Te Huihuinga Hakui - Gathering of the Grandmothers of Pacifica

Sharing of Breath
Artist: Karma Barnes, Sharing of Breath, www.karmabarnes.com

I first heard about Te Huihuinga Hakui - Gathering of Grandmothers of Pacifica a few months ago. It came with a mental reminder that just before my departure from New Zealand I had been invited by Annie B to the Gathering of the Grandmothers of Waitaha, “those who walk the path of peace”, that was scheduled to be held at Te Moata on the Coromandel Peninsula in early October.

With prior commitments to land of the Whale Dreaming I knew I would not be able make the October gathering however when I returned to mainland Australia after the Island Vibe Festival on North Stradbroke and there were two emails from Emirates carrying suggestions that I should use rather than lose my frequent flyer points, I realised I had a choice to make. And, as luck would have it there was space on a flight from Melbourne to Auckland the day after I was due to return from our earthwork at the Bight. Not being one to miss an opportunity I figured that I may as well show up, and that is exactly what I did!

The interesting thing was that for the first time in nearly three years I didn’t feel called to be in any other particular place on our planet. Therefore, feeling as tired and travel weary as I was, the prospect of following the sun back to my homeland for the summer warmed my heart while coming with the added bonus that I could be back in Aotearoa in time to join Te Huihuinga Hakui - Gathering of Grandmothers of Pacifica.

So, after a weekend catching up with Fi, Alyshia, Daniel, and most importantly myself, Monday morning arrived and I managed to hitch a lift to the Powhiri for the Grandmothers that was being held on the marae at the Manakau Institute of Technology. And, just as it happened, it was the best homecoming I could have possibly asked for. The first person I met was Shafia from the Sharda Centre and as we came to take off our shoes I realised that I had placed mine right next to those belonging to Puawai and Aroha Jen, two wonderful star sisters I connected with last visit. Then when we were invited to greet our visitors I also found Zan and Tai who I had met during our Journey to Jerusalem and Maikara who had joined us for the whale work on the Hokianga Harbour during my last journey home.



It was such a warm and heartfelt homecoming which combined with my current state of exhaustion and disorientation from the last 3 weeks of earthwork left me on the verge of tears for most of the day’s proceedings. Nevertheless in between catching up with old and familiar faces while being introduced new ones I also enjoyed an opportunity to chat with a few of our visiting grandmothers and grandfathers from Hawaii which included a gentleman by the name of Jessie who just so happened to be a good friend of Sarvajnah, one of the women from Byron that I met on the Whale Journey . . .



It felt as though pieces of my Earthwalk jigsaw puzzle were coming together, dots on the divine web were connecting through time and space and my trip home was beginning to feel as though it would be one of consolidation. I was tired and in desperate need of some good bodywork to help me integrate the shifts and changes the last three weeks had brought. Once more I could think of nowhere else that I would rather be than on the earth at the Ancient Whale Temple site which my friends Peter and Maree are the current custodians of in Waimate North. However to get there I first had to make an overnight trip down to Ohiwa to my sister’s space so that I could once again borrow my Dad’s trusty little 4wd.

This was a journey that I had done my best to avoid but, as there was no one else who was able to drive it up for me, I figured that it would provide a means to an end and signed up for another 8 hour road trip. It gave me some special time catching up with my big sis while also raising my curiosity as to any other possible reasons why I might have to make the journey in person.

The following morning I shared breaky with Dad and after packing what I needed I felt to stop by the Kokiri in Whakatane as it was Wednesday, the day of the weekly healing circle provided for the community and a perfect opportunity to have a quick catch up with everyone, let them know I would be back in time to hold a fire ceremony on the full moon at the end of December and check in with Koru to see if he could shed any light on what the purpose of this little trip might be.

