Week of December 14th thru 21st

Life at the Beach


Here is the beach we go to - about two blocks from the house we are staying in on Auckland's North Shore.

Below is the middle school we pass on the way to the beach.










More than a week has quickly passed by since my last blog. Bada Hari returned from Australia Saturday eve, and Sunday we enjoyed a pancake brunch cooked by Varsana, daughter of Rasayatra and Jhulan Yatra.

Next we went to the Temple where a Gita Jayanti festival was being held, and more than 200 people were gathered to chant the entire Bhagavad Gita together.

Then off to The Loft for the Krishna Fest. I was invited to give the class and Bada Hari led the kirtan and bhajans. The devotees take cooking seriously and they go all out to prepare delcious, wholesome meals and desserts. Check out the cool look of their signboard (below). They use this for their invitation cards too.



We've had the opportunity to visit devotee homes and businesses, The Loft, the school, and the temple, every day this week.



It was the kid's last week of school, so Gaura didn't want to miss a day of play. He is the oldest kid, so he has been the self-appointed playground coach. On Thursday, the last day before summer break, the older kids played rugby, and Gaura scored 14 goals. He was exhausted and very happy.



The Takapuna Library, our internet connection, home school resource, and more, is on The Strand, just up from the beach.






The beach from the Library, only one block, but who's counting.

So far, everywhere we've been we get to enjoy the ocean air. With all the wind and all the rain New Zealand gets, the air is very crisp and clean.




Monday and Wednesday evenings at The Loft Karana Karana teaches Hatha Yoga, and Tuesday and Thursday evening Gopesvari teaches Astanga Yoga. Bada Hari and I have been enjoying both of their classes (sorry no photos, we're always too preoccupied with our asanas). Between twenty five to fifty guests come each evening, and after a hard workout they are served a fantastic dinner and dessert. It's a great deal, $15 for both yoga and dinner, and student rate is only $12.


The people I meet here at The Loft are from all over the world. Some have been coming regularly for over a year, others are here for their first time.



The first day Gaura and I visited the school, when I was introduced to the teachers here, they all knew my book, The Prince and the Polestar, and said all the NZ Krsna kids know it too. They warmly encouraged me to write more books. I said yes, I have many books I want to produce, as soon as I find an illustrator.

That night I thought of the artist, Dina Bandhu das, who painted the beautiful paintings adorning the temple here. Why not ask him? He is an accomplished artist and illustrator. He and his wife, Karuna Manjari, know Bada Hari from the Ukraine, and they are living here at the Auckland farm.

This week I had the good fortune of meeting with Dina Bandhu several times, and we are making plans to produce children's books together. This is, so far, the highlight of my trip.

Tonight Bada Hari is singing evening kirtan and bhajans at the Temple. Tomorrow morning we head south to enjoy a couple days of hot mineral springs in Tapao, on the way to Otaki, where 100 devotees are gathering for a retreat for 10 days.

It doesn't appear that anyone misses out on Christmas here in Auckland, though it lacks a lot of the hype and consumerism of the US. Check out the cool life-size wooden solider.

...and in case any of you are wondering, an equivalent of Calendar Club does exist in New Zealand. If you are out working a mall
may you have a very successful season.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Enjoy the time with your family and friends.
I'm grateful to have you in my life and send
you my love and prayers.

New Zealand - Auckland

The Day before our Departure

Sunday, Dec. 2nd
We had the privilege of hosting Raghu Nandini and Govinda’s wedding at our house in Gainesville. About 90 guests, family and friends, gathered under the majestic oak trees to witness their fire ceremony and the taking of their vows.

Raghu looks so beautiful, like an English princess, with her fair skin beautifully contrasted by her red sari and elegant jewelry, her hair set in ringlets with yellow roses and daisies, her shy and enchanting smile and sparkling eyes. Govinda looks pretty good too.

Monday, Dec. 3rd
Leaving Gainesville
Jatari kindly came to our house in the early morning to bring us to the airport. What a friend!

I’m happy to report we had our medium size suitcases underweight (this may be a first in recorded history for my international travels). To our surprise, our Delta airline rep offered to check our bags all the way through to Auckland. I had used miles for our flight to LA, so it was an unexpected perk that we would not have to collect our luggage in LA and recheck it.

