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	<title>The Secret Land</title>
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	<link>http://www.secretland.co.nz</link>
	<description>Sacred Sites and Ancient Mysteries in New Zealand and the Pacific</description>
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		<title>The Forest Dwellers</title>
		<link>http://www.secretland.co.nz/the-forest-dwellers/</link>
		<comments>http://www.secretland.co.nz/the-forest-dwellers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2013 01:51:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>AwhiKorero</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gary Cook Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.secretland.co.nz/?p=14383</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>There is an often-told story that relates to an early migration to New Zealand. This story, when related, gives rise to little known depths of the history of this land and brings forth the presence of the early comers. These early arrivals were the people of Waitaha, the Peaceful Nation, who arrived on these shores [...]</p><p>The post <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz/the-forest-dwellers/">The Forest Dwellers</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz">The Secret Land</a>.</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There is an often-told story that relates to an early migration to New Zealand. This story, when related, gives rise to little known depths of the history of this land and brings forth the presence of the early comers.</p>
<p>These early arrivals were the people of Waitaha, the Peaceful Nation, who arrived on these shores almost 1900 years ago. They were not the first, as they shared the land with the Stone People.</p>
<p>The oral history of Waitaha was kept safe in song, and was first shared with all people seven years ago when a part of the ancient traditions were given within the pages of “The Song of Waitaha: The Histories of a Nation”.</p>
<p>Within these pages is to found a description of the three distinct racial groups from which the Nation of Waitaha was founded. The following descriptions appear on page 82 and state:</p>
<p>“<em>They came from the four winds. Some were dark skinned and some were white, yet they gathered at Waitangi Ki Roto  </em>( Easter Island)<em> out of the rising sun. They learned to speak as one and work as one in the interests of all. We honour forever the three coloured strands that came together in this land to bind the heart, mind and spirit of the Nation…</em></p>
<p><em>Uru Kehu were the children of Kiwa, the golden ones, the short people with pale freckled skin, blue eyes and fair or red hair. They came to Waitangi Ki Roto out of the rising Sun.</em></p>
<p><em>Maoriori looked back to Hotu Matua, for they were a dark skinned, very tall, big boned people, with dark eyes and long black hair. Their trail began in the lands of the setting Sun.</em></p>
<p><em>Kiritea were small and fair skinned and had long black hair and green eyes. Their features carried the marks of the tallest of all mountains, and the enduring qualities of stone.”</em></p>
<p>And thus the story of the early comers, the people before, has been told in these modern times.</p>
<p>Maori myth and legend contains much in the way of reference to Uru Turehu, Turehu and Patupaiarehe, forest and mountain dwellers endowed with magical powers and abilities. An illusive people whom, before becoming part of modern folklore, may have well been of the early comers. It would appear quite likely that there was a well established culture on this land before the early waka came from the Polynesian islands 650 years ago, or 46 generations back.</p>
<p>Present day descendants of the early comers can trace their lineage in New Zealand through continuous lines that go back 76 generations and even a staggering 135 generations.</p>
<p>Scientific research using carbon dating and pollen dating techniques have put human intervention and cultivation at 2500 years ago.</p>
<p>It is within the pages of the stories of the history of the Waitaha Nation, that we discover 200 Iwi or tribes lived in peace and harmony for more than 1000 years in New Zealand. What an example this Nation has set for the people who live in this land today.</p>
<p>Now, as if in echo of ancient times, I will relate for you a story that is as intriguing as it is mysterious. This story opens much in the way of possibilities and will no doubt create great interest among those who know of the depth and size of our ancient forests. Affidavits have been taken and recorded of two in depth interviews that took place with Martin Doutre and this writer present. The contents of this wonderful tale have roots in deep antiquity, and yet with what we have been told, the story is far from complete.</p>
<p>The man who gave the information has recently passed on, and in deference to his request he will be known by his birth name or Maori name.</p>
<p>His name is Karaka Paikea Ho Rui and he was of the northern tribes and he lived near Whangarei. We now turn the clock back to 1946 when Karaka and his wartime friend Peter were building earth dams on rehab farmland in Waima . Working as a team they operated a dragline and bulldozer unit for many months, in this remote valley.</p>
<p>On some days, after work was finished, they would pick up their 22 rifle and go hunting. Now, in those days there was little thought given to what might have been right or wrong and they hunted for wood pigeon. They took few and the bird was considered a tasty delicacy.</p>
