Introduction:
Originally posted on Facebook, the writer of this beautiful blog is Kohaku (pron. Haku) - one of two kids whose mum is our friend ‘Aunty Shantel’ aka Wa'pa Kir'a-ba Ah Kit.  

They are all proud Badtjala people who are the Traditional Custodians of K'gari (Fraser Island) QLD. This was the third visit by Kohaku - the first being as a baby - but it’s obvious it still holds a special place in the heart…

KOHAKU'S STORY...

This was the very start of our morning. We left around 5:30am and got there at a good time~ It was around 8:45am as I took these photos.

I absolutely adored the wildlife and vegetation. The plant life, flora, flowers and abundant life of the island truly shines. It was magical to set eyes on such small, delicate and detailed life such as this. I wish to learn more and educate myself on each plant, flower and living being surrounding our very being on this island.

I hoped to capture some of such things, to forever hold it in memory and in time because life like this is forever precious & we must respect it. Just seeing this at a glance, the different species of plants, arrangement of colourful and unique flowers, trees that are over towering, fungi flourishing and moss being as adorable as ever.

I felt so at peace.

I truly love being surrounded by nature. The feeling of being safely hugged by nature and K’gari is truly something I feel cannot be described. Especially with such as natures wonders, I was excited and almost overwhelmed at the forestation; I hope I was able to share some moments in which I believed were such beautiful & magical gifts.

Wa'pa Kir'a-ba Ah Kit (Mum) is an exceptional and knowledgeable woman.

I’m grateful to have her because I learn so much and still able to learn today from her. It was amazing hearing her talk about the ecosystem, the plant life and vegetation; I tried to absorb as much information as I could.

The berries were very unique and had such extraordinary, delicate taste. It tasted sweet, then it changes to an almost minty & eucalyptus aftertaste - I loved it.

Xhai (my brother) …not so much haha.

I hope to go back one day and take even more photos and draw these lovely, wonderous and loving beings; I adore nature. Especially flowers~

At around lunch to afternoon, we hit the beach and to different places; ultimately ending up to the last place; Lake. McKenzie~

It was a beautiful day and an even better one to drive across the beach. I absolutely enjoyed it and was fortunate enough to spot a whale from a distance; I forgot if I had my glasses on or not but the take is: I spotted them.  Somehow!

Well, it was immediately magical, I found myself in awe and in some sort of spell, I couldn’t take my eyes off this one whale who I was able to see in the binoculars - was actually “clapping” with their fins. What a truly beautiful and ethereal site to behold, I almost cried because I haven’t seen one in person for years.

Whales to me are such gentle creatures, as human as I am, I am reminded how lucky we are to live in the same world as whales. Let alone other animals and creatures of the like in such shared places; I feel we need to respect them more & be more educated.

I hope you can see the whales and how precious they are…my heart sparked with newfound inspiration and love for these magnificent beings.

The waves crashed against the sand with haunting yet comforting waves, the sea was tinted in a glimmering blue and green; shades of cyan, teal and the white tips complimenting its limitless body shape.

I never really liked water, I don’t like getting wet but I will admit, the water looked so inviting and you can almost feel a beckoning of sorts. It was fascinating~

The birds were flying, the ducks swam at the lake; Xhai swam too haha. I am glad I was able to capture some of these moments and I can’t wait to look back again one day to revisit such precious times.

It was a lovely day and we gotta plan a longer trip okie Mum?? Wa'pa Kir'a-ba Ah Kit

Text & Photos © 2021 – Kohaku Murakami Ah Kit

+ We featured Kohaku’s mum Shantel in a recent video here

+ Learn more about the activities of the Badtjala people.
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