Kawakawa vet mural

I spotted this mural on the side of the veterinary clinic in Kawakawa which was painted by kiwi artist Angela Newport who is originally from the Hokianga area but now lives in Canterbury. 

You can see more of her work on her website. Linking up with Mural Monday.

See what matters

Over Summer it was easy to take so many reflection photos - my town has I think 2 local optometrists, this one nearest us had this display in their shop window. A good way to show glasses.

So this week has been actually pretty mind blowing. I had a client make up a few stories about me that I was able to prove to be untrue, B has been getting less and less work and my car was stolen in the early hours of Tuesday morning - I didn't even realize it was missing because it was my day off until I got a call from the police in Auckland saying a young person had dumped it on the side of the road. Not only that but my camera was in the car.  Thankfully we have full insurance and the company we are insured with are arranging to have it towed back up here to the mechanics to get the door handle and ignition replaced. I'm hoping next week is better.

Linking up with Weekend Reflections and The Weekend Roundup. 

Pop up coffee

 Throughout New Zealand you might see these little buildings devoted to really good coffee. This one in Taupo is very aptly named "Stir" and is made from a converted caravan with a covered balcony, we were going to buy some coffees for us while we were there but there was quite a line of customers to the doorway.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.

Waimangu Volcanic Valley - Part 1

During our holiday earlier this year in April we visited Waimangu Volcanic Valley near Rotorua. Because I took so many photos and there is so much information about this spot I'll be putting up posts in probably 3 parts. 

So basically we started at the top of the mountain, the whole walk is about 5kms all up to get to the bottom. This is the home of the pink and white terraces which were covered by Tarawera Eruption in 1886. From here we could see a rough overview of the valley, you can see steam and smoke rising from below.

This lake is known as the "emerald pool" in the southern crater - this whole area is all hydrothermal. At the time of the original eruption craters burst on the volcano, a 16 km long rift running southwest from the mountain opened up with 22 craters exploding from the land. 15 of the craters are now underwater Lake Rotomahana, the 7 remaining ones are in this valley. 

This is a painting of the Tarawera Eruption - from 1886 by Charles Blomfield so you can see how massive it would've been back then.

A long trail from start to finish wound down through the valley, this is part of the nature walk we ambled down. Because our borders are still closed to overseas tourism there weren't many people, we were the only ones here at this time.

We did pick up a map explaining who painted the various artworks throughout the trail but once we got home there was no trace of it.

This one is of Echo Crater and Frying Pan Lake - the latter is the largest hotspring in the world. An accommodations house which use to exist near this spot fell victim to the valley's largest hydrothermal eruption. In 1917 it erupted bursting through the roof of the house and burns from the steam killed the wife and her child of the guide who lived there. 

 

This one is Cathedral Rocks - the heat of this lake area is around 55 degrees celsius and climb to around 67 degrees celsius when the heat is really bubbling below. The rocks are made of rhyolite lava estimated at around 60,000 years old. 

There were signs up everywhere warning parents to supervise their children, for obvious reasons so I took this fun photo of B pretending to look displeased next to it 😂

Part 2 coming up next week. Linking up with Our World Tuesday, Travel Tuesday, Tuesday Treasures, Through my lens, My corner of the world and Wordless Wednesday.

Waving along

I've spotted another mural in Kaeo, this one on the front of a closed building that looks like it's being used for the local Youth Group. I think the colours and work are probably representing the nearby Whangaroa Harbour. 

Linking up with Mural Monday.

Waiting around...

We seem to spend alot of time on our phones - photo taken in Kaikohe.

Linking up with Weekend Reflections and The Weekend Roundup.

The Lantern

 

I spent a few rainy hours in Kawakawa last week, not alot to do except browse through some of the shops. This bronze and glass sculpture on the main road caught my eye. It is the work of local artist and designer Richard Smart and its creation has involved more than 1500 hours of voluntary labour and commitment, it was designed to serve a functional purpose as a street light. The work was conceived in 2002 and has been driven behind the scenes jointly by the Kawakawa Community Trust and the Eastern Community Board.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.

Waitūkei

One from Rotorua this week. This bronze sculpture was unveiled in 2001 to mark the new millenium. Supported by both the Millenium Trust and the Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust, Waitukei was made by Rotorua artist Lyonel Grant. His inspiration for the sculpture was the people of the area and the rich melding of Maori and European cultures. It was crafted from bronze over a 2 year period and depicts 2 symbolic figures, one male and one female.

Linking up with Our World Tuesday, Travel Tuesday, Tuesday Treasures, Through my lens, My corner of the world and Wordless Wednesday.