<p>On this particular November afternoon in 1946, the two men had finished work and decided to go hunting. They entered the tree line on the lower slopes of a very steep incline and started their search for the bird. On that day, their quarry was quite elusive and the flight of a pair of pigeon up toward the top of the hill led them further up into an area that they had not previously been. Karaka told us that being young and very fit, they were not deterred by the very long climb.</p>
<p>They came up and over the final rise and found themselves on a large flat area covered in long grass broken by a number of bush clumps.</p>
<p>Resting for a moment, Karaka loaded the single shot rifle and scanned the treetops for any sign of the pigeon. Peter was standing to one side and moved to gain a better view of the trees on the other side of the clearing. His foot snagged, and he stumbled and yelled.</p>
<p>Suddenly, almost from the scrub at his feet, five small figures sprung from behind the bushes and ran away from the two men.</p>
<p>Both Peter and Karaka were just as surprised as was the group that were running. They ran diagonally away toward the heavy forest on the other side of the clearing.</p>
<p>They had disturbed an unexpected quarry, and one after the other the five people ran swiftly, stooping low, for the nearby tree line.</p>
<p>Karaka thought that they had come across a group of kids wagging school. The afternoon sun was still high and the light good enough to note some intriguing features that soon dispelled the first notion that the runners were 9 or 10-year old school kids.</p>
<p>The men could soon see that they were not children, but in fact were small, slightly built adults, and the stooping posture was to adopt a low profile as they ran.</p>
<p>The angle of flight was more or less across the widest part of the clearing and all five people displayed a side view as they moved.</p>
<p>Karaka noted that the figures had blond shoulder length hair and white skin. He was startled to notice that two of the group had white close-cropped beards. These were not children at all. He could not tell whether the group was mixture of male and female.</p>
<p>The fleeing figures were naked to the waist and wore a short skirt like garment around the middle made from a sharp elongated leaf. The leaves were layered and bounced as they ran and were green in colour and appeared to have been freshly cut. Karaka is sure the leaves were from the Puwharawhare or Kia Kia plant.</p>
<p>Some within the group also carried small baskets with long straps that crossed the torso on a diagonal from shoulder to hip. These objects appeared to be made from the leaves of the Cabbage or TiTi tree.</p>
<p>The fleeing figures crossed through two clear patches and were estimated to be in view for up to 40 seconds.</p>
<p>When the group reached the forest edge, one of the figures stood fully erect and turned to look back to where the two men were standing. And then, as if satisfied that they were not being followed, disappeared following the others into the trees.</p>
<p>Karaka’s first comment, was “Boy, how they could run for such small people”.</p>
<p>It was decided that they were not children, lost or otherwise, and the two men did not follow them into the forest.</p>
<p>They turned toward the clump of bush, all thoughts of pigeon hunting gone from their minds. Moving through the brush that had hidden the small folk from view, the men  made a startling discovery. Behind the natural screen of small trees and brush was a mound of stones. Moving around to the other side they saw that this was a structure rather than a stone heap.</p>
<p>The stones had been built into an interlocking dome that measured about 3 meters across.</p>
<p>A low set door was soon found, but the narrow entrance was not accessible to either man because of their shoulder width.</p>
<p>Karaka poked his head through the door and saw a perfect domed structure without any internal beams or supports. The stone used in the building were all of a similar size between 100 to 150 mm (4 to 6 inches) across.</p>
<p>The floor was earthen and angled upward to the back wall opposite the door. Scattered on the floor was an assortment of berries, including Tairere fruit. There was also a piece of a plant known as Poutangatanga that is taken from the center of the Kia Kia.</p>
<p>Karaka said that this plant had many uses, the leaves for weaving and the center a nourishing food. He helped himself to this feed of bush tucker.</p>
<p>A further search found another domed building, and the vicinity revealed a scattered pile of Tawhara leaves. This is another plant that when the outer layers are peeled back, provides a very delicious and tasty food. The flower of Tawhara is also edible and the leaves can be fashioned into clothing etc.</p>
<p>Another pile of leaves contained a number of Kiore or rat bones.</p>
<p>We have been given a location for the place at which these events happened. That is another journey and another story for another time.</p>
<p>Research over the past 5 years by Martin Doutre and this writer has uncovered similar descriptions of stone dome like structures, a few still standing, many fallen and scattered.</p>
<p>Modern day stories pertaining to mysterious forest dwellers are few, but are worthy of ongoing research. I have many anecdotes on hand, but prefer to discuss first hand verifiable accounts.</p>
<p>There are many stories telling of individual encounters with the Fairy Folk of the forests and other beings.</p>
