Nothing Is Beautiful.
Part 2
by Ian Perez
Days 7-13: I Hope I Never Wake Up
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| (New board, new swell, and no one to share it with…perfect!) |
Days 7-13: I Hope I Never Wake Up
I: “Am I being irresponsible?” L: “Well… you NEED a surfboard…” I: “I could cry right now…”
Walking up across a sea of nearly molten black sand with a new magic board under my arm and a childlike grin on my face, I was struck with the absence of structure. There were no parking meters. No concession stands or bustling restaurants. The beaches were not parking lots to facilitate some consumer need; they were simply sand, surf and those enjoying the interaction between the two. There was, simply put: nothing. But in this space devoid of anything constructed by the hands of humans existed something that man can only attempt to mimic. An undeniable and natural beauty survived in this place. It thrives in the sprawling rainforests of the western coast of Auckland, where a short jaunt can be complimented with beautiful nothingness.
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| (The Rotorua Luge Champion) |
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(Imagine flying across cement ski slopes on a skateboard with steering grips…
And no one signs release forms… California litigation nightmare in Rotorua, NZ) |
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| (South Piha Beach, West Coast, NZ) |
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(Lizzy found a fascination with the shells hiding in the tide,
which helped out as we consistently left her
on the beach to melt while we sampled the local sandbars) |
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(Blue Pools, South Piha. Waves careen into rocks south of Piha,
lightly spilling over into a pool warmed to perfection by the summer sun.
My favorite place in NZ) |
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| (Disappearing into the hills above Piha, we came across an oasis.) |
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| (The world’s smallest starfish) |
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| (Surf check w/ Simon, ultimately decided to check another secret spot…) |
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| (Our gamble payed off…) |
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| (Giraffes are far larger than National Geographic would have you believe…Auckland City Zoo) |
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| (Traditional Maori art on display at the Auckland Museum) |
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| (Traditional Maori Waka,or canoe that the Maori used to migrate from eastern Polynesia to Aotearoa (NZ)) |
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| (Summer day in the city…) |
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| (1000 ft up, standing on a 4 inch piece of glass) |
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| (“Dear Baggage Handler, I hope you’ve had a good day thus far. Please handle my beloved surfboard with care. -Ian”) |
Epilogue: Back Home, Time to Keep Movin’…
In all honesty, I left one paradise for another. While 2/3 of the country is shoveling snow off of cars, houses, dogs and family members, I sit here in the middle of January with the taxing conundrum of what tank top to wear. I know it wont last. I know that the wind will be back, the clouds and rain will return, my Southern Hemi summer tan will fade and my mind will attempt to fall back into negativity about something menial that will inevitably pass. The power of a positive mindframe can never be overlooked, as was proven time and time again on our adventure. So, when the skies go grey and your social instinct tries to get you down, remember that there’s an endless amount of positive energy out there, sometimes you just have to disappear to find it…
Sincerely yours in sincere sincerity,
Ian Perez
