Northland- east coast

I spent a lot more time on the eastern side of Northland- but am running out of time for blogging with a return to work looming- so you might just get a few highlights!

First up is the amazing bridge at Taipa. I parked and walked back to look at it properly and was so glad I did. On one 'prow' is a shag and on the other is a whale diving. There was a plaque dedicated to Sire Heke-nuku-mai-nga-iwi Puhipi, who was a master waka builder and celestial navigator, and who had been involved with the building of many bridges in Northland.

I stopped at several beautiful bays on the way south- then stopped for longer at Kerikeri, where I was a teacher many years back in just my second year of teaching. There have been many changes since then. It was nice to enjoy some rare sunshine this day!

 There used to be a bridge here but there was some serious flooding, and now there is a majorly changed route.

 The Stone House stands here still. You could enter now as it is a shop- when I was living in the area it was closed all the time.

 I was disappointed to find I couldn't enter Kemp House though. I bought a Heritage NZ membership this year, but so far have only managed to use it once in Russell- many places are either closed or only open on Sundays.

 St James church in Kerikeri.

 There was lots to see wandering in Russell. I did a guided tour of Pompallier House that was incredibly informative about how the Catholic missionary station printed material in Maori. I also noticed some prominent graves in the Russell cemetery.

 There was more light shed on this one to a Ngapuhi chief when I visited Ruapekapeka Pa a few days later. He was fighting with the British against other members of Ngapuhi in the last of the northern wars.

 There was a lot to take in at Waitangi. There is a new museum to members of the Maori Battalion. I found it extremely moving, and actually left in tears. One day I hope to go back and view it more.

The government is clearly making good on its promises that we should all be able to learn more about the New Zealand Wars. The Ruapekapeka Pa site has had a lot of work done with infrastructure near it like paths and parking. Again it was a very moving, and somewhat sombre, place to visit.

Last photo in this blog post is of Whangarei Falls. Great track to walk around to see it from various angles and heights.

Storms were promising as I drove south finally to spend some time with my niece. One day I will return when it is all perhaps slightly warmer and drier!
This blog post is really just skimming the surface, but work is calling!

Northland - west coast

From Coromandel, I drove right through Auckland as far as Dargaville to begin my west coast exploration of Northland. I made a brief stop at Matakohe en route, where there is a beautiful kauri museum I have seen previously. The cemetery next to the church was interesting: I guess I was expecting to see a lot of Dalmatian names, but instead I saw lots of Smith family headstones!

I stayed the night in a simple but comfortable motel that took me back to the 70s in many ways- and the owner was a very personable man, who had got up very early one morning in Kaitaia to reach Cape Reinga before sunrise. The motel wasn't far from the large river which runs through the town.

Next morning as I drove north, the rainfall of previous days was obvious in paddocks. Hard to believe that Northland/Auckland was in serious drought before my arrival!

My next stop was at the Kai Iwi freshwater dune lakes. I had learned about dune lakes as part of my NZ Flora course where we looked at the plants colonising the dunes along the Himatangi coast, but I was very surprised by the size of these ones.

I had seen Tane Mahuta before, but of course had to stop off to see this grand kauri tree again. There were some other kauri walks in the vicinity, but only one of the three was open, and it was 50mins return. I just didn't feel like risking the rain again, sook that I am, and didn't walk it. 

It wasn't long before I reached the twin Hokianga towns of Omapere and Opononi. The beautiful view when I first saw Hokianga Harbour took my breath away again.

I had lunch here but decided to move on almost to my own bemusement. I had previously passed through here midsummer when it was too busy to even think of trying to park and stop for a while- but somehow it all felt too "Auckland" for me today.
So it was on to Rawene, where a winter timetable for the ferry sailing meant I had just missed one, and had to wait nearly an hour for the next one. (My punishment for skipping a night in Opononi I guess!)

It was already getting dark when I arrived in Kaitaia, and I had no idea where I would stay. Fortunately I saw a motel vacancy sign, a petrol station and a sign pointing north for Cape Reinga all within 50 metres or so- so I found a place to hunker down for the night.

Took a walk downtown

This morning I took a walk downtown in the sunshine.


There's an attractive café on the corner of Broadway, and the tables are usually occupied. But I was walking quite early, when the tables looked very cheerful with just the morning sunshine for company.

