aWhitu

in the faerie tales there are plenty of warnings

about staying too long

eating magical food

and letting places get under your skin

oops.

not for nothing does the name of this place

Awhitu

mean

'a longing to return'

i stewed cauldrons filled with harakeke bundles

and

was permitted to ride a horse

around the country in these pix

and even

along that beautiful beach [above]

they let me plant a tree

and not just any tree

but a Kauri

and i now know who mixes the world's best Margaritas

[not telling, word gets around anyway]

i didn't even mind being eclipsed

[THAT good]

but

what a coincidence

that the one crumpled piece of paper i found

[and pocketed]

while walking the windblown road with my friend

thinking it might be interesting

to use as a page for a book

turns out to be this...

it's not quite

'of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world'

but it's getting close.