The
Journey Thus
Far
Nearly 30 years ago, I made a bold choice to leave behind my career as a general and structural steel fabricator. Feeling the impact of an environment that no longer supported my wellbeing, I stepped into the unknown and enrolled in a Natural Therapies course at the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec).
This in-depth course opened the door to holistic health, weaving together massage therapy, anatomy and physiology, herbal medicine, homeopathy, and more. Instead of following only the curriculum, I immersed myself in what truly called to me: martial arts, Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, internal energy systems, the I Ching, acupressure, Reiki, Qigong, and many other traditions. I devoured every book I could find in the alternative health section of the local library, sensing that my exploration was part of a greater path.
Life carried me back to the workshop where I became a qualified coach builder for one of New Zealand’s leading horse truck and motorhome builders. These practical skills would, two decades later, allow me to design and build my own mobile healing space. Drawn to the natural world, I returned to study horticulture and landscape design and went on to lead teams that planted half a million native trees in Queenstown. This contribution to the land continues to nourish future generations.
Alongside these accomplishments came personal challenges. During this time in Queenstown my marriage broke down, and with it, so did I. On the outside I kept working, training, and living life as usual. On the inside I carried a much heavier story.
Discovering Honohono
It was in Queenstown, on the jiu-jitsu mats at Te Manawa, that I met Dion Freeman, a Honohono master and lineage holder. At the time I assumed Dion was an osteopath as he spoke of sharing a clinic with his then-partner, who was an osteo. When I walked into Dion’s clinic for a koha treatment, it became clear that this was something entirely different.
The space was filled with rocks, crystals, and oracle cards, a world that felt at once familiar and mysterious. I was drawn to a particular stone and, when asked why I had chosen it, Dion explained it was a healer’s stone, chosen only by those who carry that path. The words passed over my head in that moment, although the treatment left a profound imprint.
Dion connected to a depth beyond massage, working within an internal and spiritual energy system, the very systems I had read about and cultivated for years yet had never known how to channel fully. Intrigued, I enrolled in Honohono Level 1.
From the first day the practice felt like a deep reconnection. I experienced energy balls forming between my palms, the subtle movement of coat hangers through energetic fields, and the current of electricity in my hands while scanning another person’s body. These experiences opened my awareness deeply to the power of energy and to the patterns I had been holding from the past which shaped my present.
I continued on to Levels 2, 3, and 4, gathering tools for release and transformation for myself and for others. Through Honohono, I realised that my love for humanity, for the universe, and for everything in between was enough to leave behind the life I had built and step fully into the healing space. I now walk this path as a practitioner, guiding others to reconnect with their own energy and return to balance.
Honouring Light and Shadow
Looking back, my journey may read inspiring. The story is also only complete when we acknowledge the shadow. Alongside moments of growth and accomplishment, I lived through drugs, alcoholism, heartbreak, depression, failed marriages, emotional and psychological abuse, death, suicide, and debt.
Through Honohono I found a way to release layers of guilt, shame, fear, and grief, while welcoming laughter, joy, and freedom. What I have come to recognise is that the shadow is part of me, of all of us. This journey shaped me into who I am and continues to teach me always.
My gratitude extends to everyone who has ever been part of my life, in both the joyful and the difficult times. For without walking through the depths of our shadow, we cannot truly know the beauty of light.