Just when I thought New Zealand couldn't get any more wonderful or beautiful, it outdoes itself, again.
Have I mentioned I love it here?
Except for the driving in gale force winds thing.. that's not so fun. I like driving when I feel like the wind is going to throw me off the road... or off a cliff.
After being on the east coast yesterday (stunning), I drove a little more north to the Coromandel Peninsula. Wow, wow, wow. The water is a light blue and is incredible. And the cliffs and hills and sheep and waterfalls and trees are great.
Went for a walk to see some Kauri trees (one of the world's largest trees... and it grows straight too) and they were amazing. So majestic. As I was walking, you could hear gusts of wind and I was worried about things falling on my head... just then a bunch of palm branches fell about a metre away from me. haha.. I thought for a moment about the gigantic Kauri trees falling on me but thankfully they decided to stay nicely rooted.
Went to some beautiful waterfalls too. The rough thing is they had the PERFECT swimming hole right in front of them.. but it was kind of chilly out and almost getting dark, so I decided to save it for another day. I definitely have to come back here during the summer.
On my drive back to the place where I'm staying, I saw the most incredible sunset. A myriad of colours shining brilliantly over the mountains and glimmering on the ocean, with storm clouds in the distance intermingled with patches of blue sky.
The place I'm staying is awesome. Probably my favorite place so far. And it has a perfect view of the ocean!! And the best part is that they have a year-round outdoor heated pool (everyone else's pools are closed in winter..) so tonight I'm going to go swim laps! Can't wait!
Tomorrow I'm going to go hike to Cathedral Cove (if you see advertisements/trailers for Prince Caspian-Chronicles of Narnia, it was filmed here!) and then I will go to Hot Water Beach to dig some pools for myself to relax in while the tide comes in (was going to do that today but missed low tide).
Off for some swimming and enjoying the sky! I didn't think I could fall more in love with this country but every day I do. I'm very sad to be leaving it the day after tomorrow. :( But I will be back one day!!
Enjoy your day!
Showing posts with label ocean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ocean. Show all posts
Monday, September 20, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Sunsets, Sand, South
Figured I'd post again since it's dark now and there is really not much to do after dark... well, I could go out and meet some locals, but I think I will stay put for a bit.
Today I drove south along the western coast of the North Island- absolutely stunning! I made a commitment to turn whenever a sign pointed to the ocean and said 'surf beach'. There were a lot of them. Walked on each beach and loved the different cliffs along the ocean. Tons of really neat birds too. The sand is black which is kind of cool too.
After arriving at my destination this evening (took about 7 hours for what should have been a 2 hour drive.. haha.. yay for stops!), I drove to the ocean to read while the sun was setting. So beautiful! Despite all the sand blowing into my face mind you.
I may have mentioned this before, but one of my other favorite things about NZ is that most people wave at you when they drive by you on the street. SO friendly. Makes me feel like I know everyone who is driving by. I have started to wave all the time too, perhaps I'll bring it home with me.
I'm off to find something tasty for dinner! And then probably read. It's funny because never in my life when on my own, have I gone to bed so early. But I love it. Usually I go to bed by 10 and every morning I'm up at 6 or 7 and I absolutely love my time in the mornings... somehow I always forget that when I'm back home mind you.. maybe it will stick one of these days!
Enjoy your Wednesday-mine was great! :)
Today I drove south along the western coast of the North Island- absolutely stunning! I made a commitment to turn whenever a sign pointed to the ocean and said 'surf beach'. There were a lot of them. Walked on each beach and loved the different cliffs along the ocean. Tons of really neat birds too. The sand is black which is kind of cool too.
After arriving at my destination this evening (took about 7 hours for what should have been a 2 hour drive.. haha.. yay for stops!), I drove to the ocean to read while the sun was setting. So beautiful! Despite all the sand blowing into my face mind you.
I may have mentioned this before, but one of my other favorite things about NZ is that most people wave at you when they drive by you on the street. SO friendly. Makes me feel like I know everyone who is driving by. I have started to wave all the time too, perhaps I'll bring it home with me.
