I wrote the paragraph below on 6 Feb 2023 (WOA POST 4) after finishing my Walk of Aotearoa (WOA) a second time. Over 18 months later in August 2024 , we are seeing increasing hostility in the World. The current Israel/Palestine conflict, Russia/Ukraine/Nato conflict which is increasing. Climate change is increasing. Social disorder is increasing. And more.. These hostile embers could ignite a Global Chain of Devastation. Here is what I wrote..

“In next decade 2023-2033 I believe increasing climate storms with advancing weapons of technology may see parts of Earth become Red Planet (Mars). Red dustbowls devoid of life. We must regreen the life force of the planet to support next gen evolution. Restore thin blue line around Earth. Reduce human conflict chain detonations. Conscious coexistence without needing to bomb the shit out of each other. Again we all gotta do our own inner work. Work it out. Walk it in. I believe that here in Aotearoa NZ, we can become the Peace Arc of the Pacific. The World. Ancient peaces of memory still lie deep in the stone here. The bone. Lol. Just my opinion. Again you gotta dig down. Bring it up for these times”.

The message is one that I still continue to voice louder. Become a Good Sol. A Spiritual Soldier. Not a Military Combatant serving Unethical Political Leadership. You lose your soul committing war crimes and genocide in the name of freedom and democracy. Its not about an uniform and a rank. We must walk it out. Walk it in. Leave behind the old story. Carry forth the wisdom. Lets not bomb ourselves into extinction. Lets evolve. You and me have to do the inner work first. Then we walk it out into the world. Just my opinion.

WOA POST 4
I finished my Walk of Aotearoa in final week of January 2023 at Far North Cape Te Reinga. Also known as Te Rerenga Wairua. A highly sacred place where the spirits of our beloved deceased depart Aotearoa.

This was my biggest test arriving at this place of spiritual departure. The actual walk was secondary in my opinion. I had carried a special blue spherical stone representing a rejuvenated Mother Earth Papatuanuku from Awanui Bluff in South all the way to the North. Bathed it in the special rivers and lakes of Aotearoa as I passed through. I had to take it down to the lone Pohatukawa Tree and place it in the underwater cave where the spirits depart. Would I stay in this World of Living or continue onto The Spirit World? The moon was in Tangaroa a Roto half moon phase so I waited till low tide in order to cross the deep rock canals around the headland to reach the lone Pohutukawa tree called Moerua (also called Aroha according to a NgatiKuri informant) at furthest headpoint. I did karakia prayer at the tree, ka tangohia oku kakahu (undressed) and went to the opening of the underwater cave at the rock edge visible through the surging ocean and sea kelp. I said another prayer and dropped the blue spherical stone into the cave. Suddenly a large wave rose out of the ocean and swept me off the rocks down into the water. Everything happened so fast that I thought it was my time to go. But then another wave threw me back on to the rocks on to my hands and knees.. I held onto the rocks for dear life.. the blood from my grazed shins mixing with the sea water in little pools on the rocks… I recovered my breath, calmed my beating heart and gave thanks that I was still here. I got dressed quickly and returned to the mainland as the weather suddenly changed and the rain and wind came down

Near the top of the main hill, I lit a small fire and I burnt my old hat from my previous walk in 2017. Other stuff that needed to go. New beginnings. New story 2023. Slowly made my way back to Auckland. Picked up my small campervan. Now just resting. Reflecting.

Although I have now walked Aotearoa twice (Nth to Sth 2017, Sth to Nth 2022 ).. My WOA Path still continues.. To be a good soul who walks the earth.. we all can do this.. blessings to all of you.. Thank you..

WOA POST 3
My current Walk of Aotearoa (WOA) Post is that I have finished the South Island. Roughly walked last 50days at 20-25km/day.. about 1000km. Cross over Interislander Ferry Picton to Wellington 30 Nov 22. Meet few peeps in Wellington. Rest and then move on up North Island.

Some observations.
The South Island is full of colonial names. Names like Glenorchy, Dunedin, Cromwell, Brunner, Duntroon, Shanodadh, Mesopotamia, Wye, Buller, St Anaud. I believe Anaud was a French General in Crimean War. Nelson named after Lord Nelson. Wellington after Duke of Wellington.

