Spring in Tauranga City

I'm loving these lighter days and longer nights - last week when I left work I was happy to see blue skies and only a few clouds. Summer is nearly here!  This shot is outside my work, the building above with the reflections on the windows belongs to one of the city's major newspapers the Bay of Plenty Times.

More Weekend Reflections here - have a great weekend :-)

Spring skies over Tauranga's Westpac building

Now that nights are getting lighter and days are getting longer, recently I thought I'd drive by Tauranga's waterfront for some sunset photos. This one I managed to catch of the bank Westpac's building and apartments in the background, which I might add most likely get a terrific view over the water and harbour.

On another subject, we heard some very sad news yesterday....one of our closest friends unexpectedly passed away from an aneurism - she was only 51 years old and was someone who was a very generous hard case awesome person, we will miss her a great deal :-(

Linking up with Skywatch Fridays...

Gazanias and grasses at Whangamata Beach

Photos taken 2 weekends ago when we almost thought Summer was making an early entrance - this week its' been constant rain and seems like Winter is sending out a last minute blast like it does every year at this time.

I'm actually looking forward to warmer days where we can feel the hot sand under our feet and paddle in the waves.

Hope things have been warm for you this week - more Wednesdays around the world and  Skywatch Fridays here :-)

The Waihi Mine and Cornish Pumphouse

On our travels between Whitianga and home last weekend we stopped in at Waihi, a historical mining town in the Hauraki district. According to some internet googling I've done the Cornish Pumphouse was once next to the Martha Mine to fit in with a big steam engine designed to pump water out of the mine. The pumphouse was used until 1929 but from the 1930s was stripped of all it's machinery and left uncared for but in 1983 it was registered with the NZ historic places trust. In 2001 it was moved to a safer site 300 metres away and made more secure.

The mine however from the 1880s until the 1950s was originally underground and became very important for finding gold and silver but since 1987 it has operated as an open pit. From reading news stories over the years it appears that due to the mining various properties around the district have collapsed into the ground from sinkholes so some of the ground is quite unstable, nevertheless it is one of New Zealand's prime historical regions.

Skies and Seas of Whitianga

While enjoying our weekend last week in Whitianga there were times I walked around with my camera taking in the scenery. All of these are what I snapped down by the local wharf...the first was a fishing trawler moored at one of the piers, the second is the same boat and the wharf from the beach and the third was a keen fisherman with his two surfcasting reels stuck in the sand waiting to catch some fish.

Definitely a place I would gladly go back to :-)

linking up with Skywatch Fridays.