LAX

Once on the ground in LA we checked in (way early) with Quantas Airlines and got our boarding passes effortlessly. An hour or so later, Nrsimhananda (aka David Shapiro) kindly picked us up and took us to the LA temple and restaurant. Waiting for us there were a couple of his friends who have a raw food café and want to add Amazon Herbs to their customer offering. It was a fun, but brief hour, and then back to the airport. We were ever so grateful to Nrsimhananda for giving us the opportunity to have darshan of Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkadish and dinner at Govinda’s. It made our journey auspicious.

Tail winds shortened the flight to eleven hours. As the plane neared New Zealand we witnessed an amazing sunrise over the ocean and some outlaying islands.

Tuesday, Dec. 4th was mysteriously gone – something about crossing the Date Line.

Wednesday, Dec. 5th
Arrival in Auckland


We moved effortlessly through immigration and customs - except for our New Zealand apples that had come with us from Florida - they were not permitted back into their country of origin, but were put in the quarantine bin. We found that amusing.


When filling out our arrival card, it occurred to me that we had no phone number for anyone in New Zealand and no address. Other than emailing our itinerary to our host, we had no real plan or back up plan, and our host was in Australia. Hmmm…a bit of an oversight.



As soon as we came through the gate we are greeted by Bhava Sandhi dasi, nullifying my concern for a back up plan. Bhava Sandhi manages the preaching center in downtown Auckland and has arranged everything!



The preferred method of communication amongst the devotees in New Zealand and Australia that we are traveling with is text messaging. So the first order upon our arrival is to purchase cell phones along with prepaid minutes.

Bhava Sandhi drives us first to downtown Auckland to show us the preaching center, known as The Loft. To visit The Loft online, you can go to www.theloft.org.nz
Auckland is the cleanest city I have ever seen. And though the traffic is thick, people are courteous drivers and unrushed. From The Loft we head north on Highway 1 to Auckland’s North Shore.



In a quiet neighborhood across the street from a High School and only 2 blocks from the beach we arrive at the house that is to be our residence for the duration of our stay in Auckland. It is a lovely two bedroom house, with a full kitchen and laundry facilities. Bhava Sandhi has brought with her delicious prasadam the devotees cooked fresh this morning. And the kitchen is stocked with fresh produce and ingredients for cooking.


The devotees have provided us with a car, too. It’s about 20 minutes to The Loft, and 35 minutes to the Auckland temple and school. The learning curve, to drive on the opposite side of the road in city traffic, is no small feat.

In the late afternoon I brave my first driving venture. When the rain blurs my visibility I pull over to the side of the road for a breather. When it lightens up, I drive us back to the house. The jet lag is mild but by 8 pm we’re all asleep.

Thursday, Dec. 6th
Recovery day
The fresh air at the beach is invigorating for morning japa. Today is Ekadasi, and Guru Vani dasi brings us a wonderful lunch and then gives us a tour of the North Shore.
Gaura teaches Bada Hari and I how to text message on our cell phones. Around 6:00 pm Bada Hari heads out on his first driving venture with Gaura to the library to use the Internet. I fall asleep.

Friday, Dec. 7th
After our morning japa and beach walk, we go to The Loft. Bada Hari is flying to Australia to participate in a seminar with Devamrita Swami. Bhava Sandhi is taking Gaura and I to the temple for darshan and to the school.



The temple is beautiful, as are the grounds (about 100 acres) and the Tulasi garden. The temple design is unique, and the feeling inside is very serene.




At the school I meet a previous acquaintance, Prana das, the school’s headmaster and dedicated educator. They have 80 children now, and are embarking on a large curriculum project. He also discussed the charter of the school, the endorsements they have received, and the future plans for a High school.



After Gaura gets in a few good hours of hard play with the kids, we head over for kirtan and prasadam at The Loft. This is my first chance to meet all the girls who live and work here, distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books during the day, and serving the guests in the evenings. Monday through Thursday they host a yoga class, philosophy class and dinner here. Sundays are their “Krishna Fest”.

Saturday, Dec. 8th
Our first sunny day, Gaura and I head down to the beach, climbing rocks and exploring various pools. We found a great cove to skip rocks in. The sea is not very salty here, (just how we like it) I guess because the weather is cool. The temperature of the water is similar to Southern California in the summer.

