Sri Chinmoy in New Zealand

First Visit

November 26-28, 1987

November 26th At noon Sri Chinmoy plays the Auckland Town Hall pipe organ, the largest organ in the country and in the afternoon spends 2 hours on with his students on an Auckland harbour boat cruise. He also has an on-board interview with a journalist from "Whole Health" magazine which results in a three page article.

November 27th Sri Chinmoy visits local gyms and meets a number of local weightlifters. In the evening he performs his first New Zealand concert at the Logan Campbell Centre to an audience of 3,700 for over 3 hours. Another 2,000 wait outside.

Sri Chinmoy sings the first performance of the New Zealand song at the concert:

New Zealand, New Zealand, New Zealand, New Zealand!
Within, without, God-Beauty's Hand.
Softness-life and oneness-heart you are.
The whole world loves you from near and far.
The lamb land, lamb land, the number one.
Ignorance-supremacy you shun.

After the concert a function is held in the Centre which at that time overlooked the Manukau Harbour.

November 28th At 8:00am Sri Chinmoy departs for a 5-day visit to Australia after a Maori farewell ceremony in the VIP lounge at Auckland International Airport.

En route back to New York via Auckland Airport after leaving Australia, Sri Chinmoy performs string and number magic tricks while he waits in transit.

 

Second Visit

July 7-9, 1989

July 7th Sri Chinmoy performs his second concert in New Zealand at the Logan Campbell Centre to an audience of over 2,000 on the evening of July 7th.

July 8th At 10.30am in Auckland, Sri Chinmoy meets Prime Minister David Lange in an hour long meeting. A number of songs are performed for the Prime Minister including several using David Lange's words, set to music by Sri Chinmoy. Later Sri Chinmoy lifts the Prime Minister overhead on his Lifting Up the World apparatus. A cake with the Prime Minister's exact likeness replicated in icing was also presented to him prior to his departure.

Prime Minister David Lange, David
O vision-eye, O Heaven-climbing pyramid.
Champion-hero of New Zealand's soul;
No nuclear weapons, but oneness-ecstacy-goal.
Vastness-consciousness-fields sleeplessly you plough;
Freedom-loving nations to you bow and bow.

Sri Chinmoy

In the evening, Sri Chinmoy performs another concert and gives a talk at the Auckland University Hall to a capacity audience.

July 9th Sri Chinmoy, with his local and visiting students, embarks on a two-hour steam train ride on the Glenbrook Vintage Railway, South Auckland.

At 2.00pm Sri Chinmoy holds a Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart program at Auckland's Regent Hotel. A number of eminent people receive the award including Precious McKenzie (Hall of Fame powerlifter) and Rod Dixon (New York Marathon winner and former two mile world record holder).

At 9.30pm Sri Chinmoy departs from Auckland International Airport.

 

Third Visit

June 29-July 1, 1995

June 29th Upon arrival in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, Sri Chinmoy visits parliament where he meets Prime Minister Jim Bolger in the Prime Minister's offices in the "Beehive" (Parliament Building) for 25 minutes.

June 30th Sri Chinmoy visits the Auckland Centre's enterprise, The Kettledrum Cafe. In 1997, The Kettledrum moved to its present location in Dominion Road and was renamed The Blue Bird by Sri Chinmoy. He also visited Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World.

That evening Sri Chinmoy performs his third New Zealand concert at Auckland's Aotea Centre; the concert hall is filled to capacity and others wait outside. Mayor Les Mills welcomes Sri Chinmoy to Auckland at the start of the concert.

July 1st Sri Chinmoy runs in 100 metre race at the Sri Chinmoy Masters Games at Auckland's Ericsson Stadium in Penrose. Barry Magee (marathon champion and former New Zealand Olympic representative in 10,000 metres) presents Sri Chinmoy with an "Athletics New Zealand Sports Award"

 

Fourth Visit

November 27, 2002 - January 3, 2003

Over the summer of 2002-2003, Sri Chinmoy visited New Zealand and Australia as part of our annual Christmas Trip. During this timeframe he visited Auckland, Hamilton, Taupo, Wellington, Christchurch, Cairns and the Gold Coast.

