Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. "Greeting, greetings, greetings to you all". As I write those words, the starting words of any Mihi, it seems a little strange not to keep going. I have given a Mihi several times, as part of my teachers training, and it was always enjoyable. Something about ordering those things to which you belong in your mind, and then looking for connections with others present. That and the unselfconscious acceptance of the tangnata whenua of the Marae - their happiness to meet you, and to extend their welcome.

However, as I wrote this task differently, so should I follow the task.

In the end I chose eleven things that I consider mine (In the sense that I belong to them, or they hold meaning for me). This was winnowed from a larger list, and this winnowing was intensely enjoyable, as was looking for pictures of some of the places. One of them was a surprise... In retrospect it shouldn't have been, but as I looked through my old photos, it dawned on me how many of them were of that place, and how much of a spiritual oasis it was for me. It's kind of funny, because I tell my Japanese students that it's a MUST SEE when they visit that city, even though they look at me funny as a result... yes, Kyoto Station.

Anyway, after some thought I decided I'd use geographical closeness to order the eleven, rather than some more complicated system, and here they are.

1/ My lake - Lake Hayes.

I grew up beside this lake, visiting it every day from the time I could walk. I helped shape it's geography in many small ways, and took care of it. Many is the night that I slept beside it's shores, and it's still the place I go to think when I need a quiet space. Ahh how I love it. I realised when I was there yesterday that I have now almost lived away from it more than I lived there, which saddens me a little, but it is still HOME!

2/ My Wharf - Lake Hayes, below the old Lake Hayes motels.

I helped to build this wharf when I was small. One of my first tasks for SF0 says it better than anything I could say now. http://sf0.org/Absurdum/taskDetail/?id=834

3/ My River - Mill creek.

A very minor river, but this creek ran through the properties that we farmed when I was a child, and formed the quickest route to my best friend's house (some 45 minute walk away). It is unfortunately barred to me now, as development, and the hardening of people's acceptance of trespassing in the area have made it much harder to access... Again, I helped to physically shape it in many ways - and it strikes me now that this is a theme in my closest places - those which hold the greatest sway over my heart.

4/ My forest - The willow forest at Lake Hayes

Again, a landscape that I helped to shape. More recently, it has been allowed to decay into an unpleasant, squalid wilderness, the trees of which are barely climbable... I have recently started certain reclamation work, which I will continue as time allows.

5/ My mountain - The Old Man Mountain range.

Oddly enough, I have never stepped foot on the mountain. It hovered above me for my entire childhood, and has always exerted a strong pull on my imagination, just because it does so resemble an old man laid down to rest. I used to try to imagine what he was dreaming, as he slumbered there.

6/ My shop - The Fairlight Train Station.

I used to run this shop - the far terminus of a steam train line. 10 minutes drive from the nearest building in any direction, it was my own small kingdom. I haven't worked there in over 2 years - I own my own shop now. Indeed it is now vacant, the steam train having gone out of business... Still, it is my shop, and it still pulls at me every time I drive south.

7 / My City - Shibuya, Tokyo.

So much do I love this city, that I have never taken a photo of it - I had to steal a photo from a friend on flicker. I photograph EVERYTHING, and all I can say is that when I am there I am in such awe of the place that I have never felt disconnected enough to take a picture. This photo shows the crossing outside the station after rain, and captures perfectly my feelings towards it.

8/ My bridge / overpass - Harajuku, Tokyo.

Another inclusion that sneaked up on me a little. Whenever I have spare time in Tokyo I come to this bridge / train overpass just outside Harajuku station and just sit. There are always buskers, people dressed in formal kimono coming from Meiji shrine, Gothic Lolitas dressed in crazy outfits, the free hugs crowd, foreigners taking photos (as an aside THEY are the ones that get furious if they see you photographing them surreptitiously), all sorts of goodness. It's also an oasis on a hot summer day - there is always a breeze stirring the huge trees nearby, and making it all bearable.

9/ My train - The Den-en-toshi line (Tokyo to Yokohama).

I have no idea why I love this line so much. I mean sure, I used to live on it, but I can still get on it and just ride for 4 or 5 hours, drifting from station to station, and back, and never getting off. Just the journey and the train itself is enough. It's officially the second most crowded line in Japan during rush hour - with full on people pushers. I have lifted both feet from the ground before, and been held up by the press of bodies. A crowded train is heavenly, transporting, like a good mosh-pit. You move in time with those around you, becoming one huge, undifferentiated mass of humanity... How I miss it.

10/ My Station - Kyoto Station.

To my mind Kyoto station is one of the greatest pieces of architecture in the world. It's scale, it's shape, the materials, everything blends to create a place that hits all of my "home" buttons the moment I step into it's loving embrace.

11/ My temple - Kofukuji, Nara.

It's kind of strange, but as a christian (yes, yes, I hate the phrase too - feel free to boo and hiss in the cheap seats, and rest assured there will be no proselytization, I despise it) I do most of my praying in the temples of other faiths. I love temples you see, and there is something inspiring about them that makes me want to pray. Also, once you've clapped your hands and thrown your coin in the box, you have to do something... Anyway, this is my favourite temple in Nara. It smells of home - literally. They sell a special incense there, which I always buy and keep in a box in my room. My part of the house smells of it, ever so faintly, so when I go to Kofukuji it smells like my room, and hits all the buttons one would expect from this...

Anyway, that's my Mihi, finish as always with a Waiata -

Te Aroha, te whakaponou, te rangi maoriei, tatoe tatoe ee.