Road trip in North Island - Setting the scene

December 2016

When you have a desire, you visualise it, work towards it and then let go. Letting go is not giving up but dropping the feverishness of achieving it. Intention, Attention and Manifestation, this is exactly what I’m talking about and this trip was one the best examples I could possibly use to reassure myself for the rest of my life, that using IAM technique anything can be achieved. For several years now, I wanted to do a solo road trip, so this is how I imagine, what happens. All our dreams/ideas/thoughts/intentions, will start its journey from your consciousness towards higher consciousness. And then different forces, call it nature/angels/people-who-have-crossed-over-to-the-other-side/masters will act on them and make every effort to manifest it. This dream of mine, took a similar journey and my angel, my guru, like he always does, assured me that this too will be instrumented, the most beautiful way. And it turned out to be the most fulfilling trip, leaving me humbled, spellbound, forcing me to remain a student trying to comprehend nature’s way of nurturing you, when you let her do. I am totally bowled over by the unfathomable amount of grace showered every minute on this trip.

Me at the norther tip of New Zealand, Cape Reinga

Before, I write any further, I must mention, and you may have already sensed it, that this post is heavily influenced by some of the books, people and situations that happened in my life in the recent past. So, necessarily, this travelogue will stress the emotional journey I experienced on my road trip. It will, for sure, be philosophical, spiritual than any of my previous posts. Someday, I might write about those books, people and situations. But for now they all mean one thing, NATURE.

Alright, now, Christmas break was around the corner, New Zealand with its perfect summer and long days, looked like a good time to travel. And somehow I was very particular about traveling in the North Island, and for some unknown reasons I had this random list of places I wanted to visit, I don’t know how they got into my head.

I remember visualising, going to the northern tip of New Zealand and click this particular picture, visit Rainbow falls in Keri Keri, imagined myself strolling on the streets of Napier in the evening, and ending the trip with Tongariro Crossing. So I came up with a crude plan, starting from the Northern tip, driving down to central and explore the west coast. You notice, Napier was not in the plan.

My initial plan

But me being me, wanted to do a safe, extremely economical, boring bus journeys which meant staying in hostels, not being able to travel independently. Somehow every time I tried to book the bus and hostels, the idea dint sink in, so I dint book any. I booked my return flights from WLG to AKL. Friends warned me that there won’t be any stays available as this is the busiest time in NZ.

In the next couple of weeks, I found myself browsing for rental cars. Again, friends put me off when I shared this idea. They suggested to take driving lessons and what not, I was now slightly skeptical about the whole idea of driving and booked the classes thrice and for some reasons not one happened. I said fine, I am renting a car. Go to hell with lessons and DL, I am sure I won’t crash into anyone nor would get killed on road. The week before Christmas, I booked for one of the last few rental cars available in the market.

“Don’t you get bored to travel alone ??” – a friend asked. I consider myself extremely blessed for the fact that, I love my own company more than anything. And traveling alone, I tell you, is the best gift you could give to your-self. Of course I don’t mind a good company but this one was meant to be a solo trip for a reason.

This awesome li'l car which gave company all along this trip

Two days before the trip, everything was ready, but ONLY in my head. The list of things that I needed to buy in AKL and WLG, things to be packed, campsites to stay, camping food recipes, books to carry, how and where to drive. At this point, I heard my mind saying to myself that this is not going to happen. Too many open points, not enough planning and above all driving, anxious and like a loser, I had second thoughts. I had foreseen this happening, so before my mind could trick me with reasons to drop the trip, I knew what to do, I reminded myself, the flight tickets I had booked several months ahead and lured it by recalling images from my visualizations. Works like charm!! See, the problems and solutions, all lie right here, inside me.

Some amazing reads during my road trip were from these tow books

I finished shopping in WLG the next day. Rolling my finger on my books and my fingers stopped for these two books, which accompanied me to the trip, again the best stories one could read while on a trip. My roomie and her kid had just arrived from India, not getting distracted I packed my bags and off to bed as usual at 930. I would miss my room, my bed, my yoga mat and my prayer corner for the next 2 weeks. Feeling grateful for all the luxuries, I put on my prayer beads and before securing one of his pictures in my bag, we grinned.