I'm off to find something tasty for dinner! And then probably read. It's funny because never in my life when on my own, have I gone to bed so early. But I love it. Usually I go to bed by 10 and every morning I'm up at 6 or 7 and I absolutely love my time in the mornings... somehow I always forget that when I'm back home mind you.. maybe it will stick one of these days!
Enjoy your Wednesday-mine was great! :)
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Fundy, Funky, Faraway
After a night in Peggy's Cove, we continued the whirlwind roadtrip and headed back to New Brunswick. We wanted to go to the Bay of Fundy, so off we went!
We took the coastal road in Nova Scotia because it's beautiful. And stopped in a couple bays, including the town of Lunenberg, where the Bluenose II is docked when not sailing somewhere.
Sadly, the Bluenose is being taken apart and restored so we only saw a small portion of the hull in the water. Kind of takes the glamour away.
Textures and colours are the loves of many photographers. So many fun things to take pictures of!
I love how colourful all the houses are. There are some combinations I would never do, but it was fun to see all the different houses. Lunenberg is also an UNESCO heritage site.
Then we continued along our way, and whenever we'd see things of interest, we'd stop. For example, we had to stop to pose on the throw-away couch in someone's driveway.
And we had to stop for the dangerous lake. We changed into our bathing suits, trying to hide behind the car and then hopped in the water! The rest of the drive was spent in our bathing suits. You never know when you will come across water you want to jump into.
The water was super refreshing and thankfully we didn't get eaten by the stumps at the bottom of the lake...
Smiley's Park. They should have us as displays there or something.
We stopped at the midway point between the Equator and the North Pole. That's where people like to bathe outside apparently.
And they had a giant mammoth type animal there. Why not, right?
That night, after almost running out of gas, we arrived in Alma, right next to the National Park of the Bay of Fundy. They are known for their largest tidal shifts in the world. Up to 10 metres. So when we arrived, all the boats were completely on dry ground. Kind of crazy.
We decided to sleep in the car that night and set our alarm for the middle of the night to see what the boats looked like at high tide when they were all floating. Didn't take a picture but was fun to see the changing tides.
This is the boats at half tide.
Cedric made some new friends along the way...
The next morning we headed to Hopewell Rocks on the Bay of Fundy.
The tide was on its way out, so the longer we spent there, the more ground there was available for walking.
These rocks are pretty amazing, as you can see them all and see how they have been formed by the water.
One spot was muddy, so we figured we'd just take off our sandals and wander in the muck. It was a nice foot mudbath!
This lady and her husband were hilarious. If a picture could tell a thousand words, this one does.
Absolutely beautiful! More pictures to come from Quebec City!
We took the coastal road in Nova Scotia because it's beautiful. And stopped in a couple bays, including the town of Lunenberg, where the Bluenose II is docked when not sailing somewhere.
Sadly, the Bluenose is being taken apart and restored so we only saw a small portion of the hull in the water. Kind of takes the glamour away.
Textures and colours are the loves of many photographers. So many fun things to take pictures of!
I love how colourful all the houses are. There are some combinations I would never do, but it was fun to see all the different houses. Lunenberg is also an UNESCO heritage site.
Then we continued along our way, and whenever we'd see things of interest, we'd stop. For example, we had to stop to pose on the throw-away couch in someone's driveway.
And we had to stop for the dangerous lake. We changed into our bathing suits, trying to hide behind the car and then hopped in the water! The rest of the drive was spent in our bathing suits. You never know when you will come across water you want to jump into.
The water was super refreshing and thankfully we didn't get eaten by the stumps at the bottom of the lake...
Smiley's Park. They should have us as displays there or something.
We stopped at the midway point between the Equator and the North Pole. That's where people like to bathe outside apparently.
And they had a giant mammoth type animal there. Why not, right?
That night, after almost running out of gas, we arrived in Alma, right next to the National Park of the Bay of Fundy. They are known for their largest tidal shifts in the world. Up to 10 metres. So when we arrived, all the boats were completely on dry ground. Kind of crazy.