<p>My research constantly brings me in touch with many such stories. I have taken upon myself to listen and look at all that comes my way. However, there is always the problem of sifting through the vast amount of material I have gathered and to place it in a semblance of order. I often liken my work as to that of assembling a very large jigsaw puzzle, with many of the pieces not yet on hand, and those that I have  give only a partial picture or view of the ancient landscape and the people who lived here so long ago. Much of the work I do has become instinctive and finely tuned to the wonder of the natural landscape.</p>
<p>The Wisdom of all ancient people is more relevant today than many may imagine. There is much to be learned from our ancestors and those of other races. We have but to take the time to seek, to ask and then to listen.</p>
<p>And when we have listened, we too will have stories to tell. As you read these words, you can acknowledge your place as an Elder, as a keeper of the stories.</p>
<p>And as such it is beholden on you to tell the stories and keep alive the message of hope the Tangata Whenua, The Waitaha, have placed in our trust. Not to be hidden and kept quite, but rather to be told and retold.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz/the-forest-dwellers/">The Forest Dwellers</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz">The Secret Land</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>On the Road Again</title>
		<link>http://www.secretland.co.nz/on-the-road-again/</link>
		<comments>http://www.secretland.co.nz/on-the-road-again/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:21:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gary Cook</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gary Cook Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.secretland.co.nz/?p=316</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>We are moving very rapidly into the year of 2012, said by some to be the end of a world as we know it, and others who say that humankind will undergo a transition allowing all who are prepared to advance up the spiritual ladder of enlightenment. The feelings I have experienced indicate the process [...]</p><p>The post <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz/on-the-road-again/">On the Road Again</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz">The Secret Land</a>.</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We are moving very rapidly into the year of 2012, said by some to be the end of a world as we know it, and others who say that humankind will undergo a transition allowing all who are prepared to advance up the spiritual ladder of enlightenment.</p>
<p>The feelings I have experienced indicate the process of &#8220;moving further into the spiritual realms&#8221;, has most probably been going on for each and every one of us from the day we were born. I cannot see a great &#8220;collective event&#8221; at the end of this year will allow any of us to move more quickly, or slowly, on the path of our chosen destiny.</p>
<p>Live in the moment, in the now, this is all that any of us can do with any surety. We are all tested at times throughout this life span, and we very quickly learn to pick ourselves up from the tumbles and falls that we take. Focus on all that is good. Do not be drawn into the drama of the wider world. We can support those who seek to find a way through the world of today, bearers of the light, seekers of the truth, carrier&#8217;s of the wisdom. Sit with these folk. They are easy to find as they are like a beacon in the dark, a lighthouse that can assist us all to find our way through these times of consternation and doubt. Seek and you shall find. Arohanui</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz/on-the-road-again/">On the Road Again</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz">The Secret Land</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Quote from Kathleen McGowan</title>
		<link>http://www.secretland.co.nz/quote-from-kathleen-mcgowan/</link>
		<comments>http://www.secretland.co.nz/quote-from-kathleen-mcgowan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Aug 2010 02:19:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gary Cook</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gary Cook Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://testbed2.avocahousedesign.co.nz/?p=209</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;And as human beings are ruled by their emotions, opinions, and political and religious affiliations, subsequently all history is comprised of as much opinion as fact and, in many cases, has been entirely fabricated for the furthering of the author&#8217;s personal ambitions or secret agenda&#8221;. Kathleen McGowan, The Expected One.</p><p>The post <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz/quote-from-kathleen-mcgowan/">Quote from Kathleen McGowan</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz">The Secret Land</a>.</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;And as human beings are ruled by their emotions, opinions, and  political and religious affiliations, subsequently all history is  comprised of as much opinion as fact and, in many cases, has been  entirely fabricated for the furthering of the author&#8217;s personal  ambitions or secret agenda&#8221;. Kathleen McGowan, The Expected One.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz/quote-from-kathleen-mcgowan/">Quote from Kathleen McGowan</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz">The Secret Land</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>To Move Within the Land is to Know the Sacred</title>
		<link>http://www.secretland.co.nz/to-move-within-the-land-is-to-know-the-sacred/</link>