Many memorials to the Boer War, WW1 and WW2 in small South Island towns. The popular military myth is that the ANZAC (Aust NZ Army Corps) legend was forged on the shores of Gallipoli, Turkey during WW1. Nah. BS. Half century before WW1, Australian Regimental Troops joined NZ Colonial Troops and British Imperial Forces to fight the Maori Resistance here on the shores of New Zealand during Waikato-Taranaki Wars 1860-1880s when Governor Grey was ordered to crush Maori resistance, regardless of the signed 1840 Waitangi Treaty with Queen Victoria. Same thing happened in America in 1880s with Sioux massacre at Wounded Knee, the pursuit of Geronimo and Apache people and the invasion and removal of Queen Leilani of The Sovereign Nation of Hawaii by US Marines in 1893. USA, UK, AUS, NZ quick to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine and annexing Crimea. Look in your own historical backyards first.

My Own Military March. (Past to Present).
I have visited every major battle site in NZ from the New Zealand Wars starting Northern Wars, Waikato Wars, Taranaki Wars, East Coast Wars, Wellington Wars and South Island Wars. In 1993, I was Captain ADC to Governor-General. Helped introduce Maori military roles into NZ Royal protocols. Assisted with NZArmy-Ngati Tumatauenga formation in 1994. Changing NZ Army Coat of Arms to Crossed Sword and Taiaha. Small but symbolic step. Did my masters on Maori warfare strategies. Started my PhD but I needed these last 30 years to see my own evolution from military to spiritual warrior. I have carried a flag of nearly 1000 Maori Battalion soldiers in these last 10 years to remind me. This is my Walk of Ahau (WOA) Path. My inner walk.

Future Wars of Aotearoa.
In next decade 2023-2033 I believe increasing climate storms with advancing weapons of technology may see parts of Earth become Red Planet (Mars). Red dustbowls devoid of life. We must regreen the life force of the planet to support next gen evolution. Restore thin blue line around Earth. Reduce human conflict chain detonations. Conscious coexistence without needing to bomb the shit out of each other. Again we all gotta do our own inner work. Work it out. Walk it in. I believe that here in Aotearoa NZ, we can become the Peace Arc of the Pacific. The World. Ancient peaces of memory still lie deep in the stone here. The bone. Lol. Just my opin. Again you gotta dig down. Bring it out for these times.

WOA PATH – Post 2
As I mentioned prev post, WOA is the acronym for my WALK OF AOTEAROA a second time. Using Maori pronunciation, WOA sounds like the english word WAR. Yes, one does experience conflict as one walks the length of this country New Zealand Aotearoa. Using both names New Zealand and Aotearoa for this country raises differences and preferences. Yet this walk is also about the inner WALK OF AHAU (Self) and the spiritual WALK OF ATUA (Spiritual Presence).

WOA (AHAU) Path insight. Track yourself daily. Both physically and internally. Your daily thoughts are like footprints across the inner terrain of your mind. Review your choices of path. Lift your prevailing thoughts up to the mountaintops of your higher mind. Bathe in the refreshing winds and see expansive views of the braided rivers and valleys yonder. Stay there before you come back down to roadworks, meetings and delays on your daily mental commute. Let not manmade constrictions and anxieties of this 2022 World deplete the flow of your lifeforce. An inner state of calm versus the chaos of the outer world. Not always easy.

Couple days ago, I camped at Castlehill, Kura Tawhiti, the ancient gathering place with huge boulders near Arthurs Pass, South Island. To be in the presence of these Elemental Elders is a humbling experience. To sleep in a small cave shelter with the moon shedding its silvery luminous glow over landscape. Different to the bright sunlight of day. More mystery, less visibility. Need both in our lives. Less doing, more being. Less worrying, more faith. Less reaction, more compassion.

Heading into Arthurs Pass yesterday, I used a bridge on Hwy 73 to avoid crossing a river. The bridge was about 30m long, one lane old construction. I was about halfway across, ambling like a packhorse with my pack with high vis cloth markers tied on. When a big 18 wheeler freight truck with trailer comes up behind me and starts beeping his horn. FFS. I am nearly across the bridge when I stop, turn around and face the truck. Driving man with 20 tonne freight truck versus walking man with 20kg pack standing middle of road. Cmon big truck driver. What gonna do? Run me over. Yeah right. The big truck stops. I make a gesture with my hand to the driver slow down, calm down. The bridges and roads will soon be yours again. I then move to the side of the road kerb and waved him on. His face and body language was not friendly, compassionate. He probably cursed me for interrupting 20 seconds of his right to the bridge and highway. It saved me maybe 10-20 mins climbing over fences, crossing water, avoiding wet boots and then finding an exit. Maybe I carry a orange roadcone next time. Traffic stops for them. The truck driver annoyed me but I soon walked it off. Focus my thoughts on more energising ones. Feel the cool Alpine wind on my face. Count the snowy mountain peaks. Admire Waimakariri River Valley. Walk it out. Walk it in. Reset.