We decided to sleep in the car that night and set our alarm for the middle of the night to see what the boats looked like at high tide when they were all floating. Didn't take a picture but was fun to see the changing tides.
This is the boats at half tide.
Cedric made some new friends along the way...
The next morning we headed to Hopewell Rocks on the Bay of Fundy.
The tide was on its way out, so the longer we spent there, the more ground there was available for walking.
These rocks are pretty amazing, as you can see them all and see how they have been formed by the water.
One spot was muddy, so we figured we'd just take off our sandals and wander in the muck. It was a nice foot mudbath!
This lady and her husband were hilarious. If a picture could tell a thousand words, this one does.
Absolutely beautiful! More pictures to come from Quebec City!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Beach, Blackie, Bucket
Evidently my body doesn't deal very well with a full day of standing and moving around. Yesterday morning I woke up quite tired and just wanting to go back to sleep. I also had a migraine and did not feel good {and no, it was not a hangover- never been drunk nor do I plan on ever being so}.
Anyway, I decided a lazy day was in store for me. So I went downstairs with some popcorn and enjoyed watching 'Singin' in the Rain' the movie. So good!
Then I decided I had the urge to go to the beach and walk in the water, so off I went!
Wasn't the nicest day, but the colors were still brilliant with the sun as it was beginning to set.
I walked in the water, sat on a couple different benches and just enjoyed the smell of saltwater overwhelming my senses. I love the smell of the ocean. It just has this effect on me that is wonderful and makes me want to be outside, taking it all in.
I went to Crescent Beach and then went walking over by Blackie Spit. Never been there, but I liked it.
Cool logs, flowers and plants everywhere. Oh, and the ocean of course.
I haven't taken my camera out for a while just to snap shots and it was fantastic. So good to have the feel of my camera in my hands and to just keep snapping pictures. Taking pictures makes me feel more alive somehow. Seeing beauty and capturing it. Capturing it in the unique way that I see it.
And in honour of my beach day, I decided to fill out a mad libs on 'How to Enjoy Yourself on the beach. Here it is {I will leave it for you to figure out which blanks I filled in...}
When you go to the beach, you must take a long a big blanket, a thermos bottle full of milk, lots of suntan snot, and a couple of folding beds. Then you put on your socks so you can get a beautiful pink to last you all summer. You should also have a big hat to keep the sun off your leg. If you want exercise, you can find some trees to play volleyball with. Volleyball is America's favorite fantastic game. You can also bring a disgusting lunch, such as hard-boiled dogs, and a few crocodile sandwiches with mustard, and some bottles of poop cola. If you remember all of the above and get a place near a funny lifeguard, you can sunbathe strangely all day.
There you go. I love mad libs. They still make me laugh because I guess they just embody silliness.
In the evening I drove out to where a friend was dog-sitting and we watched home improvement. Best part was that it took us watching the beginning of 4 different episodes before we finally found the one we ended off on last time. And a couple of them we were like "yeah, this one's new, we haven't seen it before". Three minutes later, "Um, yeah, we've totally see this." "Really? What's it about again?" haha.. you know you're getting older when...
I bought a book the other day on 109 Walks in British Columbia's Lower Mainland and I have added it to my list of "100 things to do before I die". I want to go through the book and do every walk in the book.
This week I have relatives visiting from Ontario so it has been great so far to hang out with them and go do some fun things. I look forward to the plans for the rest of the week.
Was going to go to Portland this weekend which got canceled which is quite sad, BUT I look forward to when we will actually go because it will be amazing, and my alternative trip that is shaping up is quite exciting...more to come when I know more details!
As of today, 17 more days until I leave for Australia!! People keep asking me what I'm doing there, and i respond, "Um.. I have a flight to Australia.." maybe I should make some plans.
I love picking berries straight off the bush. Unless they're not fully ripe and you eat them like yesterday.. then they're kind of not good. Too bad I had to keep trying them just in case one was amazing. Nope, didn't happen.
Here are my toes that I got done for the wedding. We all got little sunflowers on our toes since that was the main flower. I also have a french manicure on the fingers that is fast wearing off as I am not so careful with them now that the wedding is over. It's nice to have the nails done though!
