The journey of true enlightenment comes in many forms. For me, it's usually on the toilet. (In keeping with the circular nature of life and the universe I have decided to finish these blogs where I started them!) This particular toilet was an unusual one. Due to the limited water supply in remote areas of New Zealand (and the strong emphasis on environmental respect) all of the toilets at this retreat are 'compost toilets'. In other words, a hole in the ground wi...

I've made it back to civilisation (surprisingly in one piece) after tramping the spectacular (32km!!) Routeburn Track in driving rain and gale force winds, through waterfalls, moss forests, along mountain edges, lugging 10kg of camping supplies with a chest infection and not enough waterproof clothes. However none of this quite compares to the challenge of eating dehydrated spaghetti bolognaise with nothing but a disposable teaspoon. Character building?!