Magi Nams - This Dark Sheltering Forest

THIS DARK

SHELTERING

FOREST

Cry of the Kiwi:

A Familys New Zealand Adventure

Book 2

Magi Nams

Leaf Rain Books

Dedication

For Vilis, Dainis, and Jnis,

the men of my heart

Authors Note

T his is the second book of the Cry of the Kiwi trilogy. The first book, Once a Land of Birds , chronicles my familys first four months in New Zealand. We explore volcanic Banks Peninsula near Christchurch; Buller Districts rain-swept, mountain-crowded valleys; Otagos rolling grasslands; the majestic Southern Alps near Queenstown; and the Canterbury Plain, with its immense, sheared hedges. My husband, Vilis, begins ecological research aimed at helping to rid New Zealand of stoats (public enemy number one of New Zealand birds). My sons, twelve-year-old Dainis [DINE-is], and nine-year-old Jnis [YAWN-is], and I dive into New Zealand history and immerse ourselves in the educational opportunity of a lifetime. We all embrace life in small-town New Zealand, delve into Kiwi culture, and embark on an outdoor adventure odyssey that has us scrambling up volcanoes, hiking over wind-blasted pastures, and trail riding in the shadow of the Southern Alps.

This Dark Sheltering Forest carries on from where Once a Land of Birds leaves off and chronicles my familys North Island adventures. The people, places, and events in this book are real. Some individuals names and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect their privacy.

Map

Image

This Dark Sheltering Forest New Zealand Travels

Contents

T itle page

Other books

Dedication

Authors note

Map

Contents

Preface

Prologue

This Dark Sheltering Forest

About the author

Acknowledgements

Glossary

Copyright page

Sidebars

References

Preface

A ll my life, Id dreamed of travelling to far-away countries to hike through landscapes inhabited by exotic animals and plants Id seen in National Geographic or on television. In the year 2000, my dream came true when my husband, two sons, and I left our home in rural Nova Scotia, Canada, and spent ten months in New Zealand.

Our sojourn on the far side of the world was our first extended absence from Canada. As we made our final preparations to travel, we were filled with excitement at the prospect of hiking on volcanoes and exploring tangled rainforests (maybe wed even see a kiwi bird!) but we also had qualms. Would the tenant renting our house take good care of it? Would our cats remember us when we returned? Would we like New Zealand? Would the kids make friends? Would we be safe?

We didnt pack much to take with us: some clothes, a laptop, binoculars, skates, sleeping bags, and a box of school books. We arrived in New Zealand wide-eyed and unsure of what to expect. Ten months later we returned to Canada inspired and broadened in ways Id never imagined. Our New Zealand adventure opened our eyes to the world and helped shape who we are.

The Cry of the Kiwi trilogy began as observations I scribbled in small notebooks during my familys travels and outdoor adventures in New Zealand, and entries in our homeschooling journal. While living there, I roughed out a few NZ stories intended for a private memoir. After our return to Canada, a persistent internal voice told me I should write more of our adventures and turn them into a book.

As happens in life, other responsibilities intruded, with the result that Cry of the Kiwi was fourteen years in the making and became one story in three parts: Once a Land of Birds, This Dark Sheltering Forest, and Tang of the Tasman Sea .

As our New Zealand adventure drew to a close in 2001, I realized that the heart of that country lay as much in its people as in its riveting landscapes and intriguing flora and fauna. Thank you, New Zealand, for the adventure of a lifetime. Perhaps my familys story will inspire others to go adventuring far from home.

Kia ora,

Magi Nams

Prologue

A ugust 9, 2000

Orange streaks flare against the night like a beckoning light at the end of the world. I stare through the window at waning darkness while my husband, Vilis, and sons, Dainis and Jnis, sleep onboard the Air New Zealand jet. A strip of cloud below the jet looks like thick smoke, tinged with the colour of ripe muskmelon. Through gaps in the cloud, I see steel-blue waves like beaten metal, and brown peaks like the humps of stampeding bison. A thrill runs through me. This is it! These are my first glimpses of Nieuw Zeeland (so named by Dutch geographers for their coastal province of Zeeland). To the Mori, whose ancestors arrived from Polynesia centuries before the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman sailed in search of a southern continent in 1642, this is Aotearoa, Land of the Long White Cloud. [1]