SOLD: Beautiful Happyzine

The Kiwi Wondering team Hannah Irakau Pehi, Phillipa TePaea Pehi and friends are walking Aotearoa to “celebrate the earth and all its inhabitants and promote social and environmental well being for all.”  Charlotte Squire of Happyzine talks with Hannah about life on the road.

1. What keeps you going on this journey?

When we are walking, we walk as the community we wish to see. We support and love each other. So at our core we are strong. We begun thinking NZ is beautiful … then every step of the way has served to confirm that. We have met an abundance of beautiful people, kind and caring. Understanding and interesting. Thoughtful and actively participating in their environments to secure a better future for all. It is that excitement, the anticipation of finding out what’s going on when we get to the next place. And sometimes simply it is the physical satisfaction of making 20-40km! Or how after tracks of farmland we might know we’re about to walk in to an area of intense bush, that heals the soul.

2. What’s the greatest thing you’re noticing as you walk through Aotearoa?

Just how bloody amazing we all are! There is a definite social shift. Of more people being aware of the consequences of their actions. Of our children being taught good habits to live by, particularly through the Enviro School initiative. The greatest thing to see is our pure potential. It is the most precious commodity we have and it is in abundance. The land aches to be as it once was. Native seedlings sprout on the side of the road. Everything resonates. It’s simply all waiting for us to evolve beyond this current rut to reach our full potential. Our lights are beginning to shine.

3. Do you notice people are respecting the planet, as you move from community to community?

Yes. People generally respect their environments. The awareness is heightened by facilities that are available within each town. Recycling points for people made available by councils, recycling bins in the street. It is not only the act of separating out your rubbish, it is the thought processing of why you are doing it that makes it most valuable. Generating conscious thought.

In Invercargill they have a group called South Alive, small but talented and determined the group have set up a stunning community gardens in the “worst” place in town. Bright and happy it welcomes you in, especially as there are no fences. They’ve cleared an area beside the garden and shops and have put in a half basketball court. The same group is involved in Adopt a Street, they pretty much have Bluff covered!! They are organised and dedicated, doing their own fund raising & make a mean cup of tea too!!

Then there’s the Waitaki Resource Recovery Park in Oamaru, a community owned recycling centre that has a huge second hand store on site. Clean and creative surroundings that function to divert useful collectibles or reusables from landfill while harbouring some youth who have been through some hard times, teaching them work ethic and skills along the way, helping them enter employment, even employing them at the park. They are in the midst of establishing a Mens Shed on site too. Awesome. Across the road and up a hill are their community gardens. What a site and a sight! Recycled materials structure it and embellish it. It is healthy and lush. There are spaces for gathering, or sitting quietly on your own. Marian Shore had a vision. And in terms of holistic health for our environment, which includes us, she, with a phenomenal team, is covering all bases.

Future plans?

We aim to be finished in 10-12 days (22-24th Jan)… Well, until next time! I aim to walk again in 4 years … Each year before general elections. I like walking obviously! I guess I see it as an avenue for New Zealanders to share with others what they’re doing. Lots of this stuff no one is aware of, even when it’s happening in our own towns. A group walking the highway, waving at all the cars coming toward them is pretty hard to ignore. At the very least, which is more than I could have ever hoped, we have had some great conversations. 

Tags: Aotearoa, hikoi