My big kids have been in touch to say they had a lovely new year. We left them house and cat sitting back in Auckland. They’re both older than I was when I left home and started my new life in Aotearoa, and they’ve grown up to be kind humans who generally make pretty good choices. It’s fabulous.

Daniel had a few friends over and Steph got off her shift a little before midnight and wandered down to watch the fireworks display off the sky tower with her work friends.

I will go ahead and assume the cats also had a lovely time, as most days are good days for our two spoiled rescue kitties.

My husband and I saw the new year in exactly as we intent to see most days in. Gently. Drama free. Filled with gratitude.

It’s the first Monday of 2023 and I’ve been awake since 5:30am as is often the case. A hot bath is run, and there’s kaka and tui making a huge and welcome racket at the open window here in Rakiura, which is the southernmost settlement in Aotearoa. We love it here. There’s no room for pretention or flexing. People live a slower more purposeful life in tune with nature and the seasons.

We came here between lockdowns for the first time some years ago and it’s quite unlike anywhere on earth. We keep coming back as we are guaranteed some forest bathing, beautiful dawn choruses from the many birds, and quite a lot more exercise than we are used to back in Tamaki Makaurau.

Our last trip here we stumbled across a local artist’s gallery on our walk through the bush on our way back from Ulva island. She’s now a world famous up and coming artist. I have some of her original pieces that I keep meaning to get framed and they’ve made it as far as the car but never quite to the actual framers, so that’s a job for this year and I will share them with you in a blog. Shortly after we met her she shone bright as a morning star on an episode of the iconic Hyundai Country Calendar. That episode has brought people to the island and to her gallery, success she takes in stride and wears like a boss. She’s something truly special. Most importantly to me though, she’s just an incredible witchy goddess soaked to the bone with grace, beauty and magic that is entirely unique to someone as connected to a place like this as she most certainly is. A flying visit yesterday reminded me just how wonderful she truly is, but also how blessed I am to have her and a handful of incredible goddesses in my life in 2023 after years of getting kicked when I was down and being surrounded by the wrong people.

Today, for the most part, I am just really happy.  I deeply and genuinely wish the same for you beloved reader.

I am absolutely not ready to leave this magic island after three days with my beautiful, gentle, adoring husband. But a few more days adventuring here in the deep south before heading home to our friends, the kids, the cats and the farm is a wonderful way to welcome what I intend to be a gentle, meaningful, and magical year.

Ka kite.

Thanks for reading.