Calm before the storm

We have been promised a 'weather bomb' in the coming hours, so I decided I should get out and walkabout this morning while I still could- so here are a few 'bits and pieces' from along Turitea Walkway.

We have a series of quite interesting drain covers here in Palmy, that show some of our native stream fauna and flora:- this 'brown mudfish' cover was over a storm water drain near the bridge where I parked.

Near the Turitea Stream they had been renewing a bit of the track where some of the path had slipped away into the stream- and I found the cut surface of this felled tree trunk quite beautiful.

I always love catching sight of the light on drops of water, and mostly I see it on spiderwebs or plants. But on the ground this morning I caught sight of a gleam from the ground at my feet, and there were droplets on some fallen cicada wings.

It was eerily calm this morning- definitely the calm before a storm. And in a more northerly direction looking towards the ranges, the sky definitely had that weird pre-storm appearance.

 But looking in a more southeast direction, the sky still looked more blue and less threatening...

 I am becoming very conscious these days that my 'training' time is drawing to a close, and in less than six weeks I will be heading off to France for some much more intensive walking. And somehow that makes me more conscious of 'local' signs here at home. When I walked in France and Spain last time, I became quite intrigued by taking photos of signs, so much so that I 'stopped myself' from taking such a 'ridiculous' number of them. But I actually really like looking at photos of signs later on- they tell such a very regional story. I will be sure to take plenty of them this time, without censoring myself!

As I neared Old West Rd and came to this pond, the whole scene looked so peaceful and calm in this direction, almost like a summer's day.

On the path heading down to the pond, I was intrigued by the shadows of the fenceposts, so took this photo. But once I downloaded it back at home, I realised this photo showed the steepness of the path very well. I have been struggling with how to show 'steepness' in photos, and perhaps this is the simple answer- to show the scene from the top rather than the bottom! Then I will be able to 'prove' to friends and family how 'arduous' parts of my walking was when I get home from France!

Summer has come to an end, and it seems like there are many spider-nests like this one on some bushes. I especially liked seeing this one today. The gorse bush with its sharp spines is an invader into our landscape that is not well loved. But it has been found to provide a 'nursery' for native plants re-establishing themselves- and here it allows a spider to make a 'nursery'. I find the contrast between the sharp spines and the nursery to be an appealing idea...

Well, those are a few tidbits from this morning's walk. Now I guess we will wait and see how bad the promised 'weather bomb' gets overnight and in the morning.

Along Green's Rd

Last night I read an account written by someone who has walked the route I am planning to walk in a few months- and it scared me somewhat! I knew that the Cluny route was going to be very hilly- but I didn't really think too hard about the long distances that might be needed if the limited accommodation is booked out... So, I decided that my 'training' so far has been a bit like 'playtime' compared to what is to come, and today had to be another 'hill' day. And finally, we had a 'proper' summer's day for it. I parked my car at the end of the sealed section of Turitea Rd, so I could walk up the metalled road and through the walking/biking section onto Green's Rd- then return.

There were lots of wildflowers along the way.

 And it also seemed to be a busy time for 'nests' for various insects or spiders.

The sunshine was pouring down as I reached one high point, ready to walk downhill then up the other side again. You can't see them here, but a group of soldiers were training for what looked like mine-sweeping operations. One of them offered me some water if I needed it: my face probably looked quite red and sweaty when I passed them, but I had a bottle of drink ready for when I reached the high point of the walk at the top of the very next hill.

 As I sat down at the high point for a drink and some fruit, I noticed a power pole, that seemed to provide a good contrast with yesterday's small pylon...

 There were quite a few native tree ferns alongside the road in various places.

And to finish- a bee on a thistle...

326: another spiderweb

I used to think that I could only capture a photo of a spiderweb on a wet day when it was outlined with raindrops. But I have discovered recently that late in the day, when the sun's angle is low, spiderwebs hidden amongst the leaves of trees or shrubs might reflect back some of the sunlight that is falling on them...

Himatangi Beach

Today it was hard to believe that snow had been such a dramatic sight for us earlier in the week in Palmerston North. It was glorious and I decided to head off down to Himatangi Beach for a walk. You could see the higher parts of the Tararua Ranges from there, and could see that snow still lingered quite thickly on the higher peaks.

 Himatangi Beach is one that I think we Kiwis tend to underestimate as a trifle 'boring', but I have grown to love it: such a long uninterrupted stretch of sand to walk along next to the waves. So many ways the waves can come into shore- and so much they can bring with them. Today I bring you a few photos of some of the shoreline gifts left by the waves.

