Banks Peninsula Getaway

We recently enjoyed a Banks Peninsula getaway and thought it make a great post to begin the holiday season. November is a very busy time at Courage My Love with events, sponsorships and Christmas prep. So this year, our Heart Director, Persephone Singfield, planned a 4 day getaway on the Banks Peninsula Track.

We sent with her our new merino wool muscle back singlet / tank top, a pair of 3/4 black leggings & matching bra top in the new Dream Galaxy style. As we plan to release our 100% merino wool muscle back singlet / tank top in late summer 2017, we have been testing it vigorously since early this year.

Stunningly Diverse Track

The Banks Peninsula Track follows a stunningly diverse track of 35 kilometres through pasture and forest as you explore the remote outer bays of Banks Peninsula.

Its route includes a spectacular volcanic coastline, native bush, waterfalls and sandy beaches with two crossings of the crater rim high above Akaroa Harbour as you leave and return to Akaroa, New Zealand. It has quaint shelters peppered along the track to seek refuge should the wind be blowing, or to simply put your feet up for a spot of lunch.

At the end of each track leg, there are gorgeous little cottages with magical gardens to match for the night’s accommodation. Limited to 12 walkers a day, it’s the perfect retreat with plenty of space to be on your own. It also has wonderful wildlife encounters with fur seal, yellow-eyed penguin and Hector’s dolphin.

Sitting in the Sun

The following was written while sitting in the sun somewhere in remote Banks Peninsula after a few days walking some of the 35 kilometres that the trail extends, undulating from sea level to 699 metres.

“I want to eat life whole in this moment.

I feel like I’m existing inside the exhale of a deep soulful sigh. My life has so much beauty in it right now that I’m not sure I have enough vocabulary or skill to express the harmony I am experiencing in my vibe.

Nature has crawled inside the seeing part of my eyes and soaked my overworked brain in relief. The part of myself that I drive hard everyday has taken a backseat – the matrix of numbers, letters and to do’s can’t be heard from where I sit. At times I have a little melancholy at the thought of the experience slipping by me too quickly, reduced to swiping left through a digital album of wow.

Wow indeed. Heartbreaking wow.

The scenery undoes me, it excavates all my shut down bits with ease. I simply surrender to the experience and with no effort at all the Banks Peninsula washes me clean. Her sounds, her smells, her moods penetrate my walls and I am willingly hers body, breath and soul. I think this may be one of the places where worship belongs, because I don’t need to ‘do’ anything to feel the intensity of creation, nor the intimacy and love the creator intended for me to know inside of it.”

For the Banks Peninsula getaway, I brought along the Courage My Love bra top, 3/4 leggings and merino wool singlet I was given to trial on the walk.

Each day I walked 6 – 11kms and then would do an hour of yoga to stretch and release. I have been using the products throughout the year, but have always washed in between wears and I was quite keen to see how they performed on a 4-day walk without the daily washing!

Firstly, I have to say that all of the clothes totally wicked the moisture away from my skin and were most effective at drying fast. Even after 4 days of wearing (and sweating), they held their shape and support was maintained.

I am excited about the addition of merino wool to our range in 2017 – our customers are going to LOVE the artful designs and the ease of wear and care. The merino has an amazing way of keeping your body cool or warm, even when wet. It has the natural ability in its fibres to give your body the support it needs when active or idle and it’s an ideal addition to our growing range.

Whether your wearing Courage My Love or not, I encourage anyone with an appreciation for nature to get out and enjoy a Banks Peninsula getaway.