Before I ever laid a foot in Aotearoa (New Zealand) I received the gift of a pounamu (greenstone) necklace, beautifully carved in the eternity symbol, from my boyfriend who had left England to take up a job in Aotearoa.
The year was 1996 and I had planned to join him in February 1997, on a one year working holiday visa, six months after he’d left. In the six months we were apart I read all I could about the country I was travelling to, including literature by NZ authors. I was drawn to the country in a way that was perhaps destined.
When I finally arrived, flying into Auckland, I felt a connection. The following flight, from Auckland to Wellington, cemented that connection. I felt bound to the land, to the endless green in a sea of blue. Connected to the volcanoes rising in magnificence below me, coated in snow.
Before I was even reunited with my boyfriend (and now husband) I knew that my heart was taken by the land of the long white cloud. The greenstone had transferred the power of the land to my body. I would always love it – no matter where destiny took me.
As we prepare to leave New Zealand, on 7 August, for a new adventure living in Santa Barbara, California, I feel a comfort that this piece of New Zealand, which I wear around my neck, will travel with me. This poem is about love and the greenstone that keeps my heart connected to New Zealand.
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Oh how beautiful! As someone who has lived in different countries and left pieces of my heart there, I completely sympathise. How sad to be leaving again – but also the start, perhaps, of another new love affair with a new place.
thinking of you as you pack up and move countries xx
Beautifully written Sarah, it must be so hard to leave a country that you love so much – and I love the way that you have taken comfort in the stone you wear around your neck. It must hold such meaning for you. Thank you so much for linking xx
So beautifully written and my heart swelled up with emotion….you are amazing and we will be thinking of you of course as you leave beautiful New Zealand for pastures new.
We will be in touch again soon and big hugs all round.