Kiekie

The Tawharanui Peninsula was claimed as Auckland regional parkland many years ago. However, only recently has a concerted effort been made to make it into an open sanctuary -- a "mainland island." The landscape in the area could be said to resemble something of a microcosm of the geography of New Zealand's North Island. It incorporates the elemental joys of long, white sandy beaches, solid dune formations, rolling hill country, open paddocks, rich underwater vestiges, towering cliffs and lush, healthy native rainforest. That is only part of the magic of the place.

The park is located not far from the popular holiday home settlement of Omaha that is situated on the volatile Mangatawhiri Spit, and is barely a ninety minute drive away from Auckland -- but one wouldn't know it when one is there. For despite its relatively close proximity to the hustle and bustle of the city, Tawharanui feels as though it is as far away from anywhere as one can get. It helps that the side of the peninsula on which the camping ground is situated faces away from the city, out towards the alluring silhouette of Little Barrier Island.

Being there is an especially enjoyable experience when the wind is calm -- which allows one some relative peace and quiet in which to relax virtually unhindered -- as it indeed was from the morning of the twenty-fifth onwards. On that day the constant, disruptive tugging of the wind on the tent's Velcro window tabs and the whip-cracking sound of the ballooning roof finally ceased. It was a blessing. What little rain there was during the subsequent days was not an issue; if anything it was soothing. The absence of wind just seemed to slow the pace down so.

The dreams that I had during my periods of sleep at Tawharanui were vivid beyond description; of the sorts that stimulate long contemplative processes when one wakes up in the morning. Perhaps it was the no-doubt-therapeutic aural cocktail of the sounds of the bush and Pink Floyd and Sigur Rós that I listened to at bedtime that made me one very lucky oneironaut? Whatever the cause was, its effects also seeped over into my waking state. It's odd when one's restful daydreams begin to take on the almost psychedelic attributes of their nocturnal brothers and sisters.

Much like its counterparts in the Hauraki Gulf, the "island" of Tawharanui has thrived and blossomed into an oasis of hope near the humming heart of the increasingly industrialised nation state of New Zealand. It is a haven for all manner of creatures, including the New Zealand dotterel, the pukeko, paradise shellduck, morepork, oystercatcher, wood pigeon or kereru, tui, bellbird, snapper, stringray and bottlenose dolphin, and also humans. It is with exquisite sensual and spiritual experiences such as Tawharanui that the individual may replenish their sanity in the midst of an otherwise insane world.