Last night (Jan 17) was a full moon and also apparently the Wolf Moon – for centuries, in the northern hemisphere, the cold, bright moon caused the wolves to howl even more loudly than usual. Luckily we don’t have wolves here in NZ, but I’ve been wanting to experience a swim under the big white orb for quite some time now, as my international Facebook swim groups have shared many alluring images from their own nocturnal dips.
My swim group arranged to meet at our usual spot at 9pm – this is a fairly late night by my (mid-40s, school parent) standards these days, but it was still very light and the sky was a faint pink as I drove around the coast, wondering where the moon was. At 8:56pm it poked its head above the hills across the harbour (phew!)
We all gathered excitedly by the shore. It was a perfect night; warm, calm, clear, and the choppy seas from the day before had flattened out.
Into the sea we splashed, howling. Because, why not? The water felt mild, velvety, almost soft. I carried nothing but my GoPro, fiddled with the settings for a bit, eventually put it away. I’d brought along a tow float and thought about putting my torch in it, but didn’t need to – everything was visible, the water was still, and we didn’t go out very far.
I am not religious but being in the water under the Pō Marama’s moonshadow felt like quite a spiritual experience. I didn’t talk much, just enjoyed the feeling of being in the dark water and watching the sky as the stars emerged.
It was much darker when we got out. I’d packed a thermos of lemon ginger tea, a torch, a change robe, warm clothes, but I didn’t feel cold at all. After a drink and chat we all headed off. I felt calm, enriched and happy on the drive home, and I can’t wait until my next full moon swim.