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10 January 2023Kia ora tātou, writing to you from wet and thunderous Waikanae, hoping you are well and happy as we approach the longest day of the year. The combination of summer solstice and Christmas makes for a busy, full, festive energy … we hope you are riding the activity of the... -
10 January 2023The site was blessed Saturday January 7th. Members of the Board of Trustees, current caretakers, local sangha, and many donors were in attendance. It was beautiful. We managed to be rain-free. Thank You to Bonni Ross and Matthew Eades for the blessing ceremony. Also, donations have increased by $20,000. The total... -
15 November 2022Kia ora koutou, we trust this Kumanu Report finds you well and happy. This month the Board met on site at the Wangapeka, sharing a lovely weekend of cakes, kōrero and warm spring rains. It was a good opportunity to connect with both Jacinta and Tracy as the two...
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3 November 2022I arrived later than planned but it was a wonderful relief to be welcomed at the gates of the Wangapeka centre by a profusion of pale lemon rhododendron flowers. “You have arrived”. Yay. Phew. Breathe. Smile. Two caretakers arrived shortly afterwards: Jacinta, getting ready to leave, and Tracy settling into... -
3 November 2022Our Differences Are Our Strengths – Mitzi Borren It was by a stroke of synchronicity that my first stay at the Wangapeka was spent immersed in the wisdom and teachings of Rob McGowan. As a student on several of Rob’s rongoā māori wananga I was familiar with his captivating blend of... -
3 November 2022Reflections on Kaitiakitanga weekend with Pā Ropata, by Elli Yates Arriving at the Centre for the weekend I felt a new type of anticipation rising. Knowing that we were hosting one of Aotearoa’s leading rongoā experts, I felt excited to welcome him and in doing so unite with others in the... -
20 October 2022By Elli Yates October 17, 2022 Tēnā koutou katoa, I am writing to you from windy Parapara in Mōhua (Golden Bay), where spring announces itself in massive gusts of warm(er) wind. I trust you are able to find peace throughout these windy weeks as the days lengthen and heat up. It has...
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7 September 2022Kia ora e te whānau, springtime greetings to you all! Sending out acknowledgements to you near and far at this changeable time – time of wind, frost, heat and early growth – as the first shoots of sleeping plants begin to show themselves through...
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17 August 2022Full text below and download pdf here Year of Service – What we discussed at the AGM weekend The Year of Service (YOS) proposal was a major topic of discussion at the AGM weekend. The proposal had been prepared by a group (Chani Grieve, Lily Redgrave, Jane Hobday, Dan Burgess-Milne, and Georgia... -
17 August 2022Lily Redgrave and Chris Petzold Lily Redgrave The last weekend of July always feels special, the longest day has been, there are a few more frosts to look forward to and spring finally feels close. During the last weekend of July this year a few of us gathered at the centre for... -
17 August 2022download pdf here and full text below. Kia ora koutou, late wintery greetings to you all. Here is a little update about goings on at the Centre from your faithful Trustees – Cashy Yates, Tim Leyland, Dave Pooch, Elli Yates, Simon Jones and Dan Burgess-Milne. We would like to begin by... -
13 July 2022Come for a day, come for the whole weekend! The Annual General Meeting weekend is an annual community event and there is no charge. There will be an opportunity to offer Dana for food and accommodation, and to our volunteer cook, Lily. It is a great opportunity to enjoy fellowship with the... -
29 June 2022Dear friends, This letter is a way of communicating something of the process that has led to the decision to build a cabin at the Wangapeka to support Bonni and Matthew. The teachers who have studied for decades with Namgyal Rinpoche are ageing like us all and the time is coming when... -
14 June 2022This Nectar of Naturalness by Tarchin Hearn Digital Editions on Kindle and Kobo. Published by Wangapeka Books June 2022. NZD $10.50 Kobo only USD $7.00 Kindle and Kobo CAD $9.00 Kindle and Kobo Paperback book $20 NZ plus postage E-mail wanga.comms@gmail.com More at https://wangapeka.org/treasury-of-wisdom/wangapeka-books/ -
11 June 2022Kumanu May 2022 On Tuesday the 24th of May I joined the Wangapeka Trust board meeting, half an hour after it had begun, so there are some gaps from the beginning of the meeting. Kumanu is an informal sharing of the process, decisions and challenges the board are...
