Advocacy Waltz: AUCKLAND POWER

The Crystal Pyramids of Crystal Moutian

Second to last shot just before I step into a underwater hole and camera dies

If you’re ever a tourist in West Auckland you MUST visit Crystal Mountain. Even if you’re not into crystals it’s definitely worth it on curiosity alone. To be sure, at the time, our group didn’t consist of crystal people (I think) but when you’re heading out to Bethells Beach and there stands a random yet official brown NZ Roading sign saying “Crystal Mountain” and you’re on holiday, and there are a number of curious people in that group, strange things happen. For me it was a weird moment that was actually almost “A MOMENT”. A moment of connection. Hmmm… The horse float and house-truck looking trucks in the parking lot should have given it away but we just walked in oblivious.

After the human sized crystal formations at the “mountain” entrance the next indication of differentness was the “Jesus Is Lord” placards that hung from the walls. I think they were for sale too. Stepping inside the museum/shop proper I was passed by a women who had just made a purchase of a few of the many life restoring stones available. There were quite a few people inside considering the back road location. Anyway, as the women passed me she plunged her hand into a tray of discounted crystals that stood against the wall, and a moment of ecstasy/indulgence/comfort/power crossed her face. I later thought there was a good chance she was faking the power part as the discounted crystals looked well handled and I had overheard another crystal women, particular about her expensive purchase, say she needed to test all the crystals she was considering behind the secure glass door because a lot of them would have their power drained if too many people had touched them. Was this merely a ruse to channel them herself? If so she wasn’t being very Christian. And hadn’t absorbed any of the 80’s vintage Pentecostal songs playing over the sound system. Stonewise the Lapis Lazuli was definitely a best seller. There was only one left in the pick’n’mix section. Though they looked kind of plastic, I respected them for their history. There were also these clear crystals that looked like they had formed around charcoal stick like crystals, how did this happen? In one questionable section they had stones attached to every cheap tourist trinket imaginable. Yes anyway, I don’t know if it was the shared strangeness or the crystal power, either way, by the end of the Crystal Mountain tour I felt CONNECTED to the group.

By the way I initially was going to write about Bethells Beach and how I DROWNED my camera when I stepped into this hole while we were exploring these sea caves but thankfully realised it was really not that interesting so I have saved you from that boredom. It would be like writing about how easy it is to break the clip on your average ball point pen… though I think a certain ball point pen would make a good post topic… De nada. Don’t mention it. I apologise for the grammar also.