Thursday 26 November 2015

Paddle-boarding and surfing at Whakatane Beach




Two of my favourite images from our recently trip to Whakatane, the top one of two surfers walking across the semi-low tide at the beach and the one below of a paddle boarder heading to shore remind me of what warm weather is all about - golden sand, cool water, stunning scenery make it all worthwhile being a New Zealander - love it!

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Tuesday 24 November 2015

Christmas decorations are up already!




It's only November and yet our local Supermarket has already put Christmas decorations on displa, but get this....back in September another store were selling advent calenders - crazy!

Anyway I snapped this shot last week while doing our weekly shop and as you can see there's loads of Summer fruit on display because come December it will be hot and dry for us.

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Sunday 22 November 2015

Fishing Kayaks at Orere Point




A few weeks ago we were visiting family at Orere Point - on the Sunday afternoon I decided the weather was too warm and sunny to be stuck inside so I ventured out for a walk to the local beach and spotted these kayaks on the pebbled shore. The fishing rods are right up my alley, I was very envious as I haven't been fishing for quite some time but shortly after I took this photo a man and his small grand daughter hopped in one and paddled it around the corner to where their family were gathered. Looks like they would've had a great day :-)

Thursday 19 November 2015

Views from the Butterfly Garden at Te Puna Quarry





Last week I drove out for a 2nd visit to Te Puna Quarry Gardens and since it was a very very warm sunny Spring day I didn't just limit myself to taking photos of one particular area. This time I walked around 3/4 of the gardens - this shot was taken from the Butterfly Garden section.



This part of the garden was full of annuals and perennials - perfect for the bees and butterflies.

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Friday 13 November 2015

Summer skies at Ohope Beach




It's only November here and already it feels like Summer has struck. Last weekend while driving through the Whakatane coast we kept driving for an extra 5-10 minutes and came through the small settlement of Ohope (oh-hope-ee). This tiny town is well known for it's seaside holiday spot and many people come here to camp over the holidays. This place reminds me of up where I've come from - Mangawhai Heads up north.

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Tuesday 10 November 2015

View of White Island from Kohi Point




Another one from our travels to Whakatane in the weekend, this shot was taken from the top of Kohi Point with White Island in the distance. White Island fyi is still an active Volcano and Kohi Point is a lookout which has some walking tracks ranging from 30 minutes long to 2 hours long.

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Sunday 8 November 2015

California Poppies at Maketu Cemetery





Major roadtrip today! B is looking for a car for his daughter so after searching an online auction website we found two in Whakatane, which is just over an hour away from where we live. On the way there we popped into the local historical cemetery in Maketu

Information I've found says that "in 1769 the British explorer Captain James Cook sailed past Maketu, noting in his journal a Maori settlement on the point of the peninsula which he named “Town Point”, a name that continues today. Never mind that it already had a name, “Okurei”.
Shortly following Cook’s arrival in New Zealand, whalers, traders, and missionaries began to arrive. And the prosperous Maori settlement of Maketu was in their sight. The abundant fishing grounds, easy access to timber and flax, and rich agricultural land made Maketu a prime location.
Arguably the most significant of these Pakeha settlers was a Danish merchant named Phillip Tapsell who arrived in Maketu in 1809 and established a thriving business trading in flax and other goods. He was married three times to Maori women, died in 1873, and is buried in the Maketu cemetery. The Tapsell name is prominent today in the Maketu community."
This photo is of one of three graves grouped together while California Poppies grow along the edge and in amongst the concrete.

Friday 6 November 2015

Colourful train carriages at Te Maunga






Funny the things I see on my travels, even to and from work seems to find something on a weekly basis. This week twice now I've seen this long line of train carriages parked on the train tracks near my workplace, I can't make out what alot of the graffiti says but I do think people that do this are rather clever don't you?

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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...