		<comments>http://www.secretland.co.nz/to-move-within-the-land-is-to-know-the-sacred/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 25 Jul 2010 22:02:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gary Cook</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Newsletters]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://testbed2.avocahousedesign.co.nz/?p=163</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Messages from the Earth and the Sky are constantly being set before us all. But oft times we are not looking or listening. The carriers of these messages will appear as the Wind, the Water, the Bird or the traveller we meet on the road that winds through the landscape of our personal journey.</p><p>The post <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz/to-move-within-the-land-is-to-know-the-sacred/">To Move Within the Land is to Know the Sacred</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz">The Secret Land</a>.</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Messages from the Earth and the Sky are constantly being set before us all. But oft times we are not looking or listening. The carriers of these messages will appear as the Wind, the Water, the Bird or the traveller we meet on the road that winds through the landscape of our personal journey.</p>
<h2>Safety and Sanctity in the Sacred</h2>
<p>I write this piece sitting in the Kohanga at Castle Hill in the South Island. A place of great significance to the first-comers to this land. The ancient Marae sits in the Nest under the ever watchful eye of Marotini. the Kumara Goddess. And overlooking all in this wondrous place, is the Birth Place of the Gods. This is a name that inspires the mind to query and the spirit to soar as high as the surrounding peaks, then on and upward flowing through the clouds, to reach even unto the furthermost stars beyond human sight and understanding. We have, as individuals, a prime purpose during our sojourn on this beautiful planet. And to achieve individual purpose and completion, one must seek outwardly to understand that which resides deep inside. And to this end we long to surround ourselves with beautiful things or go to beautiful places. For those that seek places of peace and serenity, there is to be found an outer reflection of the inner beauty that is within each and every one of us. To walk on the seashore; to sit by a clear running stream; to touch the trunk of an ancient tree; to listen to the wisdom within the stone; to feel the spirit of an unexpected breath of wind. These are the external wonders that are ours, but for the taking.</p>
<h2>Thus do we Travel and Search</h2>
<p>But within the taking we must always give in return. This is why we should acknowledge the wonder and the blessings that surround us with a prayer of thanks and understanding.</p>
<p>Because we are so connected in every way through the Zero Point Field, our spoken, and indeed the unspoken words, have great import and meaning at these subtle levels.</p>
<p>So, with these thoughts flowing through my mind I left the comfort of the Kohanga to walk to the top ridge, to the place of the Star Walkers, the Navigators. My journey on this day was truly one of wonder and revelation. I will now offer you, the reader, some insight into the journey you may well take on the same trail. One leaves the Marae by a path to the west and travels down along the fence line for perhaps a kilometre. When you come to the small stream that flows across your path, this is your final opportunity to fill a small container, not for drinking, but for the purpose of an offering to the various stones you will sit with. Further along the fence line you will come to a gate that will take you onto the DOC reserve. In line with this entrance you will see a line of stones set alongside the steep path. You are now, about to enter on the next stage of a personal journey, that for some will be steep and slow. Others will certainly not huff and puff as much as I do. Your personal pilgrimage to this special place would have commenced from the time you made a decision to take this journey. The planning, the travel from near or far is a very important lead up to walking the stones. When on the road, one should be open to all that happens around and near you.<br />
Your first stone is one of great import and standing, for this is the Greeting Stone, a place where you may introduce yourself and declare your intention. But first, sprinkle a little water on the stone. And if it is your wish, you may extend a greeting to acknowledge the ancestors who walked the very trail on which you now stand. And at this time you can seek permission to walk this Path. Within the asking comes the permission. This is a courtesy to all who have gone before. For with this declaration comes the reality of where you are and what you are really doing. These words whilst acknowledging the past, will move before you into the future. Time becomes irrelevant on this journey.<br />
You are about to embark on a short walk of immense proportions. The physical body will only travel a short distance. The spirit will travel far and wide.</p>
<p>You are taking the first step on a journey that will be both without and within. As you gaze at the path ahead, you will see the stones that represent a symbolic Pilgrims Way, and as markers offer you a way-station at which to rest and express more of your innermost feelings.</p>
<p>If you are travelling alone, you are not alone. If you are part of a group. a time should be allowed for a moment of quite meditation.<br />
You will find that each of the five stations provide a different energy, thus allowing for a great number of process’s to take place.</p>
