3/31/14

origanum rotundifolium

This is one of my all-time favorite flowers. I bought the tiny plant because it was in the dry-tolerance section of the plant store and it bloomed into this incredible and complicated looking flower. One day I hope  to have a huge hanging basket full!




3/26/14

unknown beauties

I have absolutely no clue what these pretty blossoms are called but I took all the photos at Hollard Gardens and  I do think they are gorgeous!







3/24/14

artwork in the sky

I'm not sure if I'm in the majority or minority when it comes to being in awe of the clouds on a bright, clear day, but I find clouds wonderfully artistic. Judge for yourself.


3/22/14

weta

If you've seen any of the Hobbit movies, you might have noticed that the special effects were courtesy of a company called Weta Workshop. Here's their webisite link. 

And this little guy below is where they got the name. This is a tree weta (I think) that found its way onto our back porch. Hubby scooped him up for some photos before releasing him. 

He's not real pretty and, although he's far from tiny,  he's not the largest sort that is found here in New Zealand. If you are interested in more info about them, click here.

weta


3/19/14

sugarloaf islands at back beach


These islands surround an extince volcano. They got their name from the bird guano that made the islands look like the sugar drops Captain Cook put in his tea. Click here for more info on the islands.


back-beach-low-tide



3/18/14

hydrangea remains

Even though the color of this blossom is gone, it still imparts beauty to the world.
brown-veins-flower




3/16/14

double rainbow

This is one of the treats brought by the remains of cyclone Lusi today.  You can click here for more rainbows on my other blog.


3/12/14

pastel sky



quirky business

I'm pretty sure you won't see something like this in the city!

roadside-coffin-business

coffins-price-tag

I never thought much about coffins, but this builder who is on welfare the dole is ambitious enough to try to start a business. Strange but admirable. I'm not sure this would be allowed in the States--too many regulations.




3/8/14

patea, nz

Once the Patea Freezing Co-Op was South Taranaki's primary employer. It closed in 1982. In the 1920's, Patea was the largest cheese exporting port in the world. The Grader Cool Store received cheese for grading from all over South Taranaki and as far south as Oroua Downs near Himatangi. After grading it was loaded into coastal ships at the grader wharf for transport to Wellington where it was transhipped into overseas ships for export. The port closed in July 1959. (WikipediaClick here for more history of this port town.



This wall has faint remains of rail tracks used to load boats.

3/3/14

rocky coast


I think this part of the coast is fascinating with its lava flow lines and rocks. On the other side of the sea wall (photo below) is a great sandy beach.



3/2/14

gulls and low tide

New Plymouth has a great walkway/bike trail along the seaside. The 11km walk covers a lot of wonderful scenery that we take a little at a time. On Sunday, we walked along a part that we hadn't been before and I got some really great low-tide shots.



This was the original swimming pool for the city.



3/1/14

jasmine

Hubby bought two jasmine plants for me not long after I got here. They have moved with us and hung in there pretty well but I think they finally found a place they really like. 
 I finally found the right amount of light and shade for them and they have bloomed so well this summer! They smell great, too!

*edit* For those who asked, the 'right amount' of light is just a few hours of morning sun and complete shade the rest of the day!





gulls in a row


driftwood kiwi in National Park

National Park is a town, not a park. It was a park but became a town.

driftwood-kiwi