Otaki Retreat

What happens when eighty young, enthusiastic Hare Krishnas gather together with their spiritual master for an entire week of festivities? Fantastic kirtans, serious dancing, enlivening classes, new realizations, and delicious prasadam. The Otaki retreat center is on the Otaki River so there was swimming and rafting too, beautiful nature walks, rain and sunshine. In New Zealand, expect it all! On Saturday Devamrita Maharaja held initiations for 19 disciples. These devotees practice Krishna consciousness for close to two years (or more) before taking their vows for hari- nama initiation, and at least two more years before taking brahman initiation. The personal training and guidance they receive from both their spiritual master and their mentors is impressive, and it shows up in the retention rate amongst his disciples.

The prasadam at the retreat was exceptionally wonderful. I found out there was a bit of a competition going on between the cooks from each center, each endeavoring to out-do the others.
Bada Hari and I took breakfast and lunch prasadam with Devamrita Maharaja every day, giving us the opportunity to ask dozens of questions and get a glimpse into the strategy of Maharaja’s preaching.
When I mentioned how much I appreciated the enthusiasm and expertise all these devotees have in cooking prasadam. Maharaja explained how in the early days of ISKCON many devotees learned to cook, and cooking for Krishna was wonderful service. Over the years it became a chore, to the point where many temples have no cooks, and have to “hire” cooks.
He desired to reintroduce the enthusiasm and blissfulness of cooking for Krishna. Well it’s working. Most of his disciples are wonderful cooks, and they consistently make new devotees with the delicious prasadam they serve at their centers.

Women’s Retreat

The next three days the retreat split into two: one for the ladies and one for the men. The schedule was adjusted to give more time for reading and resting (and socializing).

Each evening I facilitated a workshop on "Skills and tools for the Grihasta Asrama". It turned out to be a wonderful forum for discussion and heart-felt sharing. I appreciated having the time to get to know these Vaishnavis.




Gaura Haven


Recently acquired to serve as a mini-retreat facility, this lovely home and surrounding property of about 25 acres accommodates up to 18 persons.



Gaura Yoga, in Wellington, is less than an hour away. We stayed at Gaura Haven for the ten days of the retreats.