Winter skies over Tawharanui

Last winter I was playing around with the panorama function on my cellphone and happened to catch this awesome photo of a place I use to spend alot of time at - the Tawharanui Peninsula is just north of Auckland and is an amazing place to enjoy the scenery and do some fishing, both surf casting and out in a boat. This shot of stormy skies reflecting on the water in the low tide over the patterns on the sand is a glimpse of what winter in New Zealand is all about - days hibernating inside and seeing sights like this.

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Winter lights at Auckland Museum

Last Thursday night the other half and I drove up to Auckland with his teenage daughter and two of her friends for a music concert. I was on the outer end of the flu I'd had all last week so I thought I was feeling better, but after dropping the girls off we headed up to the Auckland Museum -  one of my favourite places ever! This is somewhere fascinating and historical and it's somewhere I have been visiting since I was little when my parents use to take me, my brother and sister there for outings - and now my 3 teenagers love to go thtere too.

Unfortunately when I hopped out of the car I started coughing uncontrollably in the cold air so this was the only shot I got. If you look closely you can see a group of young people sitting on the steps chatting amongst themselves.

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A nice little Winter panorama of Wellsford

Here's one I found in the archives, a nice little winter panorama of Wellsford, the town I work in. Must've snapped this on the way home one night and forgotten about it. Such nice skies we get here sometimes. Hope your week is going well :-)

Winter reflections over Point Wells estuary

A pretty one I took last Winter while out on another road trip through Omaha and Warkworth. This is Point Wells - with a small jetty and some boats moored in the low tide. Hope you like it.

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Reflections on the Hoteo River - Kaipara Coast

Once in a while the teens and I go on roadtrips - this one was when we randomly drove down State Highway 16, off the beaten track from Wellsford through to Helensville. We stopped off at the Hoteo River and watched a couple of people walking in the low tide with their fishing gear. It was a clear Spring day with a chill in the air. People travel this way to avoid the main highway with all the busy traffic.

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Orewa beach - stunning on a sunny winter's day

While on the way back home today from an orthodontist appointment I stopped in sunny Orewa beach for a quick walk. Couldn't resist - stunning scenery!

Indian Spice Lounge Takeaways in Wellsford

There's a new kid in town - The Spice Lounge Indian food takeaways in Wellsford. Every time I walk past I can smell the most tantalizing smells - I've heard good reports about this place too!

The cause of noisy dissension in Wellsford!

These road/pavement works have been the cause of much noise & rumbling outside work this week. Not sure what they're doing but the vibrations have been shaking the building and drowning out the nice noises inside our office such as the music teacher's lessons in the next room. Hopefully they will be finished nice and quick.

New glasses for a great girl!

My daughter has been suffering from headaches for a while now so we made her appointment at the optometrists in Auckland a couple of weeks ago. After a comprehensive test and photographs being taken of the inside of her eyeballs we found out that she does indeed need glasses. It turns out that she has her father's eyes, one of which is lazy and probably is why she has been squinting. We picked up the new glasses yesterday and managed to get a great deal- two pairs for one so here's hoping she doesn't have anymore headaches.

Orange reflections from the hills of Tawharanui

I can't resist sharing this shot I captured last year while walking around Campbell's Beach in the Tawharanui area. This was taken in the late afternoon/early evening just when the sun was starting to set over the hills and reflecting over the sand when the tide was out.

The beauty of Sandspit, north of Auckland

Yesterday I managed a quick visit to the lovely Sandspit which is about 10 mins drive out of Warkworth, north of Auckland. It's so quiet & peaceful here, not many houses around the area but there is a yacht club and a wharf where the boat leaves for Kawau island.

This image of boats moored in the estuary just gives it more of a perfect holiday destination especially on this sunny, warm winter's day.

Great food, great coffee - Ginger Cafe, Warkworth

This morning was one of those lazy Saturdays where I enjoyed time with a good friend.  They make great coffees with a real oomph to them and lovely food.

It's the Ginger Cafe in Warkworth, north of Auckland. Despite it being a busy little eatery all the waiting staff are friendly and happy to help. This is definitely one of my favourite places!

Stormy colours of Wellsford

This is what a stormy winter's afternoon looks like through the windows of the kitchen at work. Very orange skies tinged with gray & black. If only I'd been at home hibernating - then it would've been perfect!