Strange encounters...

Day Eight: Ahipara. As the rain lashed the beach this morning, we were thankful for a wind and waterproof house, with the added bonus of a wood burning stove.

Then the rain eased and we ventured out onto the Ninety Mile beach, an unbroken stretch of sand reaching north.

Now, we have noticed how friendly New Zealanders tend to be, so it was  no surprise to be greeted as we walked. However, Thomas stopped to chat. His brown face lit up on discovering we were visitors, recognising Guernsey. He plied us with questions and information as to the best places to visit, sad that he had no time to drive us up the beach himself. He made an incongruous picture: dense curly black hair and beard suurpunded a constant grin while deeply nicotine-stained fingers loosely held a little bunch of yellow daisies. We could have talked for hours, but our destination was Cape Reinga...

A dirt road through farmland on the way north

The cape, after hours of driving, was eerie and remote, sacred in the Maori tradition. We gazed out to sea, where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet, roiling together in whirlpools. 'When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid. Indeed, the deep trembled. Psalm 77:16

On our return, we drove down to the giant sand dunes at the Te Paka stream, sledding down the shifting sand hills...

We stopped to eat World Famous Ninety Mile Beach ice cream. Sitting outside the  little store, we gained a sense of the remarkably resilient community which inhabits this somewhat desolate place. The nearest petrol station was 25 kilometres away: everyone journeyed with jerricans, sharing fuel as needed. A people bound together by shared hardship.

This was a day of encountering individuals, a community, a people group...

Let the peoples praise you O God, let all the peoples praise you...