West and into the Wind

Give us a fine day.

With little wind.

And we will go exploring.

To the West Wind Recreation Area

High above Makara

and away from the buzz of the city

With views to the islands of Mana, Kapiti and beyond

We gaze upon a vast ocean broken only by dotted sheep

Fairies are caught and wished upon

I wished to be able to lift up the wind turbine all by myself says he.

And maybe one day if you keep eating all your vegetables 


you'll grow strong enough to do just that I reply.

Dwarfed are we by this bohemoth

It's like a giant beanstalk reaching to the sky

And we, just like Jack, cannot comprehend just how high it goes

We only know that it seems to almost touch the sun 

And the sun in return reflects off the pure white base of the turbine to create a perfect portrait setting 

And so we turn our attention back to the vast world out there

In the big, deep blue

Look, I'm the king of the world says he.

In one direction the vast untouched splendour

In the other direction man's footprint stamped forever on the skyline

Harnessing that which we know and "love" in this place we call 'the windy city'

At least here, harnessed for our future use, I can for once appreciate 

the very thing that so often beats me down

Back down the hill now and our feet tread onto the rocky shore

Where fair winds leave feathers to flutter freely today

Without fear of the fierce power that would normally so easily steal away

Today is a beach engulfed in sun-flare and fishermen

At my feet I ponder the path of these pebbles before me

And wonder how long it took for them to become so lovingly smooth

Which gets me to thinking how long it might be before my rough edges are worn away

Leaving something that is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient

kind, full of goodness, faithful, gentle and disciplined to behold always

This time there's another king of the world reaching into the air

Practicing his own 'soaring into up-drafts' techniques

I find myself in awe of the life once lived beneath us that was vertical and strong

Now providing a mere resting place

A climbing frame

And a reminder of the battle that rages between land and sea.

Each wanting to claim it for their own. 

Oh the stories this tree could tell.

And one day I believe I shall be able to hear them.

All photos taken at West Wind Recreation Area, Makara and Makara Beach.