Small steps add up over time. Each day, step onto a new path. One with a heart. Walk your own WOA Path.

Nga mihi nui.
Hirini

Kia ora tatou, greetings
I am rewalking Aotearoa New Zealand a second time. Started in early Oct 2022 at bottom of South Island, Awanui (Bluff). Walking north to finish at Cape Te Reinga around late Jan 2023. Walking south to north this time. About half way through the South Island right now.

5 years ago in 2017, I walked New Zealand from north to south. About 2200km in about 100 days.

Reasons for walking. The original reasons still remain from 2017. Climate resilience, national character building and peaceful coexistence beyond the current global warfare tensions. Things may have worsened in last 5 years with climate change combined with post-covid impact, increasing cost of living and escalating global conflict. So I walk both highway and natural backcountry to provoke both reactions and curiosity from people working and driving by. People ask me. Why are you walking this long Southland stretch of road? Why are you walking Aotearoa? I just keep my answers simple and relevant to what I feel they are asking.

As I walk, I am also doing my methodology for a PhD titled “The WOA Path”.

The First WOA Path is WALK OF AHAU (Self). The inner journey of myself. Walking the topography of one’s inner being. The mountains, the rivers, the wilderness within us. The walk of life from our first breath to our final gasp. Each breath, each step. A walking prayer as our native American cousins call it. Te Hokau Hau, The Walking Breath in Maori.

The Second WOA Path is THE WALK OF AOTEAROA. Walking the wilderness and the wastage of Aotearoa NZ. Seeing the beauty of Southern Alps. Snow capped mountains. Then the misery of dead rivers, algae and deforested hillsides. Housing developments. Pollution and rubbish. Bitumen road kerbs full of dead bees, worms, insects, birds killed by vehicles. Essential to the eco-system these tiny toilers of nature whose increasing death is contributing to soil dieback, river dieback, forest dieback eventually human dieback if we do not start reweaving the dying web of life.

The Third WOA Path is THE WALK OF ATUA (The Divine Presence). One becomes aware of the spiritual, divine presence that exists beyond our daily reality. It can be the kind person who stops to give me money or water. Or a glorious mountain peak reflecting the red dawn sunlight momentarily. Or finding dry shelter in nick of time before a rainstorm breaks overhead. Or feeling the presence of ancestors as you witness old rock paintings or places of spiritual significance. You also realise you do not need a lot. What you can carry in a pack on your back. And the walk starts each day with the first step. And the haa breath. It is both a spiritual stride and physical step you make.

The Ancient Spiral of Hawaiki. Ancient consciousness is also awakening on the planet right now. The ancestral continent of many names Mu, Hawaiki Nui, Hawaiki Loa, Hawaiki Mamao, LeMuria and more is being rebirthed and reearthed into the amniotic waters of the planet. The Ocean of Peace where life gestates before berthing onto the land surface of the planet. Surrounded by the Placenta of Fire (Volcanic Ring of Fire that surrounds the Pacific Ocean.

Tenei Au,
Tenei Ahau
Ko te hokai nuku
Ko te hokai rangi
Ko tenei WOA
E pakanga nei ahau
He Rau Aroha
He Mu i Ora
Ka Ao Ka Awatea

Notes written from attending International Peace Course at The Gandhi Research University, Jalgaon India during January 2020. Attended by invited students from all over the World. Asia, Europe, America, Africa, Pacific and New Zealand.

Build Own Ashram.
Gandhi built his own ashram or place of truth. His own sanctuary where he lived and practiced his beliefs. His own vows of behaviour. Hard physical labour. Clean living. Spiritual practice. One must build one’s own temple. No different to a marae, a mosque, a monastery. All can be considered as places of inner reflection. Spiritual growth. It does not have to be huge or elaborate. Start small and simple. But first, you must rebuild yourself from inside-out. Once your inner house is reset. Then you can build your ashram around it.

