OUR SWAN SONG

Our time is running so short, and we're thinking how much we have loved being in this beautiful country! Our replacements are on their way, and we will be very busy training them our last week. So on our last free Saturday, we had to fit in as much as we could. We were up before daylight, and went down to a beach to watch the sunrise. It was still dark when we got there, so we found a bench to sit on, and watched as the sky began to lighten behind our favorite island, just a few miles out in the gulf.



We've found from many mornings of sky-watching, that it's the clouds that make a sunrise particularly beautiful. As it began to get light, clouds formed on the horizon and then the sun coming up lit them on fire!

The sun was definitely a ball of fire as it rose up over the island and reflected on the water. Beautiful morning!

About the moment the sun popped up, the beach was full of early morning walkers and runners. We had gotten a bit cold, sitting on the damp bench in the chilly pre-dawn, so we decided to leave the beach to the others and go to Takapuna, the little downtown near the office where we work. As the morning wore on, it became a bright, warm, beautiful New Zealand day, as you can see by the pretty blue skies below.

This is such a cute little downtown. Trees planted along the narrow brick streets, pretty lampposts, and a very vibrant downtown. Even in the early hours, the sidewalks were filled with shoppers and people eating outside at the little cafes.

Just a block behind the shops is Takapuna Beach, a very popular and well-known beach. It's about a mile of wide beach and beautiful scenery. Big, beautiful pohutakawa trees and grass line the beach (these are the trees that get red flowers in the summer; hence their designation as the New Zealand Christmas tree - yes, Christmas is in the summer here!) Already this beach was filling with people as well, as it was proving to be an excellent day to enjoy the beach and sparkling water beyond.

We had packed a picnic lunch and now headed to what is probably our most favorite location in Auckland, Cornwell Park. It's the largest area of parkland in Auckland City. It's wide open spaces in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city make it a favorite of everyone. If you want to ramble through wide green spaces, meadows and pastures, and enormous old trees, this is the place.

The entry to the park is an indicator of what you will find within. Formal tree plantings in the 1870s along the "carriageway" are a wonderful welcome to the park. Like these distinctive entry walls, mossy old stone walls and walkways exist throughout the park. The park is renowned for its landscape design and wide variety of mature trees. It is centred on Auckland's most noted volcanic cone, One Tree Hill. During WWII parts of the park were planted in potatoes as part of the war effort to boost food production. The park became a center of military activity, starting with the Home Guard and later as a a New Zealand army unit headquarters. U.S forces constructed the US Army 39th General Hospital within the park. This dealt with casualties from the Pacific campaign. The hospital huts covered some 75 acres and were linked by long enclosed corridors. The park was closed to the public during the period of most intense military use. There is no indication today of anything but peace and tranquility in this beautiful place. In 1975 the buildings were finally removed and the land reverted to pastoral use. Below is what you will see when you visit the park now.

With the park, this may be my most favorite place. Serene, peaceful, beautiful!

Cattle and sheep grazing on the slopes of One Tree Hill. Park visitors can climb the hill among the animals. Many of the parks in New Zealand are also working farms, and people and animals seem to get along just fine.

This is one of the prize specimens of the park, a 90-year old Algerian Oak tree. I'm in the picture to give you an idea of the size and spread of this beautiful tree.

Shady groves of California redwoods, eucaliptus, and other trees abound throughout the park.

We found a huge London Plane tree with leaves beginning to turn fall colors, and couldn't resist lying in the grass and leaves and looking up at the sun through the canopy while we ate our picnic lunch. A warm, sunny, clear, absolutely beautiful day!

This was a beautiful view overlooking the city and another volcanic hill in the distance.

Stone walls like this abound in the park, and, for that matter, all over Auckland. Good vantage point to look at the city below.

It doesn't get any better than this! What a wonderful variety we saw and experienced as we bid our farewell to beautiful New Zealand on this perfect autumn day. How blessed we are to have been able to live in New Zealand!

Where The Seas Meet

During our Easter weekend, we headed to the furthest north point of New Zealand. A lonely part of the island with few inhabitants and fewer amenities – just try finding petrol after 5:00 p.m. on a Saturday evening, or a place to sleep within 300 km.


Before going too far, we stopped at a small little hamlet that had its own narrow-gage railroad. We didn’t try the train, but we did try out their “fish and chips.”

We also checked out some of the local crafts, as in this case a Maori long boat. This one is the real thing; it’s not just for show.

Our last blog had some video clips of our Bay of Islands cruise. This is the boat we went on. I spent most of my time up in the hull.

We left fairly early in the morning when the sun was still low in the sky.

I included a video clip of us approaching the Hole in the Rock. We were hoping to go through it, until we got closer. Then no one argued the point.

We had the opportunity to hike up to the top of one of the small islands. This is one of the views we got.

Mom found a small piece of wood from this tree (where we were at the top of the island). She wanted to document where her souvenir came from.

