A New decade. the goals list Part 1: COUNTRY LIVING
WHAT DO YOU WANT? What is the why for this sparkling new decade? These are the thoughts that smack me in the face at 3am and shake my ankles impatiently under the sheets. After the most glorious holiday in New Zealand’s Coromandel peninsula in the North Island, I have to say that the fog has only just cleared enough for any of these voices to penetrate the hangover - Kiwis know how to party man. These holidays were spent in NZ meeting every-single-important-person in Chris’s life over in NZ and crossing my fingers they would approve, (they did). Although we definitely overindulged, getting to know the fantastic human beings which make up Chris’s friends and family over a crisp New Zealand wine has definitely been worth the headache or two.
One of the highlights was a themed New Years Eve party at Chris’s friends ‘batch’ on a gorgeous piece of land with all his childhood and school friends. It was an amazing day and night!
In typical Gracie fashion, last year I decided I wanted to move to a place I have never been; the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand’s North Island. Sometimes, (all the fucking time) I have instincts about things - gut feelings. My heart has been longing for nature for the longest time. The sweet crisp air of wild places. Lonely paths to explore. Deserted beaches and cool weather. Rain. Time to connect with the seasons and live in appreciation of simplicity. To grow things, Make art. Live saturated in the beauty and peace of nature. Raise children with the earth under their feet.
We took the time to explore this beautiful, beautiful place and the ideas have become three dimensional. Fleshed out. At first I thought nothing could ever top the South Island for its wild, untamed, rugged beauty. And honestly it still tops the cake by a few points but when searching for a place to live, there are other things you need to consider.
1.Thanks to this latest visit, I feel like I will be able to slip seamlessly into a community straight away - No lonely stretches between making friends in a new place, they’re there ready to go for dinners, hikes, hangs, advice and adventures. Tick.
2. Even though I’m pretty sure I could easily live like Jonna Jinton and frolic in total isolation in nature, the fact is that Auckland is only a 2 hour drive should I have a ‘City Girl Moving To The Country’ level Freak-Out and desperately need someone to make my overly complicated hipster coffee.
3. Finally, there’s actually a really cool vibe already happening in the Coromandel with excellent food, music and gallery venues we found everywhere nestled into the coolest orchards, gardens and cliff sides.
All these things are going to seriously ease the big transition out of the city and to a completely different country. Smooth sailing baby.
Even though we are nowhere ready we of course found the perfect slice of land for sale. 5 acres nestled on top of a grassy cliff in the prettiest part of the Peninsula - Hahei. It is a dream piece of land. Overlooking water, nobody to be seen, access to a private beach and only a 12 minute drive to Hahei village. We figure we can rent it out until we are ready to move in 3 or four years as Chris needs to build his business here and I need to finish school and really get MOKHINISO off the ground.
We have had our eyes on this gorgeous slice of heaven for over a year! Chris’s dad is a pilot and we flew over the entire coastline and picked it out as an absolute dream spot. When we checked the realestate websites we saw that it was amazingly up for sale! I couldn’t believe it. Then a week later I was watching Grand Designs New Zealand and the episode was about a young Kiwi who had purchased land on a hill just around the corner from this plot… Watching him build felt like another sign from the universe that we had some kind of strong connection to this piece of land.
These holidays, we drove to the land on a beautiful bright clear day and the land is absolutely breathtaking. So much space! The grass was filled with wildflowers and has been planted with hundreds of beautiful native plants which will be so beautiful when they grow up. The tree line marks the boundary and these trees… I can’t explain how beautiful they are, rustling in the wind and filled with what sounded like thousands of birds singing. I almost love the trees more than the view! But there is nothing like overlooking ocean and this plot looks directly over the stunning New Zealand coastline, and connects to it with a track down to a private beach. I can really see us here, what our lives would look like living in this spectacular part of the world.
We are talking with our financial advisor this week to see if it is a possibility and even if it’s not - because really we are just both starting out and I am studying - I know that living in nature, connected to these beautiful elements of ocean and forest, with space away from the city crush of people is possible, and we will find our little slice of heaven whether it’s now or later.
Most importantly it was the feel of the whole of the Coromandel. Rolling hills covered, absolutely covered in wildflowers. The way those hills cast the most beautiful shadows at Dusk. Descending light folding the landscape into new worlds of mysterious shaded cool glens only to rise again, bursting into golden tipped grassy bluffs. Pine forests you could easily loose yourself in. I couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to stand under the fragrant canopy in the rain with the rising scent of resinous water hitting warm earth. Grass - Tall golden, soft and pink tipped. Deep enough to enfold you whole in a fragrant whispering bower. Fresh water bubbling everywhere in sweet shaded brooks and rivers. Organic produce honesty boxes on every driveway. Heaven.
Honestly it scares the shit out of me, It is a huge move and a massive commitment to a new life and my head has given me a million things that could go wrong, but my heart, my heart sings for the change. For nature, and those moments of stillness and peace when you are immersed head to toe in the natural world, everything around me just falls away and I can feel the truest most authentic part of myself absolutely shining with the joy of life. The only other thing that makes me feel this way is when i’m creating, making some creative vision in my head come to life. The place I live now in Sydney is also so so beautiful and I’ve loved being here for the last nineteen years, every minute. Part of my heart will always be in this beautiful city but the green spaces are calling, calling hard. I’m going to do everything I can to step into this exciting new chapter of my life and, i’m very much looking forward to sharing my journey with you.
With deepest love and gratitude.
Grace xxx