Satyagraha 2020
Satyagraha was Gandhi term for “following your truth”. So I must find my own truths. What? You are here to be A Disciple of Self.  To stand for your truth. To stand in your truth. To remove what restricts you. Remove what is not you. Reveal the Guardian Spirit. Build Moral, Intellectual, Physical strength to do right thing. Deal with discomfort. Imperfection. Inconvenience. Incompletion. Fuckups. Old corpses. Old shit. Wipe away. Reset. Move on. Find your own Way. The Way of Aiokoa

Daily Karakia Practice.
Physical. Spiritual. Natural. Physical movement. No movement. The Space Between Heartbeats. Feel your own Pulse.

Kore. Find your Own Natural Way. Integrate your own movements. Own kata. Haka your Self Philosophy. Your Code of Ethics. Inside this Climate World.  Clearing Purifying the Polluted Soul.

Tahi Ahau..
Sweeping The Self. Clearing Self. Forgiving Ill-Thoughts. Ill-Words. Ill Deeds. Ancestral lineages. Celestial. Terrestrial. Elemental blockages. Purification.

Breath Walker
Growth is the new measure. Goals are just steps. Step into your body one month, one year from now with goals achieved. How have you grown? Walk into new body of being. Reset. Regrow. Walk forward again. Breathe in Time. Will this crisis bother you in one year? Will this deed be remembered in one year? At the end of your life? Pleasure and Pain. The Duality of Existence inside the One Experience. Breathe. Count to 10 before telling someone to fuck off. Walk 10 paces before turning around. Reaction control. Unless being attacked. Danger. Move now. Know difference between fear and danger. Know difference between love and truth. Not all love is sweetness. Love can hurt like shit. Some medicine can be bitter. But it kills the virus full stop.

Haa Whenua
Rebirth. Rebreath. Renew. The Awakened Heartbeat. First Result. First Sanctuary.  A New Breath of lIfe.

Use this time wisely. Go inside to recultivate yourself. This is Your Inner Temple. Dojo. Ashram. Mosque. Marae…. You share this inner food with the outer world.

The wild flowers of an exuberant soil. Jubilant song of the winged ones. Life rejoices. A new light is found.

I say this again, most people not ready to be unplugged from the current system. Yet they are not ready to be plugged into their own power system. But Climate Change is coming. Weather Bombs falling. So we must lead ourselves on the Exodus. This is Aio Koa. Disciple of Self.

You must awaken your sleeping seed. The wildflower is the illumination of your being. So you must cultivate yourself with steady hand and loving heart. Your mind must be open to the great wonders of creation. Yet you can still be a prick. Yes a little prick and the beautiful rose are all one existence. The human being is like an organic atom inside an atomic bomb. Just like there are so many atoms packed into the atomic bomb, there is so much energy packed into the individual human being.

First, you need to be stable, grounded and ready. Or you could blow yourself up. Next you need to be able to activate your own internal system of power. Turn yourself up safely. Next you must trust your own intuition and your own intelligence in order to guide you on this discovery of your own transformation. 

There have been experiences where you have felt incredible strength, clarity, and insight inside this Life. You might have had 10 times your normal strength. You might have walked 10 times your normal distance. Without water or food or even sleep. These are examples when you have been accessing your deep reservoirs of energy. What we are doing it now is activating it consciously. Become a bomb exploding with the fullness of life. Is not a field of blossoming flowers an explosion of the senses?

Whatever your drama is right now, it is just one reality of your life. It is not the ultimate crescendo of your life. Be a field of exploding flowers in bloom. Not just one flower. Be a chain creation of miracles. Boom. Boom.

Either you’ve blossomed into this ultimate possibility, or you are an unsprouted seed or unblossomed flower. You are still a nut inside a shell?  Or an egg inside a duck? Too afraid to break out into life itself. Nah.  Be courageous, break out of your shell and live freely. Wack yourself where you really feel it. Be fearless and crack yourself up. Such courage!! Ahhhh…Peace after the Bomb explodes..

Rukuruku (Beneath The Surface Mind)

I am the scriber of word, the carver of thought from the layers of formless consciousness. The falcon on the wind I am. The deep shadow depths unmoved by surface storms I am . The fragile woven work of the geometer masterpiece called Pungawerewere I am. Tap, tap, tap I breathe, ahhhhhhh…shhhhhh.. my mouth moves to my finger to the digital drum where frontal cortex plays only what it knows….

