Coming Up Close

Every morning when I walk from my car to work I see this hedge and wondered what colour Camellias would flower, so nice to see some pink at this time of year when we usually see golds, reds, browns, yellows etc. Camellias normally flower from Autumn through the late Winter

A few weeks ago on our day trip into Te Puke we visited the local cemetery. This one caught my eye - Jonquills growing out of one of the historical grave sites - I think they're a bit confused? It's Autumn here, Spring isn't due until September... For more Skywatch Fridays click here :-)

Over the weekend I visited an old school friend who lives about 20 minutes from Taupo , she owns a farm in a very quite area. It's mid Autumn here so it's starting to get colder as we head towards Winter but thankfully she had the fire going in her house so we stayed toasty warm along with the 7 dogs she has. On the way home I snapped these shots from the top of the Kaimai ranges. In the distance you can see miles and miles of farmland in the Waikato region - quite a view isn't it? If you look to the left in the 1st and 3rd photos you will be able to see the road as it winds up the mountain, this is the main highway leading from Tauranga to Hamilton and onto other areas. For more Our World Tuesdays click here :-)

On our travels around Te Puke (pronounced Tee Pookee) last weekend we drove past this church, I wasn't sure if it was historical or not so I took some photos and promised I would look into it when home again. But unfortunately I couldn't find very much information about it so if anyone out there can provide anything please let me know. Anyway I just liked the look of it with it's small town cemetery and tiny building, reminds me of something I'd find up north where I'm from :-)

On Sunday, for something to do, the other half and I drove out to Te Puke, a nearby town about 20 minutes away. Last year at this time he had said to me that the colour of the trees out there were an impressive colour - we weren't disappointed. The ground was covered with fallen leaves, the trees were a mixture of brown, yellow, orange and red, the air was chilly with a hint of a cool breeze. My favourite season :-) For more Our World Tuesdays click here. ..

This is another one of those shots where I again was early for work, this time on purpose. Since I take my camera with me when I go out I thought it would be prudent to drive around town looking for intersting scenery, I wasn't disappointed. This one is down on the waterfront again but it's on the lookout next to the the Cargo Shed Arts Centre - I really liked how the wooden rails and morning sky reflects on the puddle, what do you think? For more Weekend Reflections click here :-)

This morning on the way to work, because I was early I drove down to The Strand waterfront to take some shots of the Autumn sky. This one got my attention, to the left there is a coffee shop which is the green colour of the chairs in the above photo and people were milling around in there waiting for their coffees. The sky in the distance was a peculiar pink/red/orange colour but it made a great backdrop I think :-)

On Sunday we were going for one of our long walks, this time along Pilot Bay which is about 10 minutes from where we live and we passed by the wharf and enjoyed a spot of people watching. People watching can be quite fascinating sometimes, the way they interact with each other. This day of all days was extremely foggy and overcast, a typical Autumn day but it didn't seem to stop many families out there with their fishing rods - a good way to spend some quality family time. For more Our World Tuesdays click here :-)

I have a thing for old rustic farm sheds, one of which is out at Te Puna - about 15 minutes drive out of Tauranga. This photo was taken last Spring on the way to the Te Puna Quarry Park , most of these sheds are used for sheep shearing or storage etc.

This weekend I'm planning on going back to the wonderful Te Puna Quarry Park which is about 15 minutes out of Tauranga. When I visited there last Spring, which for us kiwis is between September and November I captured these shots. In the one above the low growing shrub is one of my favourites; Echium Fastuosum - it has tall blue spikey flowers growingout of the branches which attract bees. Here's a view of the coastline from the top of one of the hills, the park is quite a huge area covering quite a few acres, I think this area was the Fuchsia garden. Another one of my favourite plants - the Strelitzia also known as Bird of Paradise grows in dry soil, I use to see alot of these up north where I use to live in some of the seaside gardens. I can see why it's named this as it looks just like a bird. Now that Autumn is here for us I'm planning a visit this weekend. For more Skywatch Fridays click here :-)

At the moment it's just right outside, not too hot not too cold. Sometimes at lunch when I'm at work it's nice to sit out at the picnic table with my food in the peace and quiet. So many colours around, my favorite time of year. I hope your week so far has been good like mine has :-)