View of the ocean on the rugged Wairarapa Coast from retreat cabin - Photo: Don Hornsey
When my friends told me that they had stayed in a cabin overlooking the ocean, I immediately thought that would be a good place for a solitary retreat. I made more enquiries and was convinced, so I drove the 110 kilometres to the Wairarapa coast and found that it was exactly what I was looking for.
I spent five days there. The silence was only broken by an occasional hello when I passed someone on the way to the communal kitchen, but mainly I stayed in the cabin and discovered that good meals can be prepared in a microwave.
On the sunny days, I sat on the deck gazing at the immensity of the calm ocean. On a stormy day, the crashing waves showed another aspect of nature, but the presence of the Creator was obvious in tranquillity and intensity. It was a gift to have the time just to sit there quietly. Sometimes we seem to be so occupied that time to reflect and pray is an added on extra before we fall asleep at night.
Cabin for a different retreat - Photo: Don Hornsey
I had planned to read through a whole gospel and started on Mark but after a few chapters found that it wasn't very helpful. So, then I read a passage and reflected on it and wrote down my thoughts. I found that much more enriching. On the last day before I packed up and headed home, I asked myself what this time had meant for me. The first lesson was to make sure that prayer and reflection becomes a priority and not an afterthought in my daily life. But then an almost contrasting thought was that while there must be a time for prayer and reflection it must lead to compassionate action towards our brothers and sisters. It's not enough, for me at least, to become an armchair contemplative.
I enjoyed the drive home along coast and through farmland and decided that if the lessons learnt gradually fade, I will come back in a few months’ time to sit on the deck again for a top up.
Fr Don Hornsey lives and works in Aotearoa/New Zealand
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