What is the path of a creation experience? The two faced Janus Twins appear. Conscious logical digital rational grammatical face reinforced by rewards of behaviours norms and awards. The wild young chaotic minds already bridled by time we reach nursery. Stop this. Stop that. Stand here. Sit there. I see this in my creative Wild Word Wananga each Winter when schools sleep. There is the academic student, very diligent, reliable with great A grades who can analyse literature pieces to extract every drop of meaning. Head prefect material and top all around guy. Already marked for a successful career in the military, medicine or corporate investment. He has choices. But this same student struggles to fill out a blank piece of paper with his own original thoughts. He struggles with the exercise. The syntax, punctuation, spelling, crossing outs, unfinished sentences. What.. what… what is the fucking point of this? He screams inside his mind..

Meanwhile a tattooed Maori kid with pierced tongue arrives late and plonks herself down. Looks at the blackboard and starts writing intensely.. She fills the paper with herself. Anti-establishment mix of art, lyrics and genuine writing talent. Maybe she does street performance like busking. Or just lives from a free state. Welcome kids to The Concrete and The Wild.

Note:
I been writing short stories to chisel my thoughts. Just making up snippets. The above ‘Rukuruku’ was about 15 minutes free-writing in my exercise book Warwick 1B4 with some edits as I blogged it.

The poet John Donne said..

No man is an island
Entire of  himself
Each is a piece of the Continent
A part of the main…

For whom the bells tolls, it tolls for yee..

The bell can be both light and heavy,
the song bird or the lamenting gull,
Who knows where upon whom this shit
shall land?
Aeee laddie, just know that the time calls us all..

Now ladies and gentlemen, the TedX Speaker tries
to allay the concerns, the audience cries..
Is it too late to try? The Climate Feedback Chain
is already destroying the coasts of America, the
cliffs of Brexit and the Penguins of Antarctica..

No, no, no, it is dependent upon the circulation of currents,
AI solutions immersed with circular economic theories
Merged with quantum holographic commuting systems
that have been developed at Harvard and Stanford
while President Trump tweets a twot of twips.

Is that it? Yes… No… Maybe…
The End.

PS. A random piece of poetic prose. Been awhile since I last blogged.

Its called Climate Payback. Waves of it are building up now.  Every year from now on-wards. 2019. 2020. 2021. 2022. 2023. 2024. 2025. 2026. 2027. 2028. 10 Year Climate PayBack. The pay waves getting Bigger. Higher. Hotter. Colder. Faster. Wetter. Angrier. Expect 5 metre sea-level rises and swells. (5m is roughly 2-story house or telephone pole all under water).  Why?  The Earth has like a fever.  Like any sick person, she will have hot and cold temperatures.  Burning Heatwaves. Freezing Cold-snaps. Polar Caps melting like a runny nose at both ends. Slow jet streams and clogged ocean streams like global constipation.  Human cities clogging the Earth colon. Huge floods, cyclones and record winds erupt like a huge cough and anal flush at both ends to move blocks.  Gahhh.  We should have started this 20-40 years ago. Nah. We effed around. Forests be greener. Rivers cleaner. Except we now have forest die-back. Dead wood. Dead soil. Dead river. Soon dead children. Make life changes now. By last light 2020.  For our kids.

My generation who are 50 years and older now. I am talking to us!

We start to face forward and take the incoming blows. Don’t let the kids of today take the hits for something they did not start nor deserve. Some of you Board Directors, Bankers, Investors, Business Round-table etc your money is gonna be worthless and will not buy you loyalty when the Big Wave comes. He is coming.. Start making the change now… Have some guts, grow some balls or whatever and make a stand for the right thing. For the kids. Don’t be gutless pricks and hide in your ivory towers and security guarded hideaways here in New Zealand. Nah.

These climate waves will get worse each year. Trump rants are distractions. Financial Crash 2018-2019? Maybe.. What to do? Where to go? Everyone can do something. Change something. Now. Just build up a resilient feeling. A spirit that not easily knocked down. Check your heart still there. You can be counted on. We may all die and get torn apart by an angry iceberg but we save our last words of love and breath for the kids. Herd them towards safety and take the big blows. Good. Remember there is more inside us than we know. Keep calm. Keep perspective. Steady. You don’t need all the shit you think you need. Start getting your head, heart, hands in order. D Day is approaching. Not all people will wake up. They not your problem. You are.

Look for the Wairua 2020. See The Changes Coming.