The mornings are darker, and the temperatures have dropped. We wait patiently for the winter snow to fall and coat our mountain tops in white powder so we can reap the benefits of the extra space up on our ski fields this year. It has been a while since we visited Germ’s Nature Play, 9 weeks in fact, which meant our Autumn was spent at home, in our own backyards or exploring our local area. Our local area (Shotover Country & Lake Hayes Estate for most) made it easy for us all to get out for our daily dose of fresh air, to release some of those tightly bound urges and remove ourselves from the shackles of our four walls… to feel free again. Our mountains that surround us are big and strong, a reminder of inner strength and resilience. Our rivers that meander past us provide a place of calm, stillness and reflection and our streets and riverbeds dotted with trees that slowly changed and adapted, a fitting connection and reminder of the changes in our tamariki and whanau lives.

Many families returned to Gem’s sharing stories of their time spent with family and many have shared moments of reflection, insight, observation, and change. Some choose to embrace the opportunity to slow down, listen, look and be present in their daily lives and live with gratitude and fulfilment with the beauty they are blessed to have around them. As many changes happened and may still be happening in our own worlds, nature too had some time to change, and by reducing our movements and lightening our footprints we did our part in helping our natural world take a pause, a deep breath and reset.

After 9 weeks away from Gem’s Nature Play there was a great deal of enthusiasm and excitement to get back out and explore. We talked about some changes we might notice and our first day back for each group was spent mindfully observing, noticing changes, making discoveries, and re-connecting with our special place. The trees that once provided us with green leaves and juicy elderberries have now become “skeleton trees”, making it easier to spot great sticks for building, mixing, fishing and campfires. The ground was sprinkled and, in some places, covered with warm autumn coloured leaves, providing an irresistible invitation to run, jump, throw, and hide beneath. We took our binoculars out to spot some birds after we talked about all the different birds we saw or heard during lockdown, and we visited the beehives and learnt that the bees are tucked up inside their hives keeping each other warm until the warmer months return.

Our last visit to Gem’s Nature Play, back in March, was warm and sunny… fast forward to June and our days exploring can be frosty, foggy, icy and hopefully snowy! We have swapped our sunhats and sunscreen for wet weather gear, winter hats and thick socks. A key message from Gem’s Nature Play is that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. Going out in the winter months, particularly here in Queenstown can present its challenges at times, yet exposure to these elements allow tamariki to get to know their bodies and learn how to be prepared and look after their bodies and build resilience as they experience a whole new wonderful world that winter weather provides. So this week, our layers have become thicker, our hats have kept our ears warm and boots filled with thick or double-layer socks and we have been enjoying all the fog, ice and rain while getting back into the daily rhythms. We have taken our new Gem’s Nature Play gloves for a full lap around the farm and put them to the ultimate test while out on an ice hunt… now to wait to test them in the snow.

It’s been 9 weeks away. 9 weeks of wonder & curiosity waiting to be deployed. 9 weeks of change, in many ways. As the trees shed their leaves we too have had opportunities to shed what no longer serves us, develop new roots, strengthen existing and stand tall, holding onto the values that form who we are and how we carry ourselves through life. This term at the farm we will be focusing on learning about the Gems value of “relationships”. Naturally, this happens throughout the year as tamariki learn about this importance of strong relationships and friendships with the others in their group and how experiencing and sharing moments of awe and wonder in nature can bring us closely connected. We further nurture the relationships with our whanau by warmly welcoming you to our Matariki Gem’s Nature Play event, where we explore the farm at night, enjoy some shared kai, and inspired by traditional Maori culture, we reflect on the year that’s past and get goals for the new year.

So as the sun sets earlier, the stars sparkle in the night and evenings are spent snuggled up on the couch with loved ones under cosy blankets, tamariki, kaiako and whanau wait in anticipation, enthusiasm and excitement for their next Gem’s Nature Play day.