Auckland reminds me of California, but of a California that is friendlier and less crowded. And way cleaner. And safe. I guess that’s what I’m looking for – the California of my childhood. It is much lusher here though. It rains more and is much greener, as green as Hawaii, but cool, so the humidity is pleasant.


Bhava Sandhi and Daivya make dinner at Rasayatra and Jhulan Yatra’s for about 20 devotees. It is award winning pizza, cake and ice cream. And to my delight, they’ve made a vegan pizza and the cake and ice cream are vegan too. Does it get any better than this?

The mood and relationships amongst the devotees are very sweet. The upcoming retreat is discussed - an entire week of hearing and chanting and classes together with about 100 devotees. Rasayatra’s son, Sukadeva, is close to Gaura’s age, and they are already friends. That means Gaura will have a friend at the retreat. Very important!

Gaura is my map reader and navigator every where we go. He’s really good at it, and it enables me to concentrate on driving. It is also an interesting dynamic, as he is in charge, and basically tells me what to do and where to go. He clearly likes this role.

Sunday, Dec. 9th
Gaura and I head to the Temple for the Sunday program. It’s from 12:30 pm to 4 pm, which nicely accommodates the congregation. No Sunday traffic so we arrive early. Again it’s raining.


The kirtan singer has a beautiful voice, and his choice of tunes are celestial. The young man who gives class, Ramanuja das. heads up a bhakti sastri study group in South Auckland, and uses an interactive format with this class too, even though it is so large. After class everyone participates in guru puja for Srila Prabhupada.

While everyone takes prasadam, I stay in the temple room to have prayer and japa time with Sri Sri Radha Giridhari, Gaura Nitai, and Jagannatha, Balarama, and Subhadra. Soon another group of bhajan singers offer their hearts and their voices in melodious kirtan.



I am feeling deep appreciation for the spiritual family Srila Prabhupada has given us. Just think about it. Here we have traveled half way around the world, and yet we are right at home. Thank you Srila Prabhupada for our spiritual family, and all the beautiful temples and communities that exist because of you.

From the Temple we head over to the Sunday program at The Loft, which starts at 5 pm. Having already participated in more than seven hours of kirtan and study on this day, I feel almost ready to give the class. The guests who come to The Loft for the Krishna Fest are mostly young people, many who frequent the yoga and philosophy classes that are offered during the week.

After a mellow sit-down kirtan, class begins. Looking out at this warm and friendly audience, I am praying that I can inspire these special souls to come closer to Krishna. After 20 minutes of sharing ways to connect with Krishna and remember Him throughout our day, I ask for questions. Wonderful questions and discussion ensue. This is one of the most attentive audiences I can recall.

The following kirtan inspires serious dancing. I may be sore tomorrow from dancing so long and hard, but right now we’re having too much fun to stop! At The Loft, vegan diets are accommodated, and I am able to enjoy delicious vegan prasadam. Several guests come to ask additional questions, and more discussions begin.

There is a softness the New Zealanders have about them that appears very conducive for spiritual inquiry. I feel so at home, sharing Krishna consciousness with the guests and devotees. This is the nectar I’ve been hankering for.

Monday, Dec. 10th
After morning japa, it’s time to clean the house and do laundry. Oh, and get Gaura to do schoolwork. And it’s time for me to take care of business and correspondence. Off we go to the Library in Takapuna for our Internet connection.

Early evening Gaura and I sing the Prayers to the Six Goswamis, and chant the Siksastaka prayers. It’s nice having all this time with him. He’s peaceful. And he eats every couple of hours. I may be imagining it but I think he’s grown a couple inches in the last week!

Spoke briefly with Bada Hari. All 20 Om Purnam CDs that were put out on a table at the seminar sold. He’s been giving classes at the Melbourne temple and really likes it there. He’ll be flying back to Auckland Saturday evening.



Our Australian tour will be for 3 weeks at the end of January into the middle of February, so we have to book the rest of our tickets and hire a car now. Then, after Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and New Govardhan farm, we'll fly to New Zealand's South Island and explore there for 10 or so days before returning to the USA.

Stay tuned, over the next few weeks here on the North Island we will venture to the far north, spend a few days in Rotarua, and a couple weeks in and around Wellington.