Only Koru wasn’t there and instead a very tall young man was drawn into my space rather like a lost little magnet that had suddenly made a connection, a curious meeting that I am sure I will learn more about when he comes to our full moon fire circle. Heading back toward Auckland I figured that my hunch, that there may have been another purpose for my road trip, must have been unfounded until just outside of Matamata also known as ‘Hobbiton’ or Middle Earth after the filming of the Lord of the Rings series, Dad’s little car overheated. A situation that did little to entertain my sense of humour when I had a 3 pm afternoon appointment for some bodywork back in Auckland with Susan, one of the Hawaiian Grandmothers! Wondering what it was all about I figured that I couldn’t go far until it cooled down so decided the best thing to do was to find a shady tree and enjoy my salad.

Meanwhile Annie the owner of the house where I had landed came home and loaned me her phone to call around town in order to find a reliable mechanic to take a look at the possible damage. By my third phone call I found a mechanic who was available in a workshop on the north side of town and within limping distance of my current location. And, as one does I handed over my keys and accepted an invitation to take a seat in the waiting room while I waited to hear the outcome. Only instead of being offered tea my crown chakra opened up and down came a transmission of high vibrational energy that I can only assume was ear-marked for middle earth, which of course made perfect sense when the mechanic returned ½ an hour later to advise me that there was absolutely nothing wrong with my vehicle. The return pipe had simply fallen off into the reservoir and thus the engine had overheated. I made a vow to do what I could to improve my communications with those directing this little Earthwalk!

I had had to cancel my afternoon appointment with Susan so figured that I would try my luck tracking down Shafia to see if she could give me an afternoon shiatsu session at Sharda. I had not heard back by the time I reached the turnoff to Tuakau but felt to show up anyway. Although Shafia was out and about, what I hadn’t realised was that most of the visiting Grandmothers were staying at Sharda and thus the kitchen was a hive of activity with supper preparations and after an offer of tea I was recruited to assist with the creations. A perfect opportunity to catch up with Aroha Jen and share time and space with some like-minded ladies from near and far. That was until about 9 pm when my eyes started to close and the need for sleep overrode any possibility to stay and share the kiwifruit crumble I had prepared for dessert.

Day three of the Gathering dawned clear and bright and I did not have far to travel from Mangere Bridge to the Blockhouse Bay Boat club, a brilliant venue built over the water only 15 mins away from Fi’s. Grandmother’s business was the theme of the day and we enjoyed listening to a number of wise woman share their lives and a few of the highs and lows from from their journeys that had brought them to this circle to share with us their practical experiences of; Preserving Cultural Heritage, Healing Generational Trauma, Caretaking of the Youth, Safeguarding Traditional Medicine, Honouring of the Elders, Inspiring the Young with the Ancient Wisdom Teachings, Preserving the ways of Prayer and Dreaming the Future. And what a wonderful day it was with the icing on the cake being the discovery that Annie B and some wonderful women of Waitaha had chosen to join us .


Annie B & her Waitaha sister

It met Wai Turoa-Morgan who I had contacted a year previously offering to share her Earth Medicine www.earthmedicine.wai-shaman.com during my Earthwalk journey. Also a Kuia (Maori female elder) by the name of Pauline who had appeared with Bunna in the Australian film Whaledreamers where she attended a Gathering for the Whale dreaming at the Great Australian Bight. What was also very interesting was that the Grandmothers from Hawaii had just come from a Sundance with a group of Australian Aboriginals just to the east of where we were doing our earthwork at the exact same time as we were in the area.

Pouawai and Aroha Jen invited me to join them on an overnight excursion with a few of the visiting grandmothers and grandfathers to Te Miringa Te Kakara, Temple of the Fourwinds in Benneydale however although I wanted to go I knew it was time to honour my physical body, slow down and allow it some nourishing time to rest and integrate. I knew also that there would be time to visit Te Miringa in the weeks to come.

