Thursday 30 April 2015

Seasons change....for many reasons




The times they are a changing and this for me at the moment has more than one meaning. I love this time of year... yellow, golds, bronze, reds are all showing their colours. Autumn for us down under and Spring for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere. This photo was taken in Paeroa about 3 hours or so from where I live.

Its very poignant - I don't normally talk about my personal circumstances on the internet however just this once I will share what's been going on lately. For 4 years I worked in a busy dental surgery - I grew to love my job...the people contact, my work colleagues and it was a chance to learn new skills in something I'd never tried before. Recently due to not enough work I had to make the unfortunate decision to finish there and where I live there isn't much work. The whole of the Northland region is in a bit of a sad state and people are moving where the work is - for me this is something I've had to make the choice to do. I've looking further down the line to a different place with a new partner (who is awesome by the way) and applying for jobs which pay  more and offer better opportunties. Job searching is my role so hopefully I will find something and be able to move.

Hope all is going well for you wherever you are :-)

Wednesday 29 April 2015

Autumn leaves and Hebes in Waihi



I just love the colours and scenery at this time of year. The further you travel down NZ the more you get the pretty Autumn colours of gold, bronze, red, yellow and orange. This scene in Waihi was taken a couple of weeks ago. We just don't get this sort of stuff up north where I'm from.

And the crimson Pink Hebe in the top photo is one of my favourite flowers, you can grow them from cuttings in Autumn and Spring and they make a very vibrant addition to any garden.

For more Wednesday around the world click here :-)

Saturday 25 April 2015

Anzac day 2015 in Mangawhai


This morning I spent a couple of hours with many other people at our local RSA (returned services association) in Hakaru, about 10 minutes out of Mangawhai for Anzac Day. We have a local Cadets unit - these young people did an awesome job this morning

 
One of our locals Logan Brown is a master bag piper - love the sound of those Scottish bag pipes.


Nice to see so many military personnel - local and non local such as army/air force/police/fire brigade/st john ambulance representatives.


Mangawhai Beach school students had also made wooden crosses painted with names of their fallen heroes which were pushed into the ground lining the path to the Cenotaph.



So many wreaths laid on the Cenotaph - and such an important day in the history of New Zealand and Australia. How did you celebrate Anzac Day?

Thursday 23 April 2015

The Rob Roy Hotel - Waihi - built in 1886



What an interesting place this is! The Rob Roy Hotel in Waihi was originally built in 1886. The block of property it stands on was bought by a Mr S. Jagger for 5,000 pounds and the Hotel back then when it was finished consisted of 25 rooms...kitchen, pantry, scullery, coal cellar, store room, servants quarters, 9 bedrooms and a sitting room plus dining room.

It was burgled in 1901, one of the owners was assaulted and turned into a boarding house. After being sold several times to new owners over the years the Hotel is now owned by Paddy and Brian Smith who have been the proprietors since 1981.

Wednesday 22 April 2015

Autumn - colours are changing in the Coromandel...




I have been doing some travelling lately - one of the spots I went through was Waihi. This place I visited with family when I was little so it was refreshing to see all the shops etc once again. Because the further you go down NZ the colder it gets, this place had the beginnings of Autumn colours going on.




Another place is through the Karangahake Gorge in the Coromandel region. This place as mentioned in a previous post has a huge hiking trail used by many cyclists and hikers. I plan to do this at some point as I love walking - perfect place to not only stop and think but also take great photos of the sunning scenery.




And various Acorn trees were dotted along the parking area at the Gorge. I just love these colours...

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Tuesday 21 April 2015

Autumn colour at the Wairoa River Reserve, Tauranga



The Wairoa River Reserve lies beside the State Highway 2 bridge on the northern banks of the Wairoa River - its very pretty at the moment with some bronze Autumn colours which is why I stopped there recently and took these photos. Its handy to Tauranga and is available for campervans and motorhome users to stay there as freedom campers.

According to the Western Bay of Plenty council you can stay 3 nights maximum in a 4 week consecutive period. Unlike some freedom camping spots around NZ this area was clean, tidy and well maintained. More information here...

For more Our World Tuesdays click here :-)

Wednesday 15 April 2015

Child statues in Waihi by Donald Petterson


On one of my road trips recently I drove through the old mining town of Waihi in New Zealand's Coromandel district. These statues of children playing are made of Bronze by artist Donald Petterson and symnbolize the warm water that was originally pumped from the early Martha Mine underground workings that flowed from deep gutters where children loitered and played.

More more Wednesdays around the world click here :-)

Tuesday 14 April 2015

Two Pukekos sitting on the fence...


We live in an area where there's alot of creeks/streams and ditches along the roads, these guys the NZ Pukeko bird also known as Takahe is flightless so I when I saw then wandering through my backyard I quickly grabbed my camera. I turned my back and when I looked back they were on the fence from the ground. They are quite unintelligent creatures so I've got no idea how they managed to get up high but they seemed to be very happy getting a good view of my garden.


For more our world Tuesdays click here :-)

Monday 13 April 2015

State Highway 2 - Karangahake Gorge Canyon


I captured this amazing shot recently while driving along State Highway 2 just past the Karangahake Gorge near the Kaimai Ranges. This area of road is between Paeroa, Waikino and  and Waihi. It truly is a stunning piece of New Zealand!

Wednesday 8 April 2015

Easter weekend at Orere Point Beach


This last weekend I was fortunate enough to spend time at Orere Point beach which is about 2/12 hours from here just out of Auckland. For the first day it was somewhat overcast and rainy as you can see from the above shot.


Seems there was a fishing competition on this particular morning of my walk along the beach. This boat was coming in and I saw in their chilly bin later on they had some very nice sized snapper.


A second boat came in just as it was beginning to rain. As it poured I stood beneath some pohutukawa trees to shelter and then 10 mins later the sun was out.

So how did you spend Easter weekend?

For more Wednesday around the world click here :-)

Saturday 4 April 2015

Reflections over the the Ohinimuri River


Recently I had the priviledge of driving through a stunning part of NZ to visit a friend. On the way there and back I stopped alongside this stream which is part of the Karangahake Gorge.  Further along the highway there is an area where people can walk through and hike or cycle or canoe on the water. Such a peaceful tranquil place to sit and think.

For more weekend reflections click here :-)

Friday 3 April 2015

Morning sunrise over boats on Mangawhai Estuary


Caught this nice shot last week while driving to work. I just love the reflection of the Autumn sunrise over the water, don't you?

For more Skywatch Fridays - click here :-)

oh...and Happy Easter!

Cobden Observation Post

  We've been living in Greymouth nearly 2 years now and we finally got to complete this walk to the Cobden WW2 Observation Post . It too...