Have you ever had a day that you don't want anythings even the songs, the books, the dishes or movies that usually make you thrill with excitement? A day that phone calls from friends or family don't cheer you up or even make more pressure? And you end up lying on your bed, wondering why you are lying here? I am having one of those days.
Consider myself as a disciplinarian, I always try to manage my time in the best productive way. A day doing or learning nothing to me, is a day wasted. That motto has been keeping me busy until I fell out of my track, suddenly the emptiness invaded me, no warning. For a moment, I was so unsure about my career path, my life purpose. Weary, sluggish, languid or whatever similar, was me. When I really didn't know what to do but thinking how useless I am, I shut my eyes, and there...the peak appeared. The peak, where I used to go there with my friends after a hard day working, where we used to share all of the laugh, where I used to be so energetic with hope, appeared in my head and asked me for a visit. The peak is missing me or I am missing it? I don't know, but it makes me get up, grasp my car key and head straight to there. Te Mata, my Te Mata!
Has been in Hawke's Bay who knows for how long, Te Mata is a good friend of gererations of Hastings people. It is not impressively high, just 399m up and you can drive from bottom to the top of the hill in 5 minutes. Nothing seems so special or fancy about it at the first glance until you find yourself a seat, scan your eyes around, take a deep breath and there you go: welcome to the wonderland! In front of your eyes now is not just hills but waves of hills. Te Mata just like a sea that made from moutains. The whole range tilt in the same direction just like wind has shaped them that way. As beautiful as a song of mermaids, Te Mata loosens my nerve and eases my heart, as always.
Usually I just go to the Peak for a view but last time, I decided to make a hike up. I like hiking but why never I have had the idea of hiking to my Te Mata? Maybe it's just like someone you are already so close that you don't think about getting to discover them more. You thought you know all until you figured out that's not...all.
As I usually do, I took the longest track, the red one. The track led me through the valley around the hills. I didn't know Te Mata could be this green and giant. Now I understand when people say "Things could be so different when you swap the position of views".
Then, it awed me with red woods. Standing in the middle of the woods-those old, straight and tall pine trees actually can see through your soul as the way elderly people fathom their descendants. I feel warm, I feel loved.
Yet, I have to admit it's tiring to get to the top this way but it gave me a smile. I took a photo of the-tree-that-everybody-knows-which-it-is and sent to my friend, she sent back a heart emoji. I know she is missing Te Mata too.
Nobody was on the peak when I reached there, so I had a chance to lie on the center of this map with my head pointed to the North, the sky was so blue.
On the way back, these tiny cutie flowers caught my eyes, or I, myself have become happier so I could see them. They showed me their grins and I showed them mine.
Yes, that is my Te Mata and of course, could be your Te Mata too. The place I come when I am happy and when I am sad. People go to Te Mata with different reasons, but I have never seen any of them leaving it without being recharged. This is the real miracle!
Oh, forgot to tell you that this is one of the best places for picnics as well, I am so proud of the basic facilities here. Next time, I will definitely ask my friends to have a Te Mata hike and a lunch together. If you would like to join us, you are warmly invited.
There is my lovely little car. Time to go home now. Goodbye and see you again!
[//]:# (!pinmapple -39.701597 lat 176.909277 long d3scr)