Today I think I shall go take my camera out for another excursion. I might go buy a new lens as well. Or a new camera. It is something I have been thinking about for quite some time. We will see.
I have been loving the overcast weather and the rainyness. It is lovely indeed!! A nice change.
I was going to try one of these {i think they're plums} but then I remembered that eating random fruit from random plants in random places is probably not always the smartest thing to do...
I love this tree
Enjoy your Monday!!
Anyway, I decided a lazy day was in store for me. So I went downstairs with some popcorn and enjoyed watching 'Singin' in the Rain' the movie. So good!
Then I decided I had the urge to go to the beach and walk in the water, so off I went!
Wasn't the nicest day, but the colors were still brilliant with the sun as it was beginning to set.
I walked in the water, sat on a couple different benches and just enjoyed the smell of saltwater overwhelming my senses. I love the smell of the ocean. It just has this effect on me that is wonderful and makes me want to be outside, taking it all in.
I went to Crescent Beach and then went walking over by Blackie Spit. Never been there, but I liked it.
Cool logs, flowers and plants everywhere. Oh, and the ocean of course.
I haven't taken my camera out for a while just to snap shots and it was fantastic. So good to have the feel of my camera in my hands and to just keep snapping pictures. Taking pictures makes me feel more alive somehow. Seeing beauty and capturing it. Capturing it in the unique way that I see it.
And in honour of my beach day, I decided to fill out a mad libs on 'How to Enjoy Yourself on the beach. Here it is {I will leave it for you to figure out which blanks I filled in...}
When you go to the beach, you must take a long a big blanket, a thermos bottle full of milk, lots of suntan snot, and a couple of folding beds. Then you put on your socks so you can get a beautiful pink to last you all summer. You should also have a big hat to keep the sun off your leg. If you want exercise, you can find some trees to play volleyball with. Volleyball is America's favorite fantastic game. You can also bring a disgusting lunch, such as hard-boiled dogs, and a few crocodile sandwiches with mustard, and some bottles of poop cola. If you remember all of the above and get a place near a funny lifeguard, you can sunbathe strangely all day.
There you go. I love mad libs. They still make me laugh because I guess they just embody silliness.
In the evening I drove out to where a friend was dog-sitting and we watched home improvement. Best part was that it took us watching the beginning of 4 different episodes before we finally found the one we ended off on last time. And a couple of them we were like "yeah, this one's new, we haven't seen it before". Three minutes later, "Um, yeah, we've totally see this." "Really? What's it about again?" haha.. you know you're getting older when...
I bought a book the other day on 109 Walks in British Columbia's Lower Mainland and I have added it to my list of "100 things to do before I die". I want to go through the book and do every walk in the book.
This week I have relatives visiting from Ontario so it has been great so far to hang out with them and go do some fun things. I look forward to the plans for the rest of the week.
Was going to go to Portland this weekend which got canceled which is quite sad, BUT I look forward to when we will actually go because it will be amazing, and my alternative trip that is shaping up is quite exciting...more to come when I know more details!
As of today, 17 more days until I leave for Australia!! People keep asking me what I'm doing there, and i respond, "Um.. I have a flight to Australia.." maybe I should make some plans.
I love picking berries straight off the bush. Unless they're not fully ripe and you eat them like yesterday.. then they're kind of not good. Too bad I had to keep trying them just in case one was amazing. Nope, didn't happen.
Here are my toes that I got done for the wedding. We all got little sunflowers on our toes since that was the main flower. I also have a french manicure on the fingers that is fast wearing off as I am not so careful with them now that the wedding is over. It's nice to have the nails done though!
Today I think I shall go take my camera out for another excursion. I might go buy a new lens as well. Or a new camera. It is something I have been thinking about for quite some time. We will see.
I have been loving the overcast weather and the rainyness. It is lovely indeed!! A nice change.
I was going to try one of these {i think they're plums} but then I remembered that eating random fruit from random plants in random places is probably not always the smartest thing to do...
I love this tree
Enjoy your Monday!!
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