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In utter disbelief, he secured the greenstone back
into the locket; and without saying a word, handed it
back to me.

On our way back, I noticed a portfolio tucked
behind the seat of Pita’s pick up. Another surprise: he
was an amazing photographer.
There were magnificent pictures of mountains and
rivers, but one in particular caught my eye.

It was mesmerizing and had been taken from a cliff
overlooking a turbulent ocean. It seemed so wild and
powerful. This photo spoke to my heart.
Pita explained it had been taken at Cape Reinga
where the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea meet. Te
Rerenga Wairua on the map. It was in the far north, a
sacred place to the people there and now a ‘must visit’
for many travelers.

One of the main reasons it was considered sacred,
was they believed that after death a person’s spirit
would come to the Cape to leave earth on its journey
back to its spirit home … Hawaiki.
Seemed a bit unbelievable, but in a way it was a
beautiful place to leave earth and I wondered if maybe
my mom had come to this magical place to leave for the
next part of her journey. In a way, it was comforting to
look at the journey of life as never ending. This was

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