On the holy occasion of Sharad Purnima, the Kawai Purapura Retreat Centre in Albany, Auckland was fortunate to host HH Vishwaguruji for the first time.

After a warm welcome with a beautiful flower mala (garland), Rick Hotere performed the Whakatau, a Māori welcoming and settling ceremony. Then, after some bhajans, the guests enjoyed Vishwaguruji’s wisdom.

The peaceful and harmonious gathering ended with a visit to Matua, a master carver on the site, who requested Vishwaguruji’s blessings for his current carving, a Pou Whenua (land pillar), a female pole, which should help cleanse and heal the land.

Leaving the function, Vishwaguruji was gifted with a Rākau Kōrero, a speaking stick, in Māori tradition this is a ceremonial carved walking stick representing authority and the status of a speaker on a Marae – a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in the Māori tradition.