Hamilton, Auckland, Taupo November 27 - December 17, 2002

Sri Chinmoy arrives in Auckland on November 27 to begin His Australasian Christmas Trip. Later that day he composes lamb songs and different groups sing these.

November 28 Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart Lamb lift number 1.
First lamb lifting at the Agriculture Research farm at Whatawhata.
Sri Chinmoy lifts 100 3-month-old Romney cross lambs in a total of 25 lifts, in less than 1 hour, a total weight of 8,713 lbs. The apparatus and each cage (40 lbs) total 52 lbs.

November 29 In the afternoon, at the Council Chambers in Hamilton, The Lifting up the World with a Oneness-Heart programme is held. Sri Chinmoy lifts 31 people including former world number one squash player; New Zealand number one race walker; and the captain of the New Zealand Maori All Black team.

November 30 Sri Chinmoy visits top of Mt Eden and visits The Blue Bird cafe

The Auckland Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart programme at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 2 pm. Total lifted: 45 people including Precious McKenzie, world power-lifting legend; New Zealand cricketing greats; and children from a Rudolph Steiner School who perform Sri Chinmoy's songs.

Concert of Prayerful music by Maestro SriChinmoy: Auckland Town Hall
Concert of Prayerful music by Maestro Sri Chinmoy, Auckland Town Hall at 7:30 pm, 1,556 people attended. Sri Chinmoy played the pipe organ – first of five organs in New Zealand this trip. Display of Jharna-Kala (fountain-art) prints in the Town Hall Lobby.

December 1 Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart Lamb lift number 2.
246 Perendale and Perendale-Suffolk Cross lambs were lifted, a total of 13,405 lbs (4 or 6 lambs at a time)
3 people were also lifted (the sheep farm owners)

December 3 Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart Lamb lift number 3
At Waitere farm near Whakamaru; 100 Romney Cross lambs, 3 months old. Two people lifted (sheep-farm owners). Total weight 9,048 lbs (4,112 kg)

December 4 Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart Lamb Lift number 4.
At Tuaropaki Trust Farm, near Mokai, Sri Chinmoy lifts 200 Suffolk-Romney cross lambs, 3 months old. Total weight: 9,212 lbs (5th)9,169 lbs (6th)18,381 lbs for the day

December 5 Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart Lamb lift number 5.
Kiwitahi Land Co. Farm, Taupo. 200 pure Romney lambs, 3 months old
Total weight: 8,188 lbs8,080 lbs(54 lambs) 3,372 lbs19,640 lbs (8,927 kg) for the day Cumulative total lifted to date: 854 lambs

December 6 Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart Lamb Lift number 6.
Kiwitahi Land Co. Farm, Taupo. 154 pure Romney lambs 3 months old were lifted. Completed 1,000 lambs this day. Total weight: 12,072 lbs. Grand total: 81,259 lbs (36,936 kg)

December 7 Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart Great Lakes Centre, Taupo.21 people were lifted including a New Zealand rugby legend and his wife.

December 10 Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart Cow Lift number 1
25 Jersey cows were lifted at Parkwood Jersey owned by the Van Der
Hulst family.
Cow number 5 was the heaviest: 1,193 lbs Apparatus: 223 lbs.
Total weight: 24,516 lbs (11,144 kg)
5 members of the Van der Hulst family were lifted on the cow platform, 1,008 lbs.
Total for the day: 25,524 lbs.

December 11 Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart Rotorua Convention Centre, Rotorua
21 people were lifted including the Mayor of Rotorua; New Zealand’s first woman jockey, and Masters marathon legend, Jack Foster.

December 13 Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart Cow Lift number 2
45 Jersey cows were lifted at the Van Der Hulst farm.Total weight: 43,804 lbs (19,911 kg), weight of the apparatus was adjusted to 1,238 lbs. There were 2 one leg lifts. The heaviest cow was 1,169 lbs. Running legend, Joachim Cruz, was lifted on the cow apparatus as well as 2 sets of children (1,235 lbs). Total for the day (45 cows, adult and children): 45,039 lbs.

