Man-made walking sights

Today I headed out on the Turitea Walkway again- this time 'backwards' from the Old West Rd carpark, then uphill through the Massey campus back to my car. On the way I took a few photos of things that were 'man-made'...

This decaying old fence-post always seems to catch my eye.

 I realised that I seldom see the 'beauty' in power pylons- but with sunshine and blue skies behind it, this small pylon also caught my eye today.

 I always enjoy noticing how shadows fall, and how they change through the day. I loved the way the shadow from these fence posts enlivened the path this morning!

 Then there was this woman-made shadow as I crossed one of the pedestrian bridges over the Turitea Stream. It reminded me of some of the obligatory 'shadow photos' I took on the Camino in 2008!

 It's very pleasant walking up through the Massey campus. You can make a toilet stop or sit or have a snack-break on a seat. There are not many students back for the year yet so it is almost too peaceful on the concourse.

There are lots of buildings to walk past of course, some a bit ugly. But even this ugly one surprised me with the wonderful reflection in its windows!

Ten Week Countdown

Today most people I know are back into the teaching year -whether for a Teacher Only Day or the New Class- while I still have lots of time to 'please myself'. Regardless, the start of the school year has really galvanised my thinking, as it makes my departure date very concrete! It's just over 10 weeks before I leave for Paris and my walk from Cluny, and the school term of 10 weeks seems to provide the perfect 'number' for a countdown.

I've already walked many of the nearby hills, so I keep trying to find ways to put variety into my training. Today I decided I'd walk the Turitea Walkway uphill from Massey, but as a variant I would start near the bridge and cross the river first. Then, instead of my usual combo of city walkways from Old West Rd, I decided I'd turn right along the road until I reached the Massey entrance, and come back downhill that way.

There was a spot of 'variety' right where I parked my car, as work is being done on the stopbanks near the bridge.

 I love the flat beginning of the track on the edge of the Massey campus, as there are bridges that cross the Turitea Stream several times. Today with the sunshine, there were some lovely reflections on the water.

Once I was out onto the more rural part of the track, I passed some of these berries. They looked quite yummy, but I had no idea what they might be, and whether or not they might be poisonous- so I had to leave them alone. They were another reminder that the season is progressing, even though we are all moaning about the mostly lousy summer so far.

When I reached Old West Rd, I had my last view of the stream as it passed under the bridge, before I headed up the road for my return journey via the Massey campus.

It was quite warm by then, so I was glad to find some sheltered seating under trees near the Massey library, and gulped down plenty of my water. It was an easy descent, and return to my car. Week 10, Walk 1, done.

331: Himatangi Beach

This was the first really fine day we have had for ages and the beach was calling. The tide was really high, and I ended up with really wet trousers, but the water was surprisingly warm. Loved the walk. And it was especially good to have a day that provided an inkling that summer might truly be just around the corner- because most of November the weather has not been so good...

320: washing line

This morning the rain was absolutely hosing down. This afternoon I arrived home to see a pond of water in the backyard, and the clothesline was reflected in it...

317: more baby coots

Down at the Lagoon today I saw more baby coots. This is a newer group, hatched not so long ago. The ones I have seen previously have grown bigger, and have now lost most of the yellow and red colouring on their heads.

303: coot mealtime

Last weekend I spied some newly hatched coots at the Lagoon, hidden away on a nest in some rushes. This morning four young were outside on another nearby nest, and the parents were bringing them food. Ahhh it was lovely to watch!
(I think the large egg nearby might be an abandoned swan egg: another lady watching told me she had seen a swan on this nest last weekend.)

291: coot nesting

 Last year was the first year I discovered coots nesting at the Lagoon here in Palmy, then went back again in a few weeks to see their interesting young ones once they had hatched.  I remembered that today, when I spotted a few unexpected ducklings in the Square, so I decided to head off down to the Lagoon for a wander. Here is one of the Australasian coots I saw nesting, only a few metres from the lagoon edge.

Turitea Rd Walk

It was a nastily cold afternoon/evening outside yesterday, and I guess I wasn't expecting to wake up to sunshine today. But I did, and that sunshine spelled 'Walkies'. Camino/Chemin training has begun for me now:- in about six months I will be in the northern hemisphere for their spring, and walking will be my daily diet for more than a few weeks, so the time has come to start getting ready!

 I decided that a casual stroll up Turitea Rd might fit the bill this morning, so parked my car at the walkway carpark on Old West Rd. I came across these sheep sheltering under a tree very early on, and they kindly stayed still and posed for me.