<p>The stone will offer a sounding board. But, be wary with your talk as the words put into place will flow freely within the Field, and therefore travel far and wide. The overriding purpose of this Pilgrimage could well be to allow you to express thoughts and dreams, love and blessings. You will find that fear and negativity will diminish, to be replaced with much that is uplifting. This will come to you in a subtle way.</p>
<p>This journey is for your personal enhancement, to bring clarity of purpose, to strengthen your resolve. The five stations will bring us to a sixth and seventh stone. You are now approaching the beginning of the top ridge. You may find that at these stones your journey could become less about self and more about the human family and the environment in which we all live.</p>
<p>The distance between these stones is not fixed, as is much on the top ridge. Time and distance may become distorted in a comfortable way. Thus the sixth and seventh stones are there but not in standalone position.</p>
<p>This is where you make the choice of the two final markers. They will talk to you. And after spending many wonderful moments in this space, you can now make your way to the east along the top ridge. As you make your own path through the tall mountain grasses, you will come to many groups of stones and imposing features. Sit before an alter in a gigantic open roofed cathedral. Sing or chant or pray, and the walls will join with a chorus of reflected sound. Walk through ancient open classrooms where in times gone by wisdom keepers sat with the most promising of all the young people from throughout the land. The mountains surrounding this most blessed place cocoon the valley of the Nest of the ancient people.</p>
<p>In the distance you will see a monumental structure shaped in place by ancient people to acknowledge Marotini, the Kumara Goddess. The pull of this single giant stone is so great that you have little understanding of the sheer size and beauty of this monument until you draw close. One often feels very strong emotion when you realise the strength of the spirit that is bound by love and honour within the stone. She dominates the valley landscape with majesty, providing all who travel the main highway the chance to view and ancient work of art. But for all of that, so many travellers do not acknowledge her. We can make up for that. So, when we come around to checking the attitude of the sun, or our watches, do not be amazed at how much time has passed. When the time comes to make your way back along the ridge you will come to a stone standing alone, to the left, that displays a circular opening.</p>
<p>On this, my most recent visit I offered a blessing to this stone to acknowledge the little grotto within. The water I carried on this occasion was taken from the Tears of Christ given into my care by a Seer and Wise Man on my recent visit to Golden Bay. I had sat spellbound as this great magician told me of the vision he had of a weeping Jesus Christ. He sat in wonder at the appearance and was overwhelmed by the amount of tears shed by the vision. He than reached for a bible to seek an explanation. Being a man of great courage and conviction he opened a page at random. His finger pointed to a verse in Thomas where he saw that the frost that fell on the ground in the winter was the breath of God. He immediately hurried outside into the garden, making his way over the frosty ground to the place of the medicine wheel. There he found that the special herbs and plants within the wheel were covered in a very heavy frost. He took a container and commenced to collect the frost and the icicles.</p>
<p>From the vision came the reading, then came the frost. His deep understanding and belief supports the fact that the waters thus gathered are indeed very potent for healing the ills of the body and the mind.</p>
<p>Mindful of the vows I took when I was accepted as a full Knights Templar in the Supreme Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem I perceived that it was my duty to find special places or people who would benefit from the Tears. So my journey, and that of my travel companion Raywyn has been an oddessey around the South Island. We have encountered many folk, some old friends and many new friends. We have received and gifted much on our journey, travelling with no timetable and long distant destination. We have sat with a Tibetan Buddhist monk, walked the mountains and rivers with many wise people. Been among the first to visit a massive stone that had travelled from the Arahura River to be placed within a powerful energy site dowsed by Hamish Miller on a recent visit.</p>
<p>There is magic in the air, and it permeates everything we do and see. The vows of a modern-day Knight are very much to administer to the sick and needy, to offer protection to pilgrims and to do works of honour and integrity. Thus a purpose can be served for the good of all people.<br />
In suggesting you make this journey to the Mountains of the south Island, it may well be there is another, more comfortable journey that you know should be taken to one of the special places that abound throughout this landscape. And if all these possibilities elude you, take a journey with the mind alone. Bring out the photo album, find pictures of places that are of special significance and focus your attention on the memory you retain of that visit. And on future journeys carry some water from a fresh, running source with which you may offer a few drops to the stones and the trees at the places you visit. Any place that you acknowledge in this manner will then respond to the sincerity of your purpose. We are all part of, and connected to, everything that lives and breaths, sits and flows in this land. It is an easy shift to open ourselves to the potential within, by acknowledging that which resides on the outer. Each new day brings a new set of challenges, Often we are so engrossed in the ordinary and the mundane, we lose sight of who we really are. We know how to live in this world, and why we are here. But for all of this, it is so easy to misplace our focus. So be of good <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/music-notes-hearts-and-other-symbols-in-facebook-status-and-chat/" alt="heart symbol on facebook" title="heart symbol on facebook">heart</a> and plan a personal pilgrimage. Or even better, bring together a group to quest for that which will enli- ven the personal journey. Travel well, and be well for we are always walking within the sacred.</p>
