A Reflection on the Changing Landscape of New Zealand

I am writing this with a cup of coffee in my hand. It is a barista made, oat flat white in an 8 ounce takeaway cup. The cup has a rough, paper like texture that perfectly grips to my palm. The lid is made of compostable plastic and feels surprisingly pleasant as it touches my lips. I notice that the cup has a slogan written across its surface, the simple life.
This feels like a sign.

A few days ago, my van broke down. If that was a meaningful moment, then so is this. I have been chasing the simple life and here it is. The simple taste of coffee that helps me feel at home.

I am sitting in a co-working space in the middle of a tourist town. This is my first taste of trying to be a digital nomad. So far, I have been distracted by the office furniture. My chair is slightly uncomfortable but has a nice swivel. There is a whiteboard in the corner that is filled with brain-storm smudges. I want to add my thoughts to the clouds but the bright bulbs in the room force me to focus. Keep writing.

This building is within minutes of a great lake in the North Island of New Zealand. Lake Taupo. It is Autumn and the wind grows cold. I plan to stay inside for as long as possible.

The Cold Waters of Spa Park

It is the afternoon and I feel a wave of caffeinated inspiration rush through me. This inspiration looks like the memory of yesterday.

I was in this place called Spa Park. A public domain just a few minutes’ drive from the city centre. 
 
This entire town is thriving with geothermic activity. This means hot pools. Spa Park has always felt like a landscape of sacred significance. The freshwaters of the Waikato river meet the steaming hot and mineral rich, Otumuheke stream. This confluence creates a magical fusion of hot and cold water. But yesterday felt different to the yesteryears. Now, blackberry vines weave across the rocks with thorns sharp to the touch. The waterfalls flow with the colour of silt and dirt. The waters that once were hot, now are cold. 
 
I do not know if you have walked upon this land. Or bathed in the waters about which I speak. But it was beautiful. It was perfect. Now, what else could I do but weep into the cold?
 
Geothermal activity also means economic opportunity. Further upstream, there is a multi-million-dollar power plant. It harvests the power of this place and turns it into electricity. This large-scale extraction of energy cannot help but change the local landscape. The geothermic wetlands that fed the Otumuheke Stream are drying up. Spa park feels like a sacred place that was.
 
I understand the growing needs of industry and townships. But sometimes it feels like the world is changing faster than I can keep up with. Have you ever witnessed a changing landscape and felt the loss of a magic that was?