Road Trip to Whanganui River
Earlier this year, 10 of our wāhine and 4 staff went on a retreat for self-healing and reflection, to Hiruhārama Jerusalem on the Whanganui River. This settlement holds a rich history and beauty. It is a tiny settlement 66 kilometres up the Whanganui River Road. It was originally called Patiarero and was one of the biggest settlements on the Whanganui River in the 1840’s with several hundred Ngāti Hau inhabitants of the iwi Te Āti Haunui a Pāpārangi.
Focus for the trip:
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The aim of this is to provide an opportunity for wāhine to escape their usual surroundings and experience something different. By doing so, the aim is to create a sense of excitement and adventure that can lead to personal growth and discovery.
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Trying new things and being open to failing the first time at something can be a great learning experience. You may develop new skills or find talents you never knew you had. By creating an environment where our women are encouraged to try new activities and overcome difficult situations, building confidence in their own abilities which will help improve other areas of their lives.
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Stepping outside of one's comfort zone is scary, but it’s the only way to truly experience personal growth and discover new strengths and abilities. By participating in activities that may be new or uncomfortable, our wāhine can push themselves to overcome obstacles with support from others and achieve a sense of accomplishment.
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By providing a supportive and caring environment, our wāhine have the opportunity to cultivate positive relationships with each other and build trust with our staff. Trust is foundational to being part of a healthy community, which is beneficial for personal growth and healing.
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The focus on wellness is important as it provides an opportunity for wāhine to learn how to recharge and rejuvenate. Experiencing the thrill and awe of life through activities and nature, as well as finding peace and grounding. Relaxation can be a transformative experience that feeds personal wellbeing and connection.
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Reflection is part of moving on from the past. By allowing for self-awareness and reflection, our wāhine gain insight into themselves, their behaviours and their interactions with others. Identifying areas where focussed growth enables them to make positive changes in their lives.
Exploring Hiruharama brought feelings of nostalgia, peace, and awe. Everyone enjoyed the experience taking in the peacefulness of the house, the antique furnishings and the clean lush surroundings. Tash, our senior staff member shared the whakapapa of the land, her tupuna – tangata whenua who donated the land the convent is built on, the sisters that ran the establishment and the strong relationship that was built between the tangata whenua and the church.
One of our wāhine said with a huge smile, “I was raised Catholic”, another said, “This is just what I needed, did you know there’s a chapel here, I wanted to take my mattress in there to sleep but got a slap in the face”, someone said “the hair on the arms were standing”. Another read all the posters and information about the convent and said, “I’ve never read so fast in my life”. There were wāhine who were up early every morning taking in the ahua of the area and others asked, “do you believe that prayers get answered?”, then said, “I prayed that we could stay another night”. Another said, “I wish we could live here”.
Over the two-night stay, everyone took part in communal cooking and cleaning. Every night we ate together with lots of good korero and laughs. Because the house was so big, there were great spaces to relax if you wanted to be on your own or other communal areas where we had lots of rich korero with wāhine sharing their experiences of their mental health and addiction journeys. We all got comfort in knowing others had had similar experiences and that they were not alone.
One of our wāhine shared that she had 12 years’ experience working in the mental health system and her personal experience of mental health and addictions. She shared valuable knowledge about navigating the mental health system and what it’s like engaging with psychiatrists.
The next morning, those who woke up early went for a walk around the grounds while the others slept in. We found out that our River Tour was canceled due to bad weather, so breakfast flowed late into the morning. After breakfast, we had a big clean up and a little downtime while the karaoke machine was set up. At first only the more confident wāhine sang, but with some time and encouragement, it didn’t take long before we all got the confidence to give it a go and ended up singing our hearts out for the next few hours!
As the rain subsided that afternoon, seven of us took a drive to Raetihi which was about an hour’s drive from Hiruharama to the local pools. The pools there were cold, and three of the wāhine refused to jump in. The pool attendant was kind enough to called some of the surrounding lodges in Ohakune to see if a hot pool was available. Unfortunately, there was no availability until 6pm so we decided to stay put. We spend a couple of hours diving, bombing, swimming, and having fun fare! After all that, only two of us didn’t end up jumping in but enjoyed watching.
Later that night after dinner, we played board games in teams which was hilarious. One particular staff member had the house in hysterics with her friendly banter and borderline cheating antics. We watched a documentary about the work of the Sisters of Compassion with some choosing to bring their mattresses into the lounge for marae style sleeping.
Not being able to take the River Tour staff thought it would be a good idea to give the women the experience of staying in a Yurt at Ohakune for an extra night. The tenants were excited by the idea – joking that prayers do come true!
The next day we got up early and had breakfast together and made our way home to Poneke, stopping in Taihape to take a photo with the famous gumboot. And later arriving back at Te Whare Nukunoa later that day, pooped from a long day in the car and ready to start a new week.
To make more trips like this happen, please consider supporting us by making a donation.
These trips would not be possible without community donations and wider funding efforts. By donating, you are giving someone the opportunity to improve their situation by experiencing something they thought may never be possible. It also enables WHWT to provide the best possible service we can to our wāhine and set them up for a future they can control.
Homelessness is a by-product of much bigger contributing issues – mental health, physical health, generational trauma, environmental and many societal issues.
Trips like these take wāhine away from these negative influences and highlight the potential for a brighter future – they have a significant impact on our wāhine that will be with them long after their time with us.
Thank you to all donors for your generosity and for enabling us to continue our meaningful mahi.
