TRAVEL WORDS

New Zealand Wrap-up #1

A new week, a new country and a totally new destination for me. For 10 days I will be in the ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’, and several smaller rounder ones. Staying near my son’s partner’s parents in the Waikato home to some of New Zealand’s most stunning landscapes. I may get to explore a little further, but I’m actually quite content to soak in the views from where we are staying and chill out with my new grandson.

Home Sweet Home

We are staying high above Ngarunui (Ocean) Beach. Located 5km west of town this wide expanse of black sand beach lends itself to lazy beach walks and picnics in the sand. It’s also a popular spot for surfing, bodyboarding and swimming.

Aqua

What transfixes me the most is the colour of the water – a cloudy, milky turquoise, possibly because of the black sand, which is the finest powder sand I have come across and glitters in the sun.

Surfing

Raglan is a small surfer town on the coast and boasts the world-famous surf break Manu Bay. The long, peeling left-hand break, said to offer one of the longest rides in the world, featured in the 1966 surfing film Endless Summer. Situated on the West Coast of New Zealand’s North Island, just a 45-minute drive west of Hamilton or a two-hour drive south of Auckland, Raglan offers stunning scenery, beautiful beaches, inspiring arts or simply a good old cup of coffee.

Surf Shop

Typical weatherboard house

Te Kopua Beach

Raglan Roast Coffee

Shops

Aqua Water in the Harbour

Golden

You may have eaten Kiwi fruit, but these are golden kiwi fruit and taste SO much better. Sweeter and without that odd chemical reaction that I and many others have when eating the green fruit. I am becoming addicted!

Christmas Trees

The pohutukawa tree (Metrosideros excelsa) with its crimson flower has become an established part of the New Zealand Christmas tradition. This iconic Kiwi Christmas tree, which often features on greeting cards and in poems and songs, has become an important symbol for New Zealanders at home and abroad. It is just about to flower so I hope to capture some good shots of trees in full bloom before I leave.

Happy Days…!

Home and Away

Palm Beach is the northernmost beach suburb of Sydney. A mere 2 hour bus ride from the CBD brings you to the location of the Aussie soap opera “Home and Away” known as Summer Bay.

I first came here 16 years ago, pretty much to the day, with my daughter and her partner when we visited Sydney for the first time in order to attend the christening of my first grandchild. It is a breathtaking location.

On my first visit we took the trail up to Barrenjoey lighthouse which was quite a clamber up the cliff. This time I looked for the road – then very rough and bumpy – now resurfaced.

Cockatoo

Before I headed up to the lighthouse I treated myself to lunch at the Boathouse, a restaurant on the edge of Barrenjoey beach on the Pittwater.

The food is expensive and not all that great, but the glass of Sauvignon Blanc and the view more than made up for that and I was celebrating my daughter’s birthday, even though, disappointingly, she wasn’t with me this time.

Walking along the shoreline was like walking in bath water, it was so warm, in contrast to the windier surf of the Pacific Ocean.

The road wound its way up the rocky outcrop to Barrenjoey lighthouse, with the views I was looking for. Unfortunately the lighthouse is under renovation so I was unable to go inside, but I felt a sense of achievement having got to the top once again!

The boathouse from Barrenjoey lighthouse

The views from the top are well worth the effort it takes to climb up there, even in extreme heat.

and on the way back to the bus stop I was incredibly lucky to see a kookaburra sitting on a pole posing for photographs.

If you enjoy a walk, short or long, then you may enjoy visiting Jo’s Monday Walk where you are in for a treat.

PhotoGRAPHy 101: Week 4

Treasure

The Botanic Gardens in Sydney are lovely with lots of native flora – but these delightful Gazanias are from Southern Africa. They are also known as the Treasure flower so I figured they were appropriate for the challenge.

Glass

This week I have had a delightful trip south to meet up with Meg from the blogosphere who very kindly took me all around the Eurobodalla region. This interesting mirror was in a perfectly preserved heritage village called Tilba in the south of New South Wales.

EDGE

Interesting edges in this art installation at the National Gallery in Canberra. The installation is called “Skyspace” and is by American artist James Turrell.

Double

Two Wallabies at Potato Point, south NSW. I would have liked to have got one with a baby in its pouch, but sadly not.

Triumph

My triumph was actually making it to Potato Point this week to meet up with a fellow blogger who I became friends with over the year. A walk on the beach revealed these beautiful shells.

Finished up in Canberra where my eldest Granddaughter lives and it has been wonderful to spend time with her (and her boyfriend). Lovely to see her in her own environment.

It has been an exciting week and so lovely to be shown places that I don’t know about by a botanical expert and a friend. Once virtual now for real. Thanks Meg for a great week and for putting up with me 🙂

Travel Theme: Colour

There are some wonderful colourful birds in Australia. Here are a few taken at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney last week.

A beautiful Forest Kingfisher flashed by. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Such a gorgeous colour!

Crimson Rosella

Rainbow Lorikeet

and finally another picture of the cheeky female Electus Parrot (apparently the males are green).

Now hopefully that’s brightened up your day 🙂

Dee Why Lagoon

Today (Friday 21 November) was forecast to be one of the hottest November days in Sydney. 40 degrees centigrade. Fortunately it didn’t peak that high, but at 10 am it was 38 degrees and warm enough. By 3 pm I was fed-up of being indoors so set out for the beach at Dee Why, a mere 5 minute walk away. I took a book and headed for shade near the sea swimming pool at the south end of the beach. After an hour, I decided that it was cool enough in the breeze to head off for a walk along the beach. Walking on the sand is very good for rough heels. 🙂

I kept to the edge of the surf as I headed towards the metal pole featured in my previous post, stopping occasionally to see if I could spot a surfer. At the post I headed up into the sand dunes which were apparently once 20 metres high, and found a trail that led to the lagoon, once home to black swans, but sadly no more. Within moments the roar of the ocean was left behind and only birdsong could be heard in the stillness surrounding the lagoon.

A trail leads around the lagoon to Long Reef Beach where a couple of weeks ago I watched school-kids learn to paddle surf. When the sea is cut off from the lagoon, as today, you can walk over to a boardwalk and up the Dee Why headland for 360 degree views. I opted to give this a miss and made my way back to the edge of the surf to walk back along Dee Why beach back to the Strand, letting the sea breeze caress my skin.

It did occur to me to put my sandals back on and also keep an eye out for snakes. I have no idea if there are any around here, but since Australia has the most poisonous snakes in the world it makes sense to be careful.

I’m still amazed to see so many Aussies lying out in the sun without shade. Hardly anyone wears a hat, even children! I feel like a right tourist in mine!

‘Slip, Slop, Slap! It sounds like a breeze when you say it like that Slip, Slop, Slap! In the sun we always say ‘Slip, Slop, Slap!’

Slip, Slop, Slap! Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat Slip, Slop, Slap! You can stop skin cancer – say: ‘Slip, Slop, Slap!’

What happened?

Has the ozone hole healed up?

It certainly doesn’t feel like it.

Perhaps they need to reinstate this advert!