<p>Sir Gary Cook DSc. PhD. KtJ KGCStA.KCStV. KtJ.<br />
Integrity Research Foundation<br />
PO Box 8756,<br />
Auckland 1035</p>
<p><a title="Gary Cook, Rainbow News Articles, NZ" href="/email-gary-cook">Email Gary Cook</a></p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz/to-move-within-the-land-is-to-know-the-sacred/">To Move Within the Land is to Know the Sacred</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz">The Secret Land</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Of Ships and Stones and Stories &#8211; January 2010</title>
		<link>http://www.secretland.co.nz/of-ships-and-stones-and-stories-january-2010/</link>
		<comments>http://www.secretland.co.nz/of-ships-and-stones-and-stories-january-2010/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:45:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gary Cook</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Newsletters]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[<p>Within the sites we are examining are the wrecks of a Spanish and a Portuguese ship. Archival research in Europe has, to this date provided us with information from the log books of these early explorers, that tells of ship wrecks in New Zealand, and of the French Dieppe maps that date from 1550. This tells us that French, Spanish and Portuguese explorers reached, and mapped, these shore well ahead of Tasman and Cook. </p><p>The post <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz/of-ships-and-stones-and-stories-january-2010/">Of Ships and Stones and Stories &#8211; January 2010</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz">The Secret Land</a>.</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The  black river worn  basalt boulder makes a comfortable place on which to sit. The Waipoua River is running low, but the voice of the waters is still strong. A nearby shoal funnels the swiftly flowing waters into a number of shallow rapids that laugh and chuckle reflecting the forest green of the trees that overhang the river banks. The clouds are low on the forest at this early morning time, and wind borne showers bless the landscape in refreshing waves that flow over the steep hills.</p>
<p>Wisps of mist linger, slowly caressing the tree tops. All is still at this moment. I am caught up in the magic that nature so easily produces every time I visit this forest. I try to relax into the writing of my notes, but the air of expectancy is high. There is a feeling that something is about to happen.</p>
<p>I look to my diary notes from the past six days, to find the most interesting point at which to start to tell you, the reader, of the events that have occurred around me.</p>
<p>I have stopped writing again. I look hopefully at the forest on the opposite bank seeking to see the folk that I have sensed are watching. I put my thoughts into voice and present a Karakia, or prayer, that will hopefully establish my intention with the silent, hidden watchers.</p>
<p>A perfume of sweet smelling flower nectar wafts around me carried by a gentle breeze that has risen from up river. The aroma is so strong that my senses are sweetened and awake for what is to follow.</p>
<p>Sounds rise on this gentle breeze, and a song is carried toward me. Then the <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook smileys <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook smileys emoticons" title="facebook smileys emoticons">emoticons</a>&#8221; title=&#8221;facebook smileys <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook smileys emoticons" title="facebook smileys emoticons">emoticons</a>&#8220;>smileys</a> <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook smileys emoticons" title="facebook smileys emoticons">emoticons</a>&#8221; title=&#8221;facebook <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook smileys <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook smileys emoticons" title="facebook smileys emoticons">emoticons</a>&#8221; title=&#8221;facebook smileys <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook smileys emoticons" title="facebook smileys emoticons">emoticons</a>&#8220;>smileys</a> <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook smileys emoticons" title="facebook smileys emoticons">emoticons</a>&#8220;>chat</a>ter of distant voices. Then stillness. Being the worldly person that I am, I quickly stand and walk up the bank behind me to see if there are people walking along the forest road. The voices have gone. The road is empty. The perfume is stronger.</p>
<p>Once again, an open <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/music-notes-hearts-and-other-symbols-in-facebook-status-and-chat/" alt="heart symbol on facebook" title="heart symbol on facebook">heart</a> and a desire for contact has been fulfilled. The forest, a haven for many small and subtle creatures, has provided a place of connection with the Patupaiarere.</p>
<p>The scene shifts. Back to the mundane. I have to finish this article and select suitable pictures to add to the stories I am about to share with you.</p>