The Broadtop shopping centre used to be full of quite 'mainstream' shops, but now has more secondhand and alternative type shops. I quite like the suburban, laid-back vibe.

 The light was at 'different' angles at this hour, and I liked the way it caught the lines at the entrance to St Pat's.

Finally I reached the Square, and there were tables and chairs galore for me to choose from: I should have taken a picnic brunch...

358: Christmas Eve

 

Waiting for the arrival of the Christ Child at Midnight Mass

St Pat's, Palmerston North

284: afternoon tree shadows

Afternoon tree shadows fall on the side of St Peter's Church, Terrace End.

283: stained glass detail

Detail in a stained glass window of the Annunciation
made by the South Island stained glass expert, Graham Stewart
in St Pat's -Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Palmerston North

278: St Peter's Spring

Just over two weeks ago I posted a photo of St Peter's Church and how the springtime has advanced already. The smaller tree was still bare of leaves, and the larger one only had a thin flush of light green. The season moves on towards summer...

210: winter church

Doing the 365 project this year has made me 'look' at all kinds of things more closely. I have come to notice how the intensity, colour and angle of light changes on some of the buildings around town. The late afternoon 'colour' of the light on this local church has changed markedly since summer, and I seem to remember that fewer 'faces' of the building saw the summer sun. But I will have to keep watching when summer comes around again to see if I am right...

Broadway Churches

When I walk to/from town I pass several churches en route down Broadway.

Here are a few views of the beautiful Catholic cathedral.

 You could spend many hours taking various angles of this church ;-)

 Here it is reflected in the windows of the new bank building next door.

This cross is on the wall of a Congregational church, attended mainly by Pacific Islanders as far as I can tell. The building is easy to walk by on a dull day, but the brick takes on lovely warm hue in the sunshine.

This is the Methodist church on Broadway: I love it when the red/orange bricks stand out against a blue sky.

And lastly, St Peter's Anglican Church, at the top end of the Broadway. It was getting late in the late autumn afternoon when I took this shot. The walls have quite a different look in the harsher light of summertime.

140: Shadow Tree

I loved the intensity of this tree shadow in the late afternoon light, cast against the Methodist Church in Broadway in Palmy. Another blue sky day- but this tree is looking very wintry already.

111: city layers

I was in the Square today and took a few shots from around this position. I guess what struck me the most was the 'layers' here- natural and human-made -right back to the glimpse of the ranges in the background. And overarching it all was a sky with clouds that perhaps herald a change in weather for Easter.

74: Cathedral

Christchurch Cathedral being drawn by Russell St School children

All across New Zealand, in communities small and large,

people have been raising funds to help the people of Christchurch

who suffered such devastation in the recent earthquake. 

Today I popped into Russell St School

where they have been having 7 Days of fundraising for Christchurch. 

The children were very busy drawing a large chalk version of the Cathedral on the courts,

and there was a lovely atmosphere of collaborative purpose amongst them.

Our hearts also go to the people of Japan.

63: Light in the darkness

Windows in St Pat's, Palmerston North

Thinking of all those in Christchurch

60: Two minutes Silence

Madonna holding the hand of the infant Jesus

close-up of part of statue at St Pat's, Palmerston North

Today we fell silent for two minutes

to think about the dead, and those who survived,

in the Christchurch earthquake exactly a week ago.

At the school I was at, everyone stood silent

in front of the flag at half-mast

from the smallest five year old up.

Two minutes silence

offered quietly by all.

59: St Peter's Church

St Peter's Anglican Church on Ruahine St

When I first moved to Palmerston North, I didn't like this church building at all, and wondered how people could. It seemed so grey and dreary. But obviously I only noticed it on the grey, dreary days..... because in the afternoon sunlight, you can see it is quite lovely. And the varied shapes at the front of the building will call me back with my camera another time I am sure.

As an aside, it was very close to this spot where I had my pedestrian accident last year and broke my arm....

55: Candles

 

Candles that have been lit in St Pat's, Palmerston North

27: Window at St Pat's

This stained glass window is in the gathering area for St Patrick's parish, adjoining the Catholic Cathedral for Palmerston North.  You can see some hints of blue sky and white clouds through the glass, which shows how photography is all an illusion. From most angles the skies around the Cathedral were full of dark grey clouds when I took this photo- though fortunately summer has now returned.....

(You can see more photos from this Cathedral here, and I am sure to add more of my own on this blog before the 365 is up!)