Kayaking & Systema

Kayaks for hire

After almost a year off the water, a couple of weeks back, I hired a kayak for an hour’s paddle on Wellington Harbour. Not pushing myself, I was still surprised by the speed I cruised at. That was Thursday 31st May (beginning of winter in New Zealand) 

On Friday 1^st June I risked it and got in touch with the Systema martial arts contact person to start training again. But by Sunday, I wished I hadn’t. Rheumatics had set in and I could not raise my right hand above my waist. It eased a little during the day, as it usually did.

Fr John Rea  SM

Monday 4^th was D-Day, exactly six months since I had to stop martial arts training in Christchurch because of vertigo. John Rea, who is known internationally for his prayers for healing, knocked on my door. He does not usually offer to pray for healing, but he did now. He prayed: “In the name of Jesus I rebuke the rheumatics in my brother’s body. Rheumatic’s in Neal, in Jesus’ name, go from him forthwith and never return. Amen.”

By about midday, I was moving freely enough to decide to go and meet the Systema practitioners. Before I reached them I felt freed enough to do some warm-up exercises with them. By the time we got into training, I was holding my own. Praise God!

Training beside the Harbour 

This group met at the “Bucket Fountain” in the heart of Wellington and then walked the 400 metres down to the harbour’s edge and  trained in the park.

Having been introduced to martial arts as a teenager in central Wellington this was a real homecoming for me! To date, the vertigo and the rheumatics have been held at bay. Long may it last.

Sightseeing

 Since returning to Wellington, I have had the opportunity to entertain visitors in our fair city. We have discovered a great little way to fill in six hours.


There is a half-hour trip on the ferry from downtown Wellington to Days Bay on the other side of the Harbour. After a couple of hours for a bush walk, swim and a meal, there is another ferry back to the central city.


A five minute walk puts us at the Cable Car, which wisks us out of the CBD to the top of the Botanical Garden. Nothing too strenuous.


From the top of  the Cable Car, there is a leisurely stroll down to the Rose Garden Cafe, when it is about time for another coffee.


Then there is a leisurely stroll through the historic cemetery and back to where we started.


All-and-all, it is about six hours.


Bye-the-way, in New Zealand we who 65 or over ride on the public transport for free!

Around Parliament Buildings

For eight years as a child, I walked passed the Parliament Buildings in Wellington NZ every school day. It is a lovely part of Wellington. It is great to be living back within ten minutes of this area.


That round building is the main administrative block. It is called "The Beehive" and was not there when I was young.







The Norfolk Pine grow well in this part of the world. In the days of sailing ships they were sort after for masts,











Here is a view of the Parliamentary area that many Commuters see as they walk from the Railway Station into the central city.











The" Government Building", I believe, is the largest wooden building in the southern hemisphere. That is either a Pouhutukawa or a Rata tree in front of it.







Here is the rear entrance to the Parliamentary buildings. My home, as teenager, was just to the left up the street from those red roofed buildings in the distance.













Here is the Cenotaph on Lampton Quay with the Beehive behind it.













Now we are on Lampton Quay itself.. You might be able to see the top of the Cenotaph on the left and the Pohutukawa Tree right-of-centre.

Gentle Firmness

I snapped this photo out of my window this morning.


Seeing this big cruise ship being assisted to a wharf in a strong Wellington southerly wind, reminds me of one of the people I live with. He is a high achiever in a business that competes for our dollars. It must be hard for him having to slow down to our pace when he comes home.


Living in the same house, I have discovered that not only does he slow down and not try to act as though he is still on the high seas but he acts with the gentle firmness of the tug-boat. Big as he is, he has the art of approaching others slowly and of not getting into shallow water.

Blast from the Past

 

 

I have just returned from living for seven years in the South Island. A couple of days ago, I was sitting at home having afternoon tea with other residents, when a stranger was ushered it. He said that he might know some of us. I did not recognise him. But when his name was repeated I realized that he was an old school friend of mine. We had been at primary school together and ended up as prefects and members of the First XV (Rugby Football) at our secondary school. It took him about 10 minutes to recognise me, though we had sat side-by-side in a school photo.


He told me about other old school friends, who I had lost contact with half-a-century ago. I was very surprised at those who have been successful in the business world, who had done very poorly academically at school.
Good on them! I am sure there is going to be some more catching up to do.

Ellerslie Flower Show

The Ellerslie Flower Show was a big annual event in Auckland, New Zealand, a city of over a million people. Recently Christchurch, a city of less than half-a-million in the South Island, bought the name for several million dollars. So there I was yesterday with a free afternoon and the famous Ellerslie Flower Show three kilometres down the road. Being able to walk that distance, there would be no traffic hassles. Given that I have had to take up some gardening, it may give me some enthusiasm for gardening.

Well the experience was delightful. The Show was laid out on flat ground in Hagley Park, surrounded by trees. People, who had been to the Ellerslie Flower Show in Auckland and to the Chelsea Flower Show in London, told me that the location was better than both. This made it easier for the 20,000 people who attended yesterday and who had to wait up to half-an-hour in queues to get into the large tents.

The most popular attraction was the "West Coast Garden", which not only depicted the ancient rain forests of the West Coast, but also the undersea "garden" with some mythical Atlanta-type buildings, which you can see in the photo above.

Has it made me more enthusiatic for gardening? I am not sure. But I am certainly more enthused about gardening enthusiasts. They were very friendly chatting in the queues and they showed concern for the elderly being able to get through at see exhibits. Unlike other events of this size, the police were conspicuous by their absence and security staff were minimal. It was a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

The Sound of a Mighty Wind

This morning four mates went up Sugar Loaf Hill to pray to God to bless our city. We took a position above the tree-line (in the photo), a couple hundred feet below the summit.

At about 7:45am I saw dust rising in small clouds about 20 Km away in the countryside, where our main prison is located. So we prayed for the prisoners and their guards.

About ten minutes later, we heard a "the sound of a mighty wind blowing", though we saw nothing. It was the wind from twenty kilometeres away, reaching the base of the hill and ascending through the trees. We heard it; but we didn't see it. It passed over our heads and surrounded us. And there was a final roar as it went through the communications tower at the top of the hill and was gone.

Such an awe-inspiring event reminded me of the wind at Pentecost, which was "the sound of a mighty wind which filled the whole house." (Acts 2:2) I guess that the effect would not have been the same if we had been hit by the full force of the wind.