lemuria and the significance of Te Kohanga. Gary Cook speaks about it on facebook here

Stayed the night at Springfield Backpackers again, by the fire. A bird flew ahead of me for ages walking along the road when I was walking afterwards. It was beautiful, it was an amazing day, and I only saw two or three people from afar all day.

Christchurch

The next day I bussed back to Christchurch, and stayed the night at Dorset Backpackers. The next day with a walk around Christchurch city, a city that was shaken by an earthquake on Feb 22, 2011. Spaces that are being reclaimed. A city that has felt so much. Reconstruction and remembrance in the form of art. There was interesting types of construction happening, one such remembrance in the form of a cardboard cathedral.