On the last morning of the gathering the Tokotoko (ceremonial carved walking and talking stick) was passed around each person in the gathering so that everyone had an opportunity to share what they felt they were able to bring to circle of Grandmothers of Aotearoa that was about to be formed. And once this was completed all those who felt called to stand in the circle were asked to step forward. And then and there as I sat cross legged on the floor minding my own business in eastern corner of the room a little voice which I now recognise as my higher self, that wise aspect of ourselves that can usually only get a word in edgeways when our ego is on holiday and our mind at rest, tuned in and suggested that it didn’t call me back here for nothing and that I wouldd have to walk the last few meters to the centre circle! Oh how I do love these last minute instructions that take me completely by surprise so as not to allow my mind any time to make up reasons and excuses about why I can’t . . . .

And so at age 42, have neither been married nor with child, I began my initiation as one of the Grandmothers of Aotearoa . . . the energy that descended into our circle filled my heart to bursting and it was with great relief that I was soon able to pass it on to all those present who were filing pass to share hongi. A hongi is a traditional Maori greeting of pressing noses, touching foreheads and sharing breath, which I had only ever experienced on one other island on our Earth, and that is Socotra. Socotra is an island belonging to Yemen, off the coast of Somalia, in the Sea of Aden where three tectonic plates meet and where I understand recent evidence has been uncovered that points to this place on our planet as the space from which three ancient civilisations emerged from.

I did my best to honour each individual and in the process received many both humbling and overwhelming acknowledgments. The first of these actually came at the Powhiri when a young seer hugged me and acknowledged me as one of the Ancients, three of the visiting grandmothers voiced that they knew I was one, Annie B with her simple words ‘I see you’ triggered a fountain of tears, another recognised my vibration that I could identify from a Mayan past life and one said that it didn’t happen with anyone else but when she came into my field she could see many, many people gathering . . .

Since arriving back in New Zealand to attend the grandmothers gathering I had had over a dozen people ask me if they knew me from somewhere, had seen me on TV or if I had written a book and while my mind was trying to makes some sense of it more often than not all I could answer was that there is no past, no present, no future, all is one. Part of me found understanding with my minds theory that the veils were thinning and the Earthwalk Project was coming closer to manifestation while the other part was wondering if it was simply due to the changes in my vibratory field that people were somehow more able to connect with themselves when I shared the same energetic space with them.

Our last afternoon was shared in circle with the Grandmothers of Aotearoa discussing how best we could communicate, implement our roles and share our knowledge. Meanwhile those who were not yet called to stand joined our visiting Grandmothers in workshops for honouring the Ancestors and Creating the Future through Storytelling, Weaving, Dancing, Drumming, Prophecy, Caretaking the Young, Creating Ceremony for Papatuanuku (Mother Earth), Teachings of the Ancestors; the Medicine Wheel, the Three Baskets of Knowledge, the Wisdom of Plant People, The Stone People and the Spirit Worlds.

And the best was at afternoon tea time when I sat in the sun with Kereru and one of the other Kuia as they spoke of dragons and little one-eyed beings full of love that assist them with their earthwork. We shared stories of star gates and star beings acknowledging them as our star sisters and brothers who are really no different from ourselves except that they have not chosen this time to be in physical form.

Kereru Ponamu

That evening we gathered with the world drum www.theworlddrum.com as our special guest for a Drum Circle and Medicine Wheel ceremony to honour the Grandmothers and the Prophecies. And what better way to end the day than by drumming and dancing together to raise the vibration of peace, balance, harmony and joy for Papatuanuku and all our relations. I thank Deborah Lowen, her team of angels, and all of the men and women who came together sharing their gifts and resources to make this beautiful gathering possible. What an honour and a privilege it had been to share space with so many wise and wonderful women and men.




I could have stayed on in Auckland and joined Fi for a girl’s night out at the Rocky Horror Picture show but it was time to honour my physical body. It needed rest and nourishment and what better way than heading north to share some time and space with my Mama while I downloaded the extraordinary experiences of the last 6 weeks. After which it was time to make my way up to the Bay of Islands and walk barefoot on the earth at the Ancient Whale Temple in the Land of Lemuria! It wanted to swim in the pacific ocean, share some fresh seafood and wonderful kiwi wine and catch up with my New Zealand Rainbow family.