24-05-2025, 07:29 AM
I was too. And, have a parent who shed blood in active military duty for this country I consider myself tangata whenua, by right. And, weirdly, I discovered by traveling overseas, that this land is part of me. I can be away from it for about three weeks before I start to get really discombobulated. Homesick for the smell of it, the familiarities of it, the taste and tones of its air and water, the sounds of its people, its birds, and its life patterns.
As I flew into San Francisco, the cliffs were the same cliffs I flew away from, the weather was similar, the pines and even the pohutukawa at Golden Bay Park all spoke of home. It was a physical thing that I didn't feel on the other coast, or in Europe, or the Middle East, or Australia.
The longer I live the deeper this land puts its roots into me. It is a real thing, and I love it. Trash it in front of me, at your peril, lol...
As I flew into San Francisco, the cliffs were the same cliffs I flew away from, the weather was similar, the pines and even the pohutukawa at Golden Bay Park all spoke of home. It was a physical thing that I didn't feel on the other coast, or in Europe, or the Middle East, or Australia.
The longer I live the deeper this land puts its roots into me. It is a real thing, and I love it. Trash it in front of me, at your peril, lol...