<p>The week commenced with a dawn rendezvous on the west coat beach at the small coastal village of Omamiri, a comfortable drive north west from Dargaville.</p>
<p>It was an ebb tide, and the cloud covered sky reflected darkly on the wet sand. Then, the distant <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook smileys <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook smileys emoticons" title="facebook smileys emoticons">emoticons</a>&#8221; title=&#8221;facebook smileys <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook smileys emoticons" title="facebook smileys emoticons">emoticons</a>&#8220;>smileys</a> <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook smileys emoticons" title="facebook smileys emoticons">emoticons</a>&#8221; title=&#8221;facebook <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook smileys <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook smileys emoticons" title="facebook smileys emoticons">emoticons</a>&#8221; title=&#8221;facebook smileys <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook smileys emoticons" title="facebook smileys emoticons">emoticons</a>&#8220;>smileys</a> <a href="http://www.facebooksmileysemoticons.com/" alt="facebook smileys emoticons" title="facebook smileys emoticons">emoticons</a>&#8220;>chat</a>ter of a helicopter engine and the sleek Robinson 44 came into view, circled over the beach and quickly landed a little distance for our vehicles.</p>
<p>This was a day that had been long in planning to seek further proof of the site of a 2nd world War German U-boat that was said to have been scuttled of the coast in this area in late 1944 or early 1945.</p>
<p>The story we have been given tells of the crew coming ashore at this remote place, bringing with them a number of wooden cases that contained much in the way of valuable works of art and artifacts. The one point that has held my interest for the past 4 years  we have been investigating the possible sinking and the validity of the story, is that one of the items that came to these shores is the legendary Ark of the Covenant. This is one aspect of the events that took place more than 60 years ago, that has captured my interest. As a Temple Knight of the Supreme Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem, it is beholden on me to pay attention to such stories, and to either prove or disprove this event. Members of the Knights Templar declare much with the oath of allegiance.</p>
<p>So, here we are on the beach again. Low tide beach searches with metal detectors and a high powered magnetometer had so far failed to find any trace of wreckage. We were about to sling the magnetometer under the helicopter on a 30 meter wire and fly a search pattern over the breaker line. On board would be the technician Nick Freeman and maritime archaeologist, Noel Hilliam.</p>
<p>For more than one and half hours the little chopper flew a grid pattern up and down the coast.</p>
<p>As I write this story, the data collected from this flight is being collated and further analysed.</p>
<p>Early indications do not show a strong reading, but a promising strike at the very end of one of the runs is to be further investigated.</p>
<p>So whether or not these events did take place, the story as it stands today is worthy of our interest and further investigation.</p>
<p>Let us now move forward a few days to another investigation in the Waipoua Kauri Forest.</p>
<p>The adjoining Waipoua Forest that is soon to be transferred to a local Iwi as part of a claims settlement, has provided much in the way of speculation as to the origins of the ancient people who had left a legacy of more than 2000 surveyed stone sites and structures. Radio carbon dating has placed early occupation at 960 years ago. Timber milling and stock damage has done much to the integrity of many of the stacked stone features. Access has always been difficult, and now that the land is being moved into different ownership may be lost to the outside world.</p>
<p>With this in mind, I have been following up on the stories of pig hunters and local residents on the location of many more stone sites that lay outside the claimants area of interest.</p>
<p>I made a foray into the Kauri forest area on Thursday with accomplished dowser, Gordon Heathcote to look for alternative stone sites. We crossed the Waipoua River near the DOC headquarters and spent a number of hours searching among the relatively open forest on the northern banks. We forded the river a number of times to get around steep banks making our way further west and down river.</p>
<p>We noted a number of stone heaps spread over a wide area and one location that had laid stones.</p>
<p>Our first journey to these places was very exciting and will hopefully open up sites that will be fully accessible to all that may wish to visit. It is not my wish to impose any sense of the history behind the people that lived at these sites, however indications are that these places were inhabited a long, long time ago.</p>
<p>The stones rest under a deep cover of forest humus, and are set under the umbrella of  ancient Kauri and towering Totara. The forest offers this place a protection from wandering stock and the predation of modern timber milling. The Kauri Forest of Waipoua is indeed a place of well kept secrets. Our next journey to this area will entail a search for a vast stone amphitheater like structure that has been sighted by hunters on number of occasions over the past 20 years or so.</p>
<p>On the Friday morning I returned to the forest to visit Tane Mahuta and to walk the ricker forest track to visit the twin trunk Kauri that in the past has been a personal launching place for much of the pattern of my writing and the directions of my many journeys of discovery through these regions.</p>