Then we took off for the Far North Country. This is a picture of the Pacific Ocean. My back is facing the Tasman Sea.


Turning around and we got this picture of the Tasman. (What happened to the blue water?)


There’s a cute light house at the point where the two seas meet.


The lighthouse is functional, but it is no longer manned; it is powered by solar energy.

We enjoyed the directional signs. Los Angeles was just 10,479 km north. Comforting thought.


If you look close, you can see the wave action colliding from two directions. The seas were rough and the undercurrents deadly, but what a beautiful beach!

We had a great trip, but don’t think will do it again.

Vacation is over, now we need to go back to work!

THE FAR NORTH

We had a 4-day weekend at Easter and decided to use some of that time to see parts of the Far North Island that we've missed previously.
One of our first stops was in Paihai at the Bay of Islands. We took a scenic cruise out into the Bay. With over a hundred and forty islands to break the wave action, the seas were pretty placid.


One the "guarantees" of the cruise was the sighting of playful dolphins. There are over 500 that call the Bay of Islands home.


Another "destination" of our cruise was the "famous" Hole in the Rock. The open seas were too active to allow us to zip through the hole in our boat -- as some vacationers get to experience. But we were glad our skipper wasn't anxious to be the subject of the 6 o'clock news.


The seas weren't really rough in terms of what they could have been, but our quick return trip to Paihai was fun at about 35 knots.

Goat Island

The island you see out off the coast in this view is called Goat Island. Actually, in by-gone days there were many islands that were labeled as “goat islands.” These were small islands that sailors populated with goats so they could have fresh meat available on future voyages. This was one of those islands.


We were there on a beautiful day. It was a bit breezy and a bit cool, but just enough to make it enjoyable.

The sand at Goat Island is different than much of the beaches we’ve been to. It was very coarse and pebbly. The uneven sizes of the granules make the sand impossible to pack, and so it remains very soft even when wet.

The source of the rocks and pebbles are the layers of sedimentary rocks that make up the area. They appear to be very hard, but the constant wave action has worn them away into rounded tuffs.

We took a cruise around the island in a glass bottom boat. It was really enjoyable and we had a lot of under-sea life pointed out to us. We were there at low tide, so I’m not certain what we would have seen differently at another time. But the water was crystal clean and 8 – 10 feet of water sometimes looked like only a few inches.

The back side of Goat Island is a honey-comb of caves and channels. They were intriguing to see and fun to imagine the experiences of the first-time explorers.

Following our boat ride and a picnic lunch (shared with the seagulls), Diane and I hiked to the top of a nearby hill where we were treated with a nice overview of the entire area.

We’ve been here all this time and I don’t think we have mentioned the pampas grass. During our wanderings we came across many acres of wild pampas grasses, a common feature of New Zealand landscapes. But more interesting were the unique colors. Lime greens, lemon yellows, browns, lavenders and white; we’ve really grown to love them all.

AN EVENING AT PIHA

After working a half day on Saturday, Diane and I decided to drive over to the West Coast to a remote beach called Piha. It is a black sand beach with several large rock features.


Being on the Tasman Sea, the water always presents a pretty picture.


One of the rock features was this large solid rock island with a hole in the middle that let the sea come through the back side with each crashing wave.


We went late in the day on purpose, as we were hoping to see a colorful sunset over the Western sea. Here Diane is walking along another rock feature, trying to avoid the water from a clear water stream that runs into the gulf at this point.


When wet, the black sands create a wonderful mirror that reflects almost near perfect, even with the Tasman pounding on the shores.


We climbed to the top of the hill on the far left. From which we saw many scenic views and fascinating wave actions. But at the water level the black sand performed its picturesque magic again.


Speaking of “Black Sand Magic” this is one of my favorites. Notice the surfer at the middle left.


From the top of one of the rock formations, I took this picture of Diane walking on the beach below. I zoomed up as much as our camera would go. Doesn't she look pretty!


When I got down to where Diane was, I noticed this unique pattern in the sand. There were almost no shells on this beach, but this one came in handy to help illustrate the contrast in color. The "elephant skin" texture is highlighted by the lowering sun, casting a long shadow from the single shell.


Continuing my intrigue with the sand patterns, not too far from the last picture, I took this one of the dry dunes just above the wet beach. Notice how the shadows look almost blue against the sun light on the black sand.


Still focusing on the varied features of the beach sand, I couldn’t let this shot pass. With the sun low in the sky, it cast bright highlights on the raised sand patterns.


By raising my camera just a little and changing the angle, you can still see the modeled sand in the foreground, but it is no longer the object of interest. What a beautiful silhouette against the setting sun.


As the sun continued to set, we didn’t have to wait too long before the late evening sky turn brilliant just as the sun began to disappear.


Now this is what we came to see! We only got a few short minutes to enjoy this light show, but it was worth it.


But, now that I think about it… the whole day was a show of light.


How I love what our Creator does for us – the earth with all its varieties.

How I love to serve Him! The joy we receive fills our souls.