Coming Up Close

  Throughout New Zealand various towns around the country each year old what's known as an A & P day meaning Agricultural and Pastoral Day. Many things happen here. Previously I've only been to these events in Northland when we lived there but last weekend we drove to Hokitika to attend theirs on what was a very hot Summer's day. This was near the entrance and has a bouncy castle, carousel and a small ferris wheel for the kids. The games area; pick your lucky numbers and throw balls in the clowns mouths. One of the water trucks - there was a long line later on for people wanting to buy bottles of it. Inside the main hall where this group of women were demonstrating how to spin wool with old spindles. Lots going on in here such as people selling artwork, vegetable and flower competitions and people selling produce. An area where people had entered in their flowers and produce for judging - kind of like who has the best. A group of red and brown onions someone has grown a...

  Here's something cool I saw in Westport recently on the side of a utility box. Painted by artist Maureen Mayo it depicts Tui family feasting on flowers from the Harakeke (flax) plant. I'm loving the colours. Linking up with  Monday Murals .

    I have an admiration for old doors - the more historical they are, the more creative they seem to be. These two I spotted in Westport last week. The one on the left above is the entranceway to the tower at Bastion Point and the one on the right belongs to the historical Star Hotel in Kawakawa. And this one at the Parish of Waimate North aka Pakaraka Church which was opened in 1873 by Henry Williams. Linking up with  Weekend Reflections   and the  Weekend Roundup .

  So recently in Greymouth a new building was finished and opened for international and national tourists. The Pounamu Pathway partnered up with the well known WETA Workshop to create a cultural experience through digital technology to show off the West Coast's culture of Maori legends, settlements, battles, explorers, traders and pioneers. It's all about the history. There are also similar centres in Haast, Hokitika and Westport which are all linked together.  Linking up with  Skywatch Friday   and  Tom's Signs .

I've driven past this little church a few times on the way to Nelson Creek and Reefton. There's not much known about it sadly except it was privately owned until recently when the owner passed away. It's not looking good, very unloved - I wonder what the interior looks like. Linking up with  T hrough my lens ,  Tuesday Treasures ,  My corner of the world  and  Wordless Wednesday .

So last Thursday my daughter and I drove to Westport with a friend. Our specific aim for the day was to visit some op shops - I didn't find anything in particular that I liked but I did see this mural on the side of one of the small buildings. Painted by artist Peter Hollis it depicts a scene of gold miners sluicing for gold at Soldier's Creek in Reefton around the 1860s/1870s. This mural is based on a drawing by Hugh Boscaven. Most of the West Coast of New Zealand is well known for it's gold mining history. Linking up with Monday Murals .

This week has been good so far. Apologies if I've mentioned this already but I started my new job a few weeks ago and felt like it just wasn't for me. Ever had that experience where you are doing something and it doesn't feel right? That was exactly it. On a spur of the moment thing, a friend and I popped into a local hotel/pub to ask if they had any jobs and apparently it was perfect timing because I'm now working in their kitchen and loving it. So far so good and I spotted this car parked in their parking lot. Linking up with  Weekend Reflections   and the  Weekend Roundup .

Today a friend, my daughter and I drove out to Westport from Greymouth and on the way we stopped at the Berlins Cafe and Bar, a popular tourist stop within the Buller Gorge.   This funky metal sculpture set was in the paddock next door to the cafe depicting an old bicycle, some metal parts and a large bee/hornet holding a knife and fork. No country bar/cafe/restaurant would be complete without the old retro/vintage telephone box. The photos above show the interior which was very rustic and pleasant with an amazing view out over the bush covered mountains and Buller River. And this photo shows part of the scenery seen from inside the cafe. Pretty amazing right? Linking up with  Skywatch Friday   and  Tom's Signs .

  Last Friday night our local council held an event "The Friday night Street Eats" in the town square so my daughter R and I went along for something to do. It was a hot afternoon with the temperature at about 24 degrees celsius so the first thing we bought was an ice cream each. Apart from that there seemed to be the usual food trucks like coffee, donuts, hotdogs etc - the only unusual food stall we saw was a group of people cooking Indonesian type food but it was too hot for that. A fireworks display was due to go off later that night about 10.30pm but we didn't stay longer than an hour. I don't think we will probably go next time but enjoy the photos.   Linking up with  T hrough my lens ,  Tuesday Treasures ,  My corner of the world  and  Wordless Wednesday .

I love driving over the Auckland Harbour Bridge. I was born and raised in this city so I've driven over it literally hundreds of times over the years. This is one side going up from the North Shore.  And this is going down the other side towards Auckland City, South Auckland and West Auckland. A little bit of history about it below: "The Auckland Harbour Bridge picked up where the  ferries  left off. There was talk of a bridge across the Waitematā as early as 1860 and again between the wars, but the planners and politicians gave the green light only in 1946 when they made it central to the new motorway system they fondly believed would solve Auckland’s transport problems. The Westhaven reclamation at the southern end began in 1951. For most of its history the Auckland Harbour Bridge has been a victim of its own success. The intended five lanes were reduced to four to save money. It opened on 30 May 1959 and in its first year averaged 13,493 cars a day, a shock for planner...

In Greymouth central is this place, Dixon Park. At the entrance are War Memorial gates and pillars which were erected in 1922 to honour and commemorate former pupils and staff of the local school who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the First World War. The band rotunda is a short walk away. It was built in 1910 and was used for musical performances and other public events until the 1930s. It was originally located at the intersection of Boundary Street and Mackey Streets (so in the shopping district) and later moved here where it permanently sits. Linking up with  Skywatch Friday   and  Tom's Signs .