<p>I was not to be disappointed on this day. My camera was able to capture the flare of energy around the twin trunks and the unique spectacle of water droplets falling from the leaves of the Kauri from a height of more than 12 meters above, to swim and float downward to shower me with the strength and wonder of this pheromone.</p>
<p>The forests and waters of this land constantly speak with an inner language to which we are always open, but often are to busy to pay attention too.  We have but to stop and listen.</p>
<p>Saturday has arrived, and I am preparing to leave the camp and head back to Auckland, first calling on Noel Hilliam to plan our next beach journey.</p>
<p>Noel was busy putting the finishing touches to a machine that would help to move sand from around shipwreck sites. The 100 km beach is the scene of more than 150 shipwrecks, of which only 86 have been identified. and within the sites we are examining are the wrecks of a Spanish and a Portuguese ship. Archival research in Europe has, to this date provided us with information from the log books of these early explorers, that tells of ship wrecks in New Zealand, and of the French Dieppe maps that date from 1550. This tells us that French, Spanish and Portuguese explorers reached, and mapped, these shore well ahead of Tasman and Cook. When proven, this information will go a long way to extending the European contact dates and explaining the number of Maori family names that can be traced back to these early explorers.</p>
<p>What an exciting and interesting country we live in.</p>
<p>Three hundred years after the arrival of the Polynesian Maori  in New Zealand there was a strong contact with these early sailors. We believe that more personal information will become available from private family documents and records that were kept by the Church in Europe. The Captain of the Portuguese ship was Gaspar Corte Real, who challenged by the epic voyage of Columbus set out on a voyage of discovery that included landing in New Zealand. Within this information we may find in depth reference to the people that were met in New Zealand.</p>
<p>A recently released map of Chinese origin shows a map of the world that was created following the epic voyages of the fleets of Admiral Zheng He in 1421. The islands of New Zealand are easily recognizable, and Gavin Menzies Author of the “Chinese Fleets of 1421” explains the early Chinese interest in New Zealand as a possible source of alluvial gold found in the rivers of the South Island.</p>
<p>We then went to look at a sample of timber that had been recovered from the nearby beach 3 nights previous. Noel explained that this was part of a ship’s mast, the base still secured to the keel structure, and the timber a close grained hardwood that probably came from equatorial forests. This leads us to believe that this was a large ship, constructed in either South America or the Philippines. A sample has been sent away for analyze. And as we looked at the timber we discovered what appeared to be the head of copper nail.</p>
<p>A surface search of the beach around this site recorded a strong response on the metal detector , but at this stage an accurate assessment of whether this is metal or bronze will have to be carried out in a few weeks time when the tides are more favorable. Timber previously taken from another wreck site has proven to be of an Asian origin and from a tree that would have been felled in about 1530.</p>
<p>All in all, we are steadily progressing this part of our research. When results are finally published, this will provide a platform to explore even further into the deeper history of this land. To bring forth more on the Waitaha Ta Whiro, Maruiwi, Nga Hue and those who came before.</p>
<p>The door is still firmly open for Martin Doutre to further research his theories on the Pre Celt contact in this land.</p>
<p>Copyright January 2010.  Integrity Research Foundation.<br />
PO Box 8756<br />
Auckland 1035.<br />
<a title="Gary Cook, Rainbow News Articles, NZ" href="/email-gary-cook">email Gary Cook</a></p>
<p><a title="Gary Cook News on Ancient Mysteries, NZ" href="/wp-content/uploads/gary-cook-rainbow-news-jan-2010.pdf">Download this newsletter</a></p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz/of-ships-and-stones-and-stories-january-2010/">Of Ships and Stones and Stories &#8211; January 2010</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz">The Secret Land</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Introducing Gary Cook</title>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:32:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gary Cook</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gary Cook Blog]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[<p>Welcome to Gary Cook&#8217;s blog. Explore, discover, enjoy! Gary has many tales to tell you and stories for you to ponder on.</p><p>The post <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz/introducing-gary-cook/">Introducing Gary Cook</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz">The Secret Land</a>.</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Welcome to Gary Cook&#8217;s blog. Explore, discover, enjoy!</p>
<p>Gary has many tales to tell you and  stories for you to ponder on.</p>
<p>The post <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz/introducing-gary-cook/">Introducing Gary Cook</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.secretland.co.nz">The Secret Land</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded>
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