photographing New Zealand: January 2017

1/30/17

roadside scenery

I love living in a country where dirt roads are a normal part of the scenery.

This guy got out of the pasture (we assume, since he was laying down with the steers on the

other side of the fence), so Hubby opened the gate and we shooed him back in.

If he didn't belong there, then I guess the farmers will be surprised!

These are some shots out the car window. Taranaki stays green all year, unlike the rest of the country that turns brown in the summer

I posted about Tunnel Beach a while back but didn't tell you anything about it. The 80-meter (about 260 feet) tunnel was dug to allow stock access to the beach for shipping.

It was hand-dug through sandstone by John Scott, Charles Christofferson and Albert Perrett, working for the Public Works Department, with picks and shovels. It was made big enough for 'the largest horned beast' and tall enough to accommodate a tall horseman. It was finished in 1911.

This is a dug-out passage, part of the road to the Tunnel Beach.

Saturday Snapshot

Friday Photo Friends

1/29/17

St Andrew's Union Church

This is a photo of St Andrew's Union Church in Featherston.

And this is the church hall next door.

InSPIREd Sunday

1/28/17

trees

When we are out and about, I seem to be drawn to the trees. Pine trees are everywhere (some native, some not) because they grow super fast in New Zealand. I like the lines of trees and the lone trees that stick out along the way . They are the survivors. The lessons on never giving up.

Outdoor Wednesday

Seasons

1/25/17

Wednesday around the World

I see lots of signs made of corrugated iron around Taranaki. These cows on a

dairy farm driveway are the cutest I've seen in a while :)

What does your world look like? Link up a post below and show the world

what yours looks like. Then go on an arm-chair tour visiting others!

1/24/17

stormy water

Open Slather

Seasons - LNR

Life through the Lens

1/23/17

Tunnel Beach

We started out for Three Sisters to see how the earthquake had changed the coastline. Even though we arrived at low tide, the wild wind blew water back up the river bed so hard that access was cut off completely.

While we were driving to Waikawau Beach--aka,Tunnel Beach, as plan B, it was quite bizarre to see sea foam being blown over the road in places you can't even see the ocean from the road!

As I stood watching the waves, the wind would blow tiny, little

tornadoes in the black sand. They only lasted a second or two but the

dark spot below is one I tried to capture.

It's so amazing to see greenery growing out of the cliff.

This pohutukawa was growing near the entrance/exit to the beach.

Scenic Weekends

Seasons

Nature Notes

1/19/17

favorite blooms

Many of the seeds that I have planted in the last few months have disappointed me and I have a garden full of markers where they should have bloomed. :( But, I have hopes that they will bloom next year and, until then, I am enjoying the blooms that I have.

This is a phacelia.

I like the little blue forget-me-not among the gazenias.

I wish these glads would grow facing the same way!

We had cows in the paddocks surrounding the house, too, and they kept a wary eye on me as I took photos of the the flowers and them.

Pictorial Tuesday

Nature Thursday - DND

Floral Friday Photos

1/18/17

Wednesday Around the World and a giggle

This sign hands on a fence in Hawera on a busy road.

This post is also linked to: Good Fences around the World

Every week you can link up your blog to show us what's happening

in your world. Just click the blue 'add your link' button below.

1/16/17

Swallows on the line

There is an exasperating wire that runs across the front ~~yard~~ garden and ruins a lot of sky photos from the windows. The good think about it is that many different birds find it a good place to take a rest. Swallows sometimes line the whole wire but they are always orderly and well-spaced