๐ช๐๐๐ก ๐ฆ๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ช๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ค๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐๐ต ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ด ๐ฆ๐ต๐๐ถ–๐๐บ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ
Although Cyclone Tam has now weakened to a lower category, she lingers in her parting, cloaking the land in thunderstorms and an expansive rain band as she tracks south toward Auckland.
๐ข๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐, ๐ง๐ฎ๐บ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ณ๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ:
- Winds reached speeds of 155 km/h.
- 25,000 homes were left without power โ many of them more than once, as trees toppled as quickly as crews could restore the lines.
- Cell towers were knocked out, silencing communications across entire pockets of the region.
- Relentless rain triggered widespread flooding, with many areas recording up to 110mm of rainfall within 24 hours.
- Thunderstorms raged, delivering over 750 lightning strikes across the greater Auckland area.
On Ditiantai โ A Different Story
Here on Ditiantai, Tamโs veil of cloud and rain still drapes softly over the land, yet the story is strikingly different.
The only evidence of her passing lies in the quiet aftermath of our own efforts: holding down black plastic sheets across our orchard as the fiercest gusts whipped them up like aerofoils, tossing our 3โ5kg stone-filled bags into the air and spilling their contents.
It was a true team effort: as Kim swiftly re-pegged the sheets, I re-bagged the stones โ all fifty of them โ right in the heart of the storm.
And yet, beyond this minor skirmish, not a single tree has fallen on our property. The bush stands strong and unscathed, the land quenched and vibrant. My water dragon brook brims with delight, and the garden glows, refreshed.
The difference lies not in luck, but in the wisdom of placement โปโฝ.
While others chose to build atop exposed ridgelines or extend their dwellings out from the mountainโs flanks, ours were sited in perfect harmony with the contours of the land.
Weiji, our minor dwelling, though appearing to perch on high, is tucked securely into a gentle ridge โ calm and composed, offering a commanding view of the storm, yet sheltered by natureโs design.
Jiji, our main dwelling, is nestled even deeper, cradled within the classic protective embrace of the land โ the enduring configuration of:
Four Celestial Animals Formation – Green Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, Red Phoenix, plus the most auspicious ocean in front.
As the ancient texts remind us:
โ่้ฃๅพๆฐด๏ผๅฑฑ็ฏๆฐดๆฑ๏ผ่ๆฐ่ๆฐใโ
“๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ด ๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ช๐ด ๐จ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฒ๐ช ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ต๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ด ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ท๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด.”
This is the very principle upon which our home stands.
The Wisdom of Authentic Traditional Feng Shui
This is the essence of Authentic Traditional Feng Shui โ not superstition, ornament, or afterthought, but a profound mastery of the living relationship between landform, orientation, magnetic alignment, and the dynamic influence of time.
When it comes to weathering the forces of nature, location is everything.
A home, when sited with intention, makes the difference between enduring safety and constant vulnerability. Unlike dwellings left exposed on the ridge or clinging precariously to the side of a slope, Feng Shui teaches us to seek the embrace of the land โ to let the mountain shield, and the earth cradle.
On Ditiantai, this ancient wisdom is not a theory on a page โ it is lived, and proven, in the heart of every storm.
Master Boon ๐๐
Caption for video that is coming:
As I stand here, looking out from Jijiโs lounge, the view beyond the glass tells an ancient story โ one written in the language of the land itself.
The auspicious Four Celestial Animals Formation.
To the right rests the White Tiger โ the protective ridge, strong yet watchful, offering shelter and balance.
To the left rises the Green Dragon โ a steady ridge, guiding and cradling the Qi as it moves through the landscape.
Before me stretches the Red Phoenix โ an open, gently descending expanse, leading the gaze toward distant views and the ocean beyond.
And behind me stands the Black Tortoise โ the main mountain ridge, a solid, steadfast backing, grounding both house and heart in stability.
This is not chance, but the wisdom of placement โ where landforms and dwellings come together in harmony, just as the ancients intended.
