Green

Have you ever thought about how strange the word ‘green’ is? It has a weird spelling; it even sounds strange as it rolls off your tongue. Gre-een. Green. We have been immersed in a green world, where everything is coated in alien green.

On Saturday we walked the Manawatu Gorge track. I had thought that it would be an easy walk, for to me the word gorge implied that we would be walking down into a scenic valley. In this alien Kiwi world, gorge means steep mountain overlooking the enticing valley below. The scenic reserve is everything that it claims. I recommend every traveller doing a bush walk to buy a leather fedora and bull whip like Indiana Jones’. The jungle we traversed was different than anything I’ve ever seen.

Every rock, trunk and branch was covered in green moss or lichen, over which green vines climbed, sprouting delicate green leaves. The forest itself was a disorienting collage of green hues as layers of leaves from the canopy to the floor competed for sunlight. Leafy tendrils reached out over our heads and palm trees were interspersed among tall nursery trees with ferns growing out of the trunks and branches. Birds made cheeky calls and flitted about in the periphery of our vision.

We ascended and descended time and again and finally emerged at the Te Apiti lookout. There before us was the Tararua wind farm, the largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere, and beyond it Palmerston North and the friendly market we had left hours earlier.

Quite by accident, we stumbled upon the Over the Bridge Café. Its delightful farmhouse appeal was nearly masked by the leather-clad bikers having luncheon on the front porch. Kristine and I steeled ourselves and braved the stares of ZZ Top’s six brothers. We were rewarded with a delightful experience and a steaming bowl of cappuccino that translated Kristine into a state of elation.

Saturday evening, Rangiwahia showed up in full at the community hall for a “welcome new residents” do. The locals were treated to a taste of Canada with Kristine’s marvellous butter tart squares. We have been heartily welcomed!