Coming Up Close

Today we are in day 2 of our holiday in Fiji. We are staying at the Warwick Resort - this is the view from the edge of the grass outside the resort looking out over the water and the seafood restaurant.

It's taken us until now to completely wind down but it's nice waking up to the sound of waves and seeing all the interesting things the country has to offer.

Yesterday we walked around the beach and saw mud crabs, different coloured tropical fish and a white and black poisonous snake. We did attempt to go snorkeling but all the gear was booked out so fingers crossed for today.

Linking up with My Corner of the World.

We enjoyed a gander around Auckland City today. Having grown up in the suburbs of this city I also worked here for quite a few years and being me I asked the other half to find a parking spot so I could see what's changed. So many new buildings being built and so many old buildings being worked on.

In this shot it was on the corner of the Britomart station these lime scooters were parked next to a street cafe - they seem to be the new in thing now.

Edited to add: These electric scooters aren't illegal but they seem to have caused alot of trouble since they were first bought out with accidents and people not using them properly.

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I couldn't help but take a photo of this baby when we were having lunch with the other half's cousin in the weekend. This olds mobile was parked at the Whangaroa Harbour wharf. Wouldn't you just love to cruise around in it?

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After driving through Kaeo so many times we decided in the weekend to stop at this apparent historical spot. Overlooking the township is this memorial cairn which commemorates the site of the first mission and was erected by Maori members of the Methodist church under the guidance of Rev. A.J. Steamer.  It is built from water worn gray marble boulders which were transported by barge from an ocean beach (possibly Tauranga Bay), through the harbour and up the Kaeo river to the site.


The cairn itself was dedicated at the centenary celebrations on 8 March 1922 by a Rev Grainger Hargreaves. 2 boulders on it bear inscriptions. The 1 on the left says in English "On this spot the Methodist mission to the natives of NZ was established June 10th 1823 by Rev Samuel Leigh. What God has wrought!". The on the right bears the same but in Maori.

Unfortunately it only has 2 very run down falling apart graves with no tombstones to indicate who lies beneath so we have no way of knowing who th…

It's been quite a week for us. We have been busy finalizing our move back home and sorting out jobs. So far the other half, my oldest son and myself have new jobs to go to - it's just going to a matter of  the younger 2 to finding work.

I'm going to miss the far north of NZ. We've explored lots of places, we've enjoyed scenery we wouldn't have seen anywhere else and we've done some great fishing. I'm going to miss the people I've gotten to know especially most of the people I've worked with. However one thing that's bothered me this week is how people tend to bend the truth. I'm a fairly straight up honest person, if you ask me a question I won't lie to you - I'm a lousy liar and I prefer people to be the same towards me.


Speaking of interesting places one of my favourite small towns is Kohukohu on the Hokianga Harbour. Last time we were there we wandered around near the wharf where I saw this old closed up building and upon res…

The Golden Cross Hotel in Waihi pretty much gives it's information away with it's name. Waihi located in the Hauraki District of NZ is made up of a rich gold mining history and was named as the "Golden Cross Mining" region.

This is a 2 story wooden building with an iron roof but the outside has been clad in brick and concrete. It was built in 1899, has 17 rooms and a dining room. It was originally placed in Waitekauri but was later moved to Waihi. Firstly used as a hotel it is now popular with backpackers.

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St Joseph's Anglican Maori Church is located just on the outskirts of Awanui and was built roughly around 1887. It was given it's name in compliance with the wish of the principal chiefs in commemoration of of the missionary work done by Reverend Joseph Matthews and the ministry of lay-reader Joseph Poutama.

We visited this area in 2018 but never got to venture inside but still a nice tidy church and cemetery nonetheless.

Linking up with Our World Tuesday and My corner of the world.

Well it's definite. I handed in my 2 weeks notice at work yesterday and we have a move date of 11th August. It's going to be sad leaving this little town, we've made many friends here and explored many new places but life is a journey full of ups and downs.

We don't know where the future will take us we are are ready.

"We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing each other". - Luciano de Crescenzo

I love old things, the older the better. I love history, again the older the better. I love reading about peoples stories and memories. I haven't traveled around the world, I've been to Australia, I've been to Wellington, Queenstown, Nelson, Tauranga, the Far North and Northland. We are due to go to Fiji for a week at the end of July but we think maybe next year we may explore the South Island.

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Yesterday we were back in my home town of Mangawhai. We are standing at a crossroads seeing which way life is going to take us. We missed out on a rental property we applied for up here so the other half had a chat to his boss who said there is much more work for him in Mangawhai so we then applied for a property there which we looked at today. Hopefully we will hear back today or tomorrow.

We drove around a few places, visited my parents and stopped at one of the boat ramps where this pontoon is. The area has changed a lot. There are way more houses and subdivisions and more businesses since I left there 4 years ago when I moved to Tauranga and if our move goes ahead I possibly have a job to go to thanks to me walking into one of the local shops. Will keep you posted...

Linking up with Our World Tuesday and My Corner of the World.

I haven't been through this spot for a few years. I use to pass this way just about once a month when I use to take my 2 teenagers for their orthodontist appointments in Kumeu via State Highway 16.

The Hoteo River is located between Wellsford and Helensville on the Kaipara Coast. It's popular with whitebait fishermen, the mangroves provide food for schools of Snapper fish and an annual raft race is held that many people participate in. Unfortunately a waste management company wants to develop a large block of land and supposedly have a lineage structure that will prevent leachates and other pollutants leaking through into the water which is an important source of drinking supply for local communities. The area also has a high rainfall level so there is a huge chance that waste will get washed downhill - there is massive opposition to this idea. I'm not sure what's going to happen but I hope it doesn't go ahead. You can read more about this story here.

In mid 2010 I worked in Dargaville for about a year, sometimes I'd drive around the area looking for interesting things to take photos of. This vintage villa in Te Kopuru is loaded with decorations and is owned by local Leon Searle, he use to be a fisherman but is now retired. The garden is mostly full of fishing floats (buoys).

Moving along...this week has been full of surprises for us. Our landlord dropped by with a letter saying we have 45 days to find another rental property. Talk about bad timing. When we signed up for this one last year they asked us to sign a 1 year lease which we thought was a  bit suspect so we refused. Looks like they only wanted us here for that period of time, apparently they want to move in as owners which legally they can do so we are trying to find somewhere new before we go on holiday.

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This little place with it's ripped curtains and it's boarded up windows caught my attention last time we were in Ahipara. It wasn't hard to get to, right next to St Clement's Anglican Church it sits just off the road surrounded by overgrown grass and a muddy dirt driveway.

According to a couple of people who saw the photo after I shared it on a historical places page, it was first owned by a couple who lived in it in the 1940s and then owned by a local Kuia Tohunga (a Maori elder who was a natural healer). After she died it fell into abandonment, we didn't have time to go inside but maybe next time we are up that way I might have a look.

Linking up with Our World Tuesday and My Corner of the World.