Sally | Kaniere, West Coast

“The thing I think that makes me feel most grateful is strangely enough, the environment, and that’s partly from living here. I’m in the hills with my family, and people who are close to me, so that’s part of it, but it’s just awe-inspiring to know that we’ve got this beautiful nature, and I feel very relaxed and very in awe, it gives me a great sense of joy.

So that’s something I feel grateful for. I also feel grateful for people, certain people in my life. My daughters and of course my husband, and just other people that touch you. They’ll do something special, or they make you feel special. So, I’m always grateful for people. But I think predominantly an underlying thing is the environment and the wonder of the world. 

I feel really grateful for the environment that I live in, in the wider New Zealand, but especially here on the Coast, living in the Hokitika environment. Getting in the hills, and walking amongst the bush, and in particular, a recent trip I did, and the sense and the peace and calm up the Arahura. We were camping, and the weather was lovely and just sitting beside the river, and feeling very much a part of nature and very much away from all the busyness of the world. So, I do feel really grateful for that.

What you learn about yourself? The capacity of what you really love. When you get into that environment, when you’re walking in the bush, when you camp by the river, that this is a real passion for you. This is something really. I just like the wildness of it. I like the peace and serenity, and the fact that, well it is changing, but it is a constant in our life. No-one goes and changes it that much, and you’re very much in it, as it was thousands of years ago.

I know from coming back from just an overnighter, you feel rejuvenated. I especially like it when it’s just me and my husband, because if you go with people, there’s always the chat, and the social behaviour that goes with it, but when it’s just us, we’re just quiet and with nature. It’s lovely. Peace, serenity, you feel close to God.

I grew up in Pahiatua, which is in the North Island in the Wairarapa and I spent many years overseas. I came back, and met my husband, and we spent a few years in the North Island traveling, and then we came to the Hokitika as secondary school teachers 28 years ago. We thought it would just be for a little while, but we very much became part of the place. We had our daughters here. My husband is passionate about the outdoors. He wouldn’t live anywhere else, and I love it. It’s a lovely small community. I know lots of people. There’s lots to do. Lots of activities. So that’s my journey here, and I don’t see my journey going anywhere else, personally.”