They were just the first of the 'cooperative' animals today. Next were the alpacas in a front paddock. (There is another photo of them on my 365 blog.)

Soon after that I heard a kereru fly overhead, and it perched itself on this tree for a good feed.

 I walked up as far as the bridge by the Turitea Water Reserve, and decided to walk back via the Green Corridor as far as I could. Here they have been planting trees over the years, and you can access a track that runs near the stream.

 And if in fact you want to walk the length of the corridor, in three places you even have to cross the stream...

 ...and get your feet wet. Ahhh but it was fun- I haven't done it for a while. (And my shoes don't seem to have minded the dunking either: they are nearly dry after spending several hours in sunshine on the back deck.)

 Here's where I left the Green Corridor- feeling grateful to those who keep adding to it.

The last stretch back to the car was in warm sunshine- no jersey needed. And when bathed in sunshine, even mundane things like rusty fences become things of beauty.

That was the first of many walks I expect to take in the coming months. I'll keep you posted....

227: Snow at Home!!!

I have lived here in Palmerston North since 1984, and have never seen snow here ever before. But this afternoon it snowed steadily for at least an hour and it settled!

PS: Some more snow photos and video are on my Nomad Blog.

212: Beach Feet

I took a lovely walk along the beach today, and have quite a few lovely landscapes I could put here. But I feel that the last day of the holidays calls for something a little quirkier- so I hereby wish to prove that not only did I take my shoes off to walk along the sand, I also even paddled in the water- only ankle deep I know- but that was bracing enough!!

201: Mt Ngauruhoe

Today I traveled north on the Desert Rd, and the volcanoes of the Volcanic Plateau were looking resplendent in their winter snow-cover. Here is a photo of one of those volcanoes, Mt Ngauruhoe.
Later I visited the thermal park of Orakei Korako- and there's a Nomad post coming about the treasures there!

184: Turitea Walkway

By the time I woke this morning the frost had mostly disappeared, and the sunshine and blue skies enticed me out along the Turitea Walkway. What a glorious midwinter day! 

(Some  more photos from this walk here.)

88: Fountains

Sunshine on the fountains in the duckpond
in the Square, Palmerston North

22: Fountains in the Square

Fountains in the Square, Palmerston North

There is plenty of inspiration for photographs in the Square:- Today I chose  the fountains in one of the duckponds. (You are sure to see more Square-inspired photos in this blog before long!)

12: Picton

Waterfront garden in Picton, near War Memorial Gate

I had 'spare time' before my ferry crossing to explore the township of Picton. This view of the harbour is from the waterfront garden by the War Memorial Gate.

Taken 11.01am 12.01.2011;    Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Shutter: 1/640   Aperture: f/4   Focal length: 5mm    ISO:80

9: Akaroa Harbour Heads

The Akaroa Harbour Heads as seen from the road to Wainui Bay.

On the way back to Christchurch I took a wee tiki-tour, and was rewarded for taking a diversion to Wainui Bay with this spectacular view of the heads of Akaroa Harbour.

Taken 11:58am 9.01.2011;    Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Shutter: 1/1000    Aperture: f/4.0      Focal length: 7.28mm      ISO: 80

7: Walking in the morning

Tree on farmland a few bays over from Okains Bay

When I camped at Okains Bay with friends in 2008, I was 'training' for my April start on the Camino, and was keen to keep finding hills to climb, even on holiday. One route I took several times that January was across to Little Okains Bay, on to the next bay, then up onto the farmland nearby. This year, mist covered the hills for two mornings, but this morning dawned clearer, and I reached the farmland. It was a steeper and tougher climb than I remembered, so I had obviously already built up my fitness back in 2008! The sun was still quite low in the sky, and cloud dimmed the landscape. Ten minutes after I had descended the steepest part of the climb, the sun broke through above the cloud, and this scene would have been very well-lit. But I wasn't fit enough this year to want to climb all over again for the sake of a brighter photo!

Taken 7:58am 7.01.2011;   Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Shutter: 1/500     Aperture: f/4.0      Focal length: 6.98mm     ISO: 80

5: Misty Coast

Coastline seen en route to Little Okains Bay, on a misty morning

Near the entrance to the Okains Bay camping ground there is a route that leads you off uphill towards the next bay along, Little Okains Bay. The third and fourth days at Okains dawned with clouds hiding the tops of nearby hills. The two little islands seen here are home for some seabirds, including terns that can often be seen diving into the seawater for food in the bay.

Taken 9:18am 5.01.2011;    Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Shutter: 1/200     Aperture: f/4.0     Focal length: 5mm     ISO: 80

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