It’s nearly midnight as I write this – a red rock again! There is something about that red…
I spent my first day in Pukekura part today which is where I painted this rock!
It was a pretty low key day which suited me fine because I was still recovering from the long drive yesterday. It was nice actually being in nature, listening and recording the sounds of the trees and photographing them. Some of them SO huge like the totara and I was so glad to see our native rimu flourishing…
As I was painting in the park today I noticed a few people who passed by and none of them stopped to see what I was doing or showed any interest. And then after about an hour, I hear these little feet come up the steps and it was a young Maori girl who had walked all the way over from the waterfall just to see what I was doing. “What are you doing?” she asked.

It made me realize that the people who I thought I would be engaging with in the park were not actually interested but the person who was, was three years old – curious, genuinely interested and connected.

It made my time there worthwhile and revealed to me the reality of human nature and how as we grow older we lose that curiosity, we lose the ability and desire to come out and speak our truth, to say what we mean.

It inspired me. She inspired me to remember that we can learn a lot from our children on how to communicate effectively and honestly and to be totally in the moment.
Au ki tau ki – off to bed and its midnight!!! Still raining here in Taranaki. At least it will make for some nice raindrop photos tomorrow!!
Arohanui,
Jo 🙂