07/06/2023
My son’s middle name is Kahuku: Monarch Butterfly. Kahuku have featured strongly in my life since I was very young; a symbol of those passed checking in. When I first met Conway, we saw two at the same time and both said “hi Grandad!” Then looked at each other in shock.
Then, at Jasper’s baby shower, a Kahuku hatched from a chrysalis and landed on the drum kit in our makeshift outdoor jam space.
But why the Kahuku in the business branding? When I learned about the process a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly, turning to a liquid soapy substance before changing and emerging from the cocoon, I couldn’t help but liken it to the cycle you go through when you battle anxiety.
Each setback, every liquefaction or reset of the cycle, has you emerging as a new incarnation of yourself. Something you couldn’t have been if you hadn’t turned to liquid first.
Tundra Kids is now about that journey to becoming a butterfly (or, resetting the lifecycle when that happens) - creating a space to talk about when we’re liquid puddles who can’t get out of our own brains, or wet butterflies waiting for our wings to dry… or celebrating our moments of flight when we finally take a present moment to revel in how far we’ve come.