Coming Up Close

You can tell it's Spring because flower bulbs come out showing off their best colours. These different coloured ones flowering in wide clumps around the beach area at the moment. Pretty aren't they and they smell divine... Linking up with Our World Tuesday and Wednesday around the world :-)

This morning in an effort to getting rid of that cabin fever feeling we drove out to Te Puna Quarry Park , somewhere I haven't visited in over a year.  Near the entrance this part was chained off but naughty me sneaked in and got this quick shot of one of the pink Magnolia trees starting to bloom.   In the Rhododendron garden these pinks and reds caught my eye, looks like the insects were enjoying the flowers too. Near the end of the path was this garden floor covered in a sea of red and white flowers due to the Magnolia and Rhododendron trees towering above. This white Magnolia was only just starting to bloom so there were more buds than flowers - we think the rain from the previous night has washed many off their branches. Linking up with Our World Tuesday :-)

Absolutely primo Spring morning here. Just lovely to get out and about in the sunshine. I was just about to take a photo of the scenery when this elderly man walked past with his dog who shortly after started barking excitedly (the dog that is, not the man) as his owner was getting ready to throw a ball. Hope all is good where you are :-) Linking up with Skywatch Friday .

This morning instead of walking my usual route to the left of where we live I walked to the right along the opposite end of the beach, just in time to snap a photo of this guy surf casting, I could see as I got up close that he had at least 3 fish on the sand next to him that kind of looked like Kahawai which are perfect for smoking and cooking in a pie. I'm envious of him as they are delicious to eat. Linking up with Our World Tuesday :-)

Sometimes on my beach walk I'll see people walking their dogs - last week was amusing to say the least. I watched these two human friends meet up and their dogs who looked like they recognized each other happily bounded up and sniffed while barking. Kinda looked like a doggy gossip session :-)

Taken 2 days ago I think this photo shows how fickle the end of Winter/beginning of Spring can be. Sun shining over the ocean but dark gray clouds surrounding the light - what do you think? Linking up with Skywatch Friday :-)

I'm one of those people that finds being near water or getting out for a walk quite refreshing especially when I have things on my mind. On my beach walk this morning a piece of old mussel shell caught my attention with the way the colours reflected the sun's rays. This leaf lying on the sand was being buried by the sand being swept across the beach by the wind, I think it's probably the last of the Autumn leaves. Someone had tried to make a hut on the edge of the sand near the grasses but I'm not sure how warm it would've been. A thought for the week is that I'm not sure how many of you know but I work in customer service. I get to meet some really lovely people but sometimes I also meet some very thoughtless rude folk. I like my job and what I do but sometimes it really can get me down, after all I'm only human. Next time you are in a shop say hi or smile at the person serving you, it could make their day :-)

The thing about Spring here in NZ is that it's almost like 4 seasons in 1 day. Yesterday we had lovely sun and warm temperatures, today it's very nippy with a cold wind in the air. On my beach walk there wasn't much action, these old pieces of wood had washed up some time ago and remained on the sand. A piece of pumice on one of the old logs drew my attention along with bits and pieces of seaweed and shells. I think I saw 2 other people walking their dogs but that was about it - I think everyone else had decided indoors was a warmer place to be. Linking up with Our World Tuesday :-)

After 4 days of visiting my parents have gone back home up north but on the first day the were here I came home to find these lovely flowers in a vase on my kitchen bench. These are Asiatic Lilies which flower from a bulb and come in many colours, from white, orange, yellow, pink, purple and crimson. Not sure how long they will last for but I hope at least a couple of weeks :-)

We've had so much rain lately so when some Winter sun came yesterday I jumped at the chance to get out for a walk along the beach. Surprisingly it was very quiet, only 1 other person walking their dog that I could see but the air was crisp and the sun out so I felt alot more cheerful when I got home. This week I finally have a Friday off and my parents are here for the week so we've been spending some time with them. Linking up with Skywatch Friday :-)

Lovely Summer's day - the old Karangahake Gorge conservation site, and this part of it which is the railway tunnel loop runs for about 45 minutes. Very cold inside, walls running with dripping water here and there but at over 100 years old what more can be expected? But it all wasn't well back in the day it was being used by miners according to the  1904 issue of the Evening Post . In fact accidents were still happening 4 years later. There is talk today though of mining starting up again in this area, I hope it doesn't happen as it's such a lovely place to explore. The railway tracks were apparently removed in 1981, much easier to walk through without them and the whole length of the tunnel is well lit up. A very popular place to explore not just for hikers but also for cyclists.

Taupo , such a lovely place especially with it's snowy mountains and expansive lake. This particular morning we stopped by it was .5 degrees celsius - very nippy indeed. This sculpture is named Upane by Steuart Welch who is a farmer and owns a nursery at Marton. Apparently he started making farm gates from objects he found here and there. Now after many years he has progressed to making sculptures like the one above and exhibits in the central North Island of NZ. Linking up with Skywatch Friday :-)

A while back on the way to Rotorua one weekend we stopped off at Okere Falls , a very popular spot for kayaking and rafting. We enjoyed the bushwalk which was approx 20 minutes long on a very level path through native bush and came to a flight of stairs with a vantage point to look over the fast moving river. At the bottom of the stairs was this cave which has been sealed off, we couldn't see any native Wetas as the sign suggested there could be but legend has it that a local tribe was being raided one day long ago by another tribe and the women and children climbed down the cliff face and hid in here until it was safe to come out. Linking up with Our World Tuesday :-)