December 14 Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart Great Lakes Centre, Taupo
2pm 45 people were lifted including the Mayor of Taupo; a gold medallist in the 1984 Olympics, 800m, and a number of up and coming local athletes

Concert of Prayerful Music by Maestro Sri Chinmoy, Great Lakes Centre, Taupo, December 14 Concert of Prayerful Music by Maestro Sri Chinmoy Great Lakes Centre, Taupo, 8.00 pm 202 attended

December 16 Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart Cow Lift number 3 30 Jersey cows were lifted at the Van Der Hulst farm. Singers sang ‘O Sacred Mother Cow’ many times while Sri Chinmoy lifted, and ‘Parkwood Jersey’ song. Many presents were given out to all members of the family, especially Cassandra (the youngest child).

In Taupo Sri Chinmoy played tennis at the Wairakei Resort. Sri Chinmoy would also go driving every morning at 5:30 am, usually for one hour. In the evenings at the Wairakei Resort, Sri Chinmoy would usually go for a meditative drive in his buggies around the quiet resort grounds.

In Taupo 2-mile races were held twice a week (Wednesday and Saturday) at 6:30 am, on a side road outside Wairakei Resort. Olympic gold medallist and friend of Sri Chinmoy, also joins the race.

Wellington, 17-19 December 2002

December 17

  • Concert of Prayerful Music By Maestro Sri Chinmoy, Town Hall, Wellington 8.00 pm, 1,240 attended
  • Sri Chinmoy played the organ (second New Zealand organ and largest in New Zealand.)
  • Display of Jharna-Kala (fountain-art) Prints in the foyer of Town Hall.

December 18 In Auckland, Ashrita established a new Guinness record in “gluggling” – juggling three balls underwater for the longest time without dropping them, at Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World. The time was 48 minutes and 36 seconds in his second attempt.

Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart A Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart programme,10.00 am, December 18, was held in the Renouf Foyer, Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington. 56 people were lifted including MP's, sportspeople and musicians.

  • Visits and names Sonar Tari, Wellington cafe run by students of Sri Chinmoy
  • Meets Speaker of the House of Parliament, in his parliamentary office.

Sri Chinmoy commented that every day was like running a marathon, so much was happening.

Christchurch 19 December 2002 - 3 January 2003

December 22 Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart Hotel Grand Chancellor, Christchurch 25 people were lifted including Lydia Brady, the first woman to climb Mt. Everest without oxygen; and Guy Cotter the number one Everest guide worldwide.

Sri Chinmoy’s song for Lydia Brady: Lydia Brady, Lydia Brady! Oneness of the soul and the body. The fondness-child of Himaloy, You are her heart’s stupendous joy. “Breath-supplier oxygen, no, no, no! I am my Spirit’s ceaseless flow.” Lydia Brady, Lydia, Lydia, Your courage is mountaineers’ utopia.

December 23 Sri Chinmoy played the pipe organ at Knox Presbyterian Church, Christchurch. Later in the day Sri Chinmoy tells stories and appreciates the “soft, sweet, self-giving qualities of New Zealand”.

Evening functions each day include plays, poetry and musical performances.

December 26 Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart Programme, The Grand Chancellor Hotel,Christchurch 29 people were lifted including a doctor who climbed Mt. Everest in 1994 and also a world renowned triathlete coach.

December 26 Sri Chinmoy played the organ at Christ College Chapel and the organ at the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Christchurch

December 27 Sri Chinmoy composes a song for Concern-Cottage, a health food store operated by his students, and revises the original song he wrote about New Zealand in 1987. Concert of Prayerful Music by Maestro Sri Chinmoy, Christchurch Cathedral 900 attended (full house)

December 28 Ashrita sets a new Guinness Record by completing 1 mile in 9 minutes 24 seconds while balancing a glass bottle full of milk on his head at QEII track in Christchurch

January 2 Sri Chinmoy inaugurates the new Christchurch Centre, meditates there and tells two stories about faith; then visits the two Christchurch enterprises operated by his students– The Lotus-Heart and Concern-Cottage. He composes a song about Christchurch at Concern-Cottage.

While in Christchurch Sri Chinmoy also went punting on the Avon and drove far and wide around the city. At Brighton Pier, Sri Chinmoy commented “Such purity, like Pondicherry.”