God's Country

New Zealand ...literally at world's end. It is a capital offence to be here for as short a trip as I am. 4 days is all I've given myself for this sector and the reason being... FIJI. Well hey, a tropical paradise (atolls, warm water, diving & surfing) wins every time.

My surfboard didn't turn up on arrival at Auckland Airport. It has since been found (apparently) I'll only know this for sure on Friday when I go back to the airport and try to pick it up for the next flight: Auckland - Fiji. Fingers crossed.

Ive been back in the west for just over 10 days now and the transition has been easy, in fact, far too easy. I suppose its not the old habits one forgets. Its the new ones created by the immediate environment that are the easiest lost. And that's scary.

I have been lucky. I've purposely faced myself with a number of small personal challenges on my return to the West which have not only given me true insight as to where I stand in terms of personal development but also shown me first hand the challenges I will meet in my immediate future and the choices I must make before being allowed to be influenced and seduced by the West.

This country is beautiful. I got the impression, flying in to land, that it was God's forgotten playground. I since learnt that it is sometimes referred to as God's Country so I guess I wasn't far off. The sea is beautiful, green & turquoise and the land reminiscent of Scotland. A stunning combination. From a plane in the sky above you can make out the drop offs and dips into the deep blue, truly magnificent.

I'm off to Fiji on Friday and I truly look forward to being back on a small tropical island. What do I miss most? Well, maybe a fresh coconut breakfast on the beach.....