"It is accounted a romantic thing to wander among strangers and to eat their bread by the camp-fires of the other half of the world."—John Masefield

Ten years ago, Jo and I traded a hectic life in the Bay Area for a remote forested hideaway in the beautiful Marlborough Sounds in the South Island of New Zealand, my homeland. (Jo is a native Californian.) We anticipated that "life in the bush" would deepen our connection with spirit in nature and that from New Zealand we could extend our work with guardians of shamanic and other sacred traditions in the Pacific and Asia. Living in the wilderness did not mean we would give up traveling.

Nor would we stop leading travel groups, something we had started in the eighties while on the staff of the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco. We had taken our first group to the Indian Himalaya, where Jo and I were living in a village for a year, and this model of leading small groups to places we know and love proved popular. Since then we have added tours to South India, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. In all of these countries, we take people off the beaten tourist track to experience the vibrant colors, sights and sounds of small-town and village life. They have the chance to go into the homes of our friends and to make local friends of their own.

Sacred ecology and multiculturalism—learning to understand and appreciate differences—are the focus of our work. Sensitive to local environmental and cultural concerns, we try to impart a sense of the sacredness of these lands for their indigenous peoples. Through informal talks, cultural performances and group excursions, we give the necessary background to understand the land, the animals and the wisdom of the people. We believe a journey is both an inward and an outward experience and requires space to think and to rest. We like to balance group activities with free time to explore individual interests: journaling, conversations with traveling companions, leisurely walks and just being – savoring a cup of tea on a verandah and gazing at paddy fields, forest or mountains.

This same rhythm governs the weeklong "Spirit in Nature" shamanic workshop we offer each summer on our land. (I am speaking of the New Zealand summer, of course, which means an escape from winter for North American participants!) We are not alone, the shamans tell us. On a planet that is everywhere alive, conscious and inspirited, humans have many wise allies for counsel and aid with healing.

Hosting this workshop gives Jo and me the chance to share the powerful energy of our beautiful 50 acres of forested hillside and seashore. We call the property Te Wairua (Maori for "place of spirit"), and we have ensured its permanent preservation as open land by placing it in a national land trust. Companions for the week are a rich coterie of sea creatures and native birds. Dolphins are frequent visitors to our bay and Little Blue Penguins come ashore here to nest. New Zealand's most renowned songsters—bellbirds and tui – will serenade you from the trees, and weka, (perky, flightless scrub hens) will follow you everywhere with charming inquisitiveness. But guard your towel and flip-flops at the hot tub and on the beach; weka are notorious thieves!

Nowadays, getting to New Zealand is easy, with direct flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles. But be warned: You may not return home the same.