Two Return to the Naki.

Tuesday 21st March

Ok now Christine is back on board

 We motored out to Eastbourne for lunch, I even had a swim in the sea!

We went through Upper Hutt and across to State Highway 1

Such a fab day we stopped to explore Pukerua Bay. 

The view from the top was magnificent. I spotted a good road at the bottom

which led to a sweet little secluded park up.

This fabulous sculpture looks over to Kapiti Island

 and there is a nice rugged walk towards towards the west.

The main road in Foxton is getting some re-furbishments and we stopped to view the town. The windmill was the dream of two Dutch immigrants, Jan Langen and Cor Slobbe. Approximately $1,000,000 was donated from the community to build the windmill and was officially opened in 2003. 

We parked up at Waiinu, which is on the coast and south of Whanganui.

The walk along the black sand beach revealed some lovely photos.

The patterns in the foam along the beach caught my eye.

Then the bubbles,

then these bubbles.

As we headed north towards New Plymouth at Patea I spotted this sign.

"The Teddy Bear No Seabed Mining Protest" is rather unique!

The next stop was Opunaki, the birthplace of the legendary Peter Snell in 1938.

A sweet little town so close to the sea on the Surf Highway.
He ran so far he now lives in America

This is the view of Mt Egmont from Cape Egmont.

And the Lighthouse, still shining at night tho now with a much smaller LED bulb.

We head for the city life in New Plymouth and visit the Len Lye exhibition

 at the Govett Brewster Art Gallery. Certainly a very contemporary building.

Another case of its "All done with Mirrors"

Len's kinetic moving sculptures are most impressive, even with sounds.

Yes a man ahead of his time. 

His individual motto for life was "Individual Happiness Now",

something I try to live up to every day myself.

When you take photos of this sort of thing,

what you see is not what you get!

We stopped in Stratford for the night which had some of the cheapest fish and chips so far in our travels. In the Chinese takeaway in Bridge Street I ordered, then found they don't take plastic so I walked back to the bus to get some cash. When I returned, I spent a couple of minutes juggling in the shop expecting to order and pay, but she came out with my order already done. Really cheap too... three fish, a spring roll and one scoop of chips all came to $9.50

Gladdens a Scotsman heart that does!

We spent a rainy Saturday afternoon in Palmeston North, parked in the Square, rode my unicycle and went to the Digital Rembrant Exhibition at Te Manawa.

Sunday we checked out the local Gardens and a bike ride along the Esplanade and River.

We headed out to the West to park up on the South side of the Rangatikei River,                             

another nice secluded spot across from Scotts Ferry.   

High tide against the river made the water around us rise quickly, but we were never in danger of getting cut off.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Heading South now for the ferry back to the South Island

but not before spending time in the Paraparaumu/Raumati areas.

I biked along the Kapiti bike trail where I ended up at Pekapeka Road in super quick time

 as I had a huge back wind pushing me North!

Stopped in Porirua, then checked out Titahi Bay

We headed out towards Seatown and Karaka Bay. 

A photo says it all, it's blokes like this that give us a bad name. 

This is at Plimmerton's Ngatitoa Park, a sweet spot well used and quiet

 apart from sports teams and trains commuting, which I like anyway!

This is out at Owhiro Bay, a super spot on a wild wet windy day. I biked out on the 4wheel track as a far as I could go, returning to the carpark and intending to head out to civilisation to go out for a meal on our last night in the North Island. I had to change a flat rear tyre on the bus in the cold and wet with darkness looming...all character building, and all good fun!

We had some time up our sleeve and parked up at the Bluebridge terminal.

 I rode the uni to Te Papa and back.

That's the end of that North Island trip.

Trip 29 started 19th Jan 2017, finished 29th March.

After a brief rest at home, next we're off for a weekender down in Greymouth

and after that Christchurch and around.

Keep warm and safe.
See you at the next Blog.
Jimu & Christine.

Wellington to Kapiti and Womad.

I took Christine to the plane to return to Nelson. I will pick her up again in 10 days time after Womad returning back to Wellington to continue our North Island trip. So with some free time up my sleeve, I park up at the free council park in Evans Bay for a while. I bike into town regularly to go to Hot Yoga classes and to do some busking around the city!

It's a great way to get around town, no parking hassles

 tho I can't leave the saxes on the back of the bike.

Cuba Street is good with no traffic noise!

The City Gallery had an Exhibition of American Photographer Cindy Sherman who photographed herself over 40 year period. Some of the exhibition shots (very large photos) she was dressed up as a clown, and as I happened to be busking in clown gear....I just couldn't help myself....in I went!

Another day another outfit...near Te-Papa.

Wellington on a good day is fabulous.

On a bad day it's...Brrrracing!

I left Evans Bay and motored out to Eastbourne, having never been out that way before, and to check out the Pencarrow Lighthouse.

From this road you can see the Inter Islander Ferries coming and going from Wellington

A Wild Goat

In fact so wild, they were getting on my goat a bit

.....no kidding

Some cool knitting in a shop at Paraparaumu                                                                                            

I also called into see the Kapiti Mens Shed and spotted this car parked.

Caution 79.3/4 Year Old Driver

Top marks mate...great sense of humour!

Spells like me too!

I watched a TV programme about a building in Otaki called Nga PuraPura.

So  I went a checked it out.

A very impressive building for a small place like Otaki.

Here is a link to the Architects web site with more info about Nga PuraPura

More busking in Main Street Otaki outside an Art Gallery, 

they were having an Exhibition Opening

The mouth of the Otaki River is a great place to parkup, although you may have a fisherman parking his vehicle beside you at 2am which was a bit scary!

I love seeing patterns in nature, we live in such a beautiful world

...if you really open your eyes and look closely and in detail.

...and it's free!

Reminds me of my sister who as a girl had pigtails in her hair. 

This pattern (below) reminiscent of a rib cage on an athlete.

Heading for Taranaki

My favoured spot to parkup is down at the Todd Energy Aquatic Centre, in New Plymouth. 

This is within walking distance of town and biking distance to the Womad venue.

 Lovely walks along the sea front 

and very cheap ($2.50) to go for a swim and a hot soak or sauna in the Aquatic Centre 

If you're a Gold Carder.

It's a perfect unicycle track and I rode it perfectly.

You can take the cycleways/walkway all the way to the Te Rewa Rewa Bridge

Aint "The Mountain" nicely framed.

An Artist doing his thing in the river bed

....a bit of a balancing act!

Womad 2017, it's a colourful event!

These guys were Irish/Canadians, they really got the crowd dancing!

Hair today...gone tomorrow 

Walking out at night through the Park, its all beautifully lit up!

From Korea, some powerful drumming and Kung Fu type movements.

Some guys achieve the impossible

...answering a phone call during very loud music.

Silk flags especially commissioned every year.

Below is "Brushy One String" from Jamaica

One very cool cat with one very strong "one string" to his bow.

Yes it's a CD Wall

So that was Womad for another year.

Brilliant!

The next blog I pick up Christine in Wellington, and we travel back to Taranaki.

Cheers Jimu & Christine