 Small bits of driftwood were being moved around at the edge of waves today. And each time the gentle front end of the waves rolled in, the various bits of wood were jumbled together in different ways.

And though most of the shells at this beach are of one kind- boring to us, but apparently 'endemic' and special to this region- there were other shells tossed on the sand to amuse my eyes. 

 I walked quite far, as did others. But when it came time to go, I couldn't quite leave the place, and sat on some driftwood, watching others wander by. Near me a small boy was playing with his parents. He was so happy just being at the beach. He rolled his little body along the flat sand for a good ten metres, then he stood up and ran to his mother, then ran back to his father, then climbed a 'mountain' of sand and driftwood, an Everest explorer in the making. The beach was today a place of calmness and relaxation, and sheer fun for all-comers.

127: elephants at the library

 Mostly I hung about indoors today, organising genealogy info... but I had a brief trip to the Palmy Library, where these elephants hang out with a whale...

121: Garden animals

I wasn't sure what I was going to put here today. There was sunshine this morning, but it has morphed into a cloudy grey this afternoon. I took one photo, but didn't like the greyness. I know the next four months are going to be harder to take photos in with shorter, grey-er days...

But then I spotted a neighbour's cat on my shed. Grey. But perfect subject that sat still, staring at me as I began taking a few photos.

I could have stopped there: I had my 365 shot for the day. But next I spied this praying mantis as I headed back inside.

And since I can't decide which animal to give you, you are getting a double whammy today...

Bridle Track

It was a lovely calm Sunday morning today, just right for venturing out on one of my longer cycle rides since 'the Resumption' two months ago.

It was the Bridle Track that I took- wending its way alongside the Manawatu River as it passes through Palmerston North. (They are talking about extending the track all the way along the river to Ashhurst which would be very grand indeed.)

Here you can see the bridge in the distant background. These photos make the river look awfully 'straight'- but there are actually lots of meandering windy bits. And you can see the renewed stopbanks along this section. The 2004 floods were quite a wake-up call to the city about how vulnerable we would be if the stopbanks failed.

And here is the quirky shot- logs chopped where they have been removing some pine trees:- some were shown to be dangerous in recent storms I know. (Oh and I see that is my bike lying trackside at the top of the photo- careless composition and all- but I was trying to keep my own shadow out of the frame!)

 And here are just a few more.....

monarch-butterfly-on-dahlia shots....

at the Esplanade.

 

Then it was water, apple, and a good ride home along the city streets...

53: Esplanade again

Another glorious summer's day here, and I cycled to the Esplanade again this morning. Couldn't choose which photo to show you today, so you are getting double trouble...

 Monarch on a dahlia

fungus high on tree trunk

52: Orange at the Esplanade

It was a glorious day in Palmy today, so I organised myself to cycle down to the Lido for a swim, then came home via the Esplanade.

I know I have put a photo here before (Day 18) of a monarch in the Esplanade, but the monarchs were flying around in great abundance this warm afternoon, so you are getting another shot. It was noticeable that they preferred to land and feed on bright orange flowers. This photo doesn't show the most 'vivid' close-up butterfly, but it does show the profusion of orange it chose to land in.

The friendly PNCC gardener told me that she saw lots of monarchs hatch out this morning, then of course they stayed in one place while opening their wings. It is supposed to rain tomorrow- but if it doesn't, I might return there in the cool of the morning to look for more butterflies...

18: Monarch on the Dahlia

Monarch butterfly on a dahlia at the Esplanade

I took a very short walk in the Esplanade after my swim- very short- it was 30C and very muggy! A monarch butterfly was flitting around the garden area near me, then alighted on this dahlia. I was so pleased it stayed there long enough for me to get this shot!

17: Coot at the Lagoon

Coot at the Hokowhitu Lagoon

In the springtime I visited the Lagoon several times, and was lucky enough to see a coot sitting on a nest, and also to see young coot just hatched. Today I saw quite a few coot- some were slightly smaller and I imagine they are the babies from springtime. I am always fascinated by their feet ;-)

1: NYD-Kaikoura

 

Seagull drinking from puddle in carpark at Seal Colony, Kaikoura

I started the New Year morning by spending a couple of hours dawdling around the rock pools by the Seal Colony in Kaikoura. The tide was out and the rock pools were exposed, though only a few seals were around. I took many photographs of algae such as Neptune's Necklace, Hormosira banksii. But in the end I chose to put up this photo of a seagull. At Kaikoura, these seemed to be easy to photograph as they were so tame, very used to humans, who no doubt provided easy pickings for their daily diet.

Taken 9:08am 1.01.2011;     Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Shutter: 1/500      Aperture: f/5.7      Focal length: 100mm      ISO: 200