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2 June 2022Let’s celebrate 75 years of Bonni with a collection of her essays! Living The Dharma With Bonni Ross is available on Kindle and Kobo. NZD $8.50 (Kobo only) USD $5.00 (Kindle and Kobo) CAD $6.50 (Kindle and Kobo) With Love, Wangapeka Books -
14 May 2022Landing at the Wangapeka Jacinta Nowland It is a wondrous blessing to have arrived here in this wonderful and curious valley of bracken, or learning corner, known as the Wangapeka. I am very grateful for the guidance and teachings in Dharma practice and the opportunity to practice in a peaceful, calm environment of dedicated... -
14 May 2022KUMANU, MARCH/APRIL 2022 Tēnā koutou, greetings to the Wangapeka sangha far and wide from your faithful Board members – Shelley, Tim, Cashy, Dan, Elli and Dave. We trust this Kumanu Report finds you well, and that you have support systems in place to help you manage at home around... -
9 May 2022Tiwaiwaka and an exploration of Kaitiakitanga. A seed was planted, or maybe many were dispersed when, before covid in 2020, the Wangapeka community had the good fortune to have Pā Ropata, Rob McGowan, attend at the Centre and share his wisdom. An attempt to have a further hui at the Centre... -
9 May 2022The Whakapapa of the Wangapeka whenua. The history of the land. It sounds like a very compelling title doesn’t it? It alludes to a kind of certainty of knowing what’s happened over the years on and to the land the Wangapeka Study and Retreat Centre currently sits on, and has sat... -
5 April 2022Hadleigh and Malu, our wonderful caretakers, are moving on after more than a year of service at Wangapeka. Come, celebrate, and thank them for their time at Wangapeka. Let’s awhi them together, as they get ready to leave for the Netherlands. Afternoon/evening event, come any time from 2pm on Sunday 10th for... -
3 November 2021Earlier this year the sign ‘Whare Wānanga’ was taken down during a retreat, and questions were asked about the original naming of the Whare, and of cultural appropriation as this is currently recognised within Aotearoa. The Board kept the sign down while seeking the story of the Whare’s name, cultural advice... -
3 November 2021Thelma Rodgers died in Nelson, New Zealand on 12 October 2021. Here we honour her multi-faceted exploration of life, and the many ways she supported the unfolding of Dharma. Tributes from Mary Jenkins and Tarchin are followed by those of many others whose lives she touched. Photo: Thelma and Sadie 2020 Remembrance of... -
3 November 2021A Wangapeka Fund Raising Opportunity After almost three years of planning, obtaining resource consents, building permits, cost estimates and tactical discussions, the Centre is moving ahead with its plans to develop a volunteer and member’s accommodation block on the site of Mike Elliott’s old workshop and caravan. We would like to... -
15 August 2021THE TOILET PAPER EPISODE By Gaye (Dawa) Rowley “The art of meditation is the ability to let go and begin again, over and over again.” – Sharon Salzberg Minds are like puppies. Excitable, inquisitive, sniffing off in every direction except the one you choose. Even puppies who grow up to take on responsible... -
15 August 2021Recent Retreat Reflections By Melanie, Stephanie, Nicqui and Karen From “Where the Mind Goes, the Winds Gather” retreat with Gaye Rowley I arrive, I feel anxious. This is out of my comfort zone but I feel a pull to learn and grow so I am also excited. This is my first retreat at... -
15 August 2021As you might know, AME publishing house was established with the intention to translate and publish the books of our lineage of mindfulness and Buddha Dharma in Brazil, making the teachings accessible to Brazilians. It is a non-profit collective project, we are now 21 participants supporting the publishing house. We...