Time for some winter beach therapy...

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 :-)

Chateau Tongariro...with a snow cat

I love this location and for years I have wanted to visit it, the last time we were in this area was over 10 years ago but I never got a chance to stop until now.  Chateau Tongariro is in the heart of the National Park, was originally built in the 1920s and is still in use today. On the day we were there someone had thoughtfully made what we thought looked like a snow cat out the front, our attempt was some sort of small trans-gender snow person.

Linking up with Our World Tuesday :-)

Mount Tongariro - shooting off steam

Mount Tongariro - when we visited past it last weekend it was shooting off steam from the mountain.

This area is NZ's oldest national park and is considered extremely important in Maori culture. There are many walks and treks but you have to be pretty experienced to attempt these, quite a few people have to be rescued because they are ill prepared for the temperatures and the terrain. Not only that but it also offers hunting of red deer and mountain biking.

A truly special place :-)

Te Puna Quarry Native Bush and Walks

A while back I visited the Te Puna Quarry Park and not only did I get up close with some wonderful pieces of nature but I also spent some time alone walking along one of the native walks enjoying the quiet, the peacefulness and the native New Zealand scenery.

One of the tracks takes about 45 minutes to exlore but the one I took was only about 20 mins long, still it was a great way to spend my time in the late Autumn/early winter atmosphere.

I would love to hear what walks you have been on :-)

Good winter's morning Mangawhai!

My weekend was full of visiting with my 3 teenagers and family members up in Mangawhai Heads, my home town. While my daughter and I were driving to the local shops I deviated down to the boat ramp and snapped this photo of the sun rising over the sand dunes at the estuary. Today I'm heading home back to Tauranga.

Hope your weekend has been good too :-)