Eutierra 2019

Tuhuroa/Farewell Spit is our longest sand spit, and one of the longest in the world, stretching 26 km with another six underwater. At low tide the mud flats offer a rich feeding ground for many seabirds (and also create a trap for whales). In 2019 HealthPost Nature Trust organised a "bioblitz", a study of selected sites around the base of the spit, and I went along, camera in hand. The experts documented an incredible richness of rare plants, freshwater fish, geckos, micro-snails, spiders and insects in addition to the better known seabirds, whales, and fur seals. Afterwards I climbed up to this vantage point in the howling wind. Taking in the whole landscape, I felt deep gratitude for the beauty and mystery of Papatūānuku, and experienced the boundaries between myself and the world dissolving away. The thoughts and feelings that create the sense of "I" and "other" ceased. The philosopher, Glenn Albrecht created the word 'Eutierra' as secular way to describe this human experience.