In conversation with Max about his time in Taupō Bay — walking on the land, capturing moments with photography, the sound sessions, and finding his own medicine and magic.
The photos you took while you were here really resonate with me. When did you feel called to reach for the camera?
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When I was walking your land — this ancient land — I noticed how my soul was in a constant state of calmness. In sudden moments, I noticed my heart lighting up with joy and my inner child wanting to jump around. Those were the moments I captured.
It may not seem like much, but the photos weren't only a way to show you the world through my eyes, through my lens. They were a way of mirroring what was happening inside me — what stayed with me the most.
“In sudden moments, I noticed my heart lighting up with joy and my inner child wanting to jump around.”
Was there a moment you felt at home while you were here?
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One moment comes to mind. Not a peak moment, but the beginning of something. A moment that lasted almost two weeks. We were sitting on that bench at the top of your property, drinking the cacao you made. Something shifted. I landed. Not only physically on Aotearoa and on your land, but metaphysically in my body.
Now that I'm back home, I still notice that landing, even though I can't fully explain it. It feels as if I had never really touched the ground before — and then finally my feet met the earth.
How did walking the land together change your experience of it?
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During our walks — on the beach, through town, and through the bush — I noticed something special. The land reacts to you as you walk on it. The plants, the wind, the sun, the tūī — everything feels playful and peaceful around you. It feels different from the silence and calmness I experience when I walk it alone. Walking the land with you allowed me to experience it through your knowledge and your wisdom.
“Walking the land with you allowed me to experience it through your knowledge and your wisdom.”
“You don't seem to create sound. It feels like you channel the vibrations of the land and all the beautiful beings around. Like you translate silent vibrations into music.”
Did the sound sessions change how you experienced yourself or the land?
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The three sound sessions were truly magical. Lying on the instrument, I felt completely safe and comfortable. You don't seem to create sound. It feels like you channel the vibrations of the land and all the beautiful beings around. Like you translate silent vibrations into music.
The first session showed me what was there. The second was painful, but that pain loosened what had been holding onto me. It felt like something was gripping my spine and not letting go — and your sound was shaking it free. The third session wasn't an ending or a finish. It felt like the last step of release. It allowed me to feel the empty space that had opened inside me — space for inspiration, love, and calmness. It also brought me closer to finding my own medicine. The medicine I want to give to the world. My own magic.
