The Traveling Kiwi

… it’s been wet wet wet with more wet wet wet so when my ex neighbour suggested Napier for a few days how could I resist. It’s almost tropical there and only 4 hours drive away.

The plan was to hit a few winery’s but… we wandered the antique shops, met up with some of her family and decided we wanted an early night. Love Napier, the Art Deco buildings and the lovely old villas. We had an old house turned into an Airbnb up on Bluff Hill. Except for a few terrifying moments trying to park on the side of a very narrow, very steep road and the owners extremely individual taste in large taxidermy tarantulas (they were covered with a tea towel for the duration) it was a lovely relaxing place.

Next day same plan, hit a couple of winery’s … but we went to Birdwood Sculpture park and sweet shop, a Figgery (ok we did go to the figgery just so we could say “ I got me to a Figgery” but the fig chutney was worth the stop) and explored Havelock North, got a pedicure and … another early night. So a great girls getaway for a couple of tired old birds.

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… in fact the more I procrastinate the surer I am. I keep meaning to post.. but I don’t have any nice photos… I am too tired… not sure what to post about. I could blame my Chronic Fatigue as it wipes out days at a time, but it’s really more because I want to post photos that I think are ok. My camera is on its way to Sony US under warranty as it has never been able to take a clear photo and who knows when it will be back, so I only have my iPhone.

So ‘deep breathe’ I went for a walk. I look out over a park called the Tree Trust. A visionary gentleman planted out these parklands with groves of trees and funded it by having people buy a tree that could be used as a memorial for those who have passed. It was so popular it has expanded to acres of land but you can no longer buy trees. The council uses sheep to keep the grass down and it is one of the nicest places to walk in Rotorua, of course in lockdown there are no cars driving through but lots of people.… and sheep.

With spring just starting the daffodil as are out and the very early blossom, but the show stoppers are the magnificent magnolia’s in three different groves and three different colours.

The dark burgundy, soft pink and white. Huge almost plastic feeling blossoms stand out against the bare trees, almost as if they are floating in space.

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Open day Sunday for the locals to visit. Whakarewarewa village is the oldest continually inhabited Maori village in New Zealand occupied since 1350’s. Interesting walks around and behind the village and then a guided tour through the village itself. Only 44 people still live here but the wider family groups come for the steam cooking in the hot pools and the thermal baths.

Crisp sunny day, chilly but clear and the geysers were active. Fun day out after weeks of rain and then today we are back to fog and freezing temperatures.

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Autumn colour, winter weather and spring growth all in the same place at the same time. I just had to capture it.

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After days of wet wet weather and dull grey days a foggy trip to Hamilton suddenly briefly, brightened up and the ginkgo just glowed. So bright and unexpected and bought a huge smile. however a few minutes later I was regretting not bringing an umbrella, the skies opened and a drowned rat ran for the car that somehow managed to be miles and miles away.

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The days are getting shorter, it’s only 4.44pm as I take this photo of Mt Ngongotaha and it’s much crisper out. The last of the maples and the last of the sun spill a golden glow over everything. It’s nice to be wrapped up warm watching the day disappear and the twinkling lights start to appear.

There is one apple left on the tree, and I have been leaving it there hoping to entice a Tui to come. So far just some refugee Aussie rosellas but they are noisy and colourful so I will let them have the apple if they can figure out how to get into it. The poor vege garden is a whole other story. I have a huge crop of chickweed and fennel with a wee bit of spinach and somewhere under all that mass there are some spring onions but they may be lost to the weed tsunami. My excuse is that it’s raining most days or cold, or windy, but my reluctance to tackle it is creating a monster job. Sigh…. I guess if it doesn’t rain in the next couple of days I will dive in…… maybe…… oh the forecast is for rain tomorrow…. well I will think about it again when it’s fine.

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Been anxious watching the wild weather hit Canterbury and hoping all my friends and family are safe and warm. I haven’t seen a red warning before and I hope it’s the last rather than the beginning of global warning weather events.

Very pretty red sky here tonight after a cool wet misty morning. Feeling very lucky to be looking out at the weather not wading through it.

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Just when it’s feeling like autumn has slipped into winter we have a day where the frost melts and the sun shines and you can almost believe spring is not far away.

Then the incredible blood moon, running outside every few minutes to try and badly take a photo with my phone and scamper back in to thaw out. What a spectacular event and the stars…….so many and so bright, I think I am going to have to learn time lapse photography now. I saw the solar eclipse in the US but I think I liked this moon much better. Once every 40 years, not sure how I missed the last one but now I will be all set for the next one 😎Earlier in the evening it was so big and bright, even with the clouds as I left Kinloch it seemed to follow me all the way back to Rotorua.

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Days are getting shorter and it’s cooling off, so early morning sunrise is finally at a respectable hour to enjoy. The thermal steam steals across the lake like smoke on the water and the black and orange glow rapidly changes to soft pinks and blues. It’s a time, still sleepy and wrapped up warm, that brings memories of past sunrises, remembering seeing in them hope and love, new beginnings and dreams of what could have been.

Now it’s a new day and just in this moment it’s possible to believe that it won’t be more of the same, that maybe it’s possible, it could be… the start of something more. So long as there are mornings there will always be dreams of possibilities.

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It’s when you suddenly get a whack on the head to remind you that life is precious and just a moment away from being gone. It’s been an emotional week with a friend passing away from injuries in an accident, and you try and justify it by saying well he had a long life and would not have wanted to linger, but he also was working full time and didn’t even get a chance to slow down. Then Stu went in for full on heart surgery, the wait was hard with someone in the ward going to the bathroom and not making it. Then another close friend I have known over 45 years in for cancer surgery with the chance of permanently losing mobility. .. and finally one of the most wonderful, full of life, charismatic leaders I have ever known has just days to live and still not even 50. I just keep wishing it was different, that there was a way to make it ok, but it’s not! It’s hell, for the families and for friends who love them. Watching the rain and storm come in, reflecting my mood and state of mind, then like a ray of sunshine piercing the clouds a new life begins. Somehow a new life starting helps me to see the cycle and not just focus on the end. Children give me a whole new perspective and make everything feel possible again. I love babies, they are just amazing bundles of possibilities and smiles and what life is all about.

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