Miscellaneous Pictures

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A while ago I uploaded some pictures I had rescued from a compact flash that had inadvertently been put in the wash. Fortunately I remembered about 5 minutes after the cycle began, but had to dry the thing out for days and then had some trouble getting the images from it. Eventually I got it to work again.

These are mostly Wellington pictures, and others I took in Auckland before Pat arrived on January 10th.

At the moment, we are in Dunedin, visiting our neice Jacquelyn, who is the daughter of Pat's sister Theresa. She is getting married to fellow physiotherapist who graduated from the same programme a year before Jacquie.

We have had quite a bit of rain since we arrived on the South Island.

Today is Valentine's Day. There is markedly little advertisement and commercial promotional material in the stores. In fact, until they said so on the TV in our cabin this morning, I was unaware of the date. (Ah, the luxury of being on holiday. What day is it ? Saturday or Wednesday?) It's refreshingly less of a deal here, like Christmas Day. New Year's is a different thing alltogether: the country is in absentia and parties for about a week. Certainly the streets were deserted in downtown Wellington when I was there around that time, and most businesses shut down completely until about Januray 4th.

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Photos

Smile for me, Ikey!
One of the dogs from Tarodale, Ikey, was my favourite for personality and overall scalliwag factor.

Mount Eden
Looking down at the city from one of the many volcanic hills - one guide said there are about 48 of them in Auckland.

Rustic, eh?
The road winds round the volcano to the top of Mount Eden.

Albert Park, Auckland
The stones and walls are quite attractive

Pohutekawa Tree
In Albert Park. These trees are everywhere. No picture journal of NZ is complete without mentioning this tree. They have winding branches that make the shape interesting. See size relative to me at the bottom.

Pohutekawa bloom
Up close, the flowers look like a small broom. I have seen orange versions of this type of flower on a different tree, probably the same family. Dont' know the name of the second one.

Tylie
One of the Chinese Crested dogs at Tarodale.

The Pups
These were next door when I was at Tarodale.

Cape Gooseberries
They taste like nutty tomatoes - best if a bit orange in colour. They grow inside the covers which look just like the Chinese Lanterns we have at home.

Toilet Detail
NZ has this efficient way of conserving water for toilet flushes. Unlike the Low Flush solution in Canada, the user has a choice of a half or full flush, depending on current - er, need.

Sidewalk detail
Karangahape Road. On my way to church one Sunday before Christmas, I was appreciating how there was no snow as I walked and noticed an interesting pattern in the sidewalk with benches along the street for the tired pedestrian.

Here's those benches again
Karangahape Road - from another angle.

The Unitarian Church
On Ponsonby Road, Auckland. Celebrated its 104th anniversary while I was there in December.

My friend Miriam
Miriam was born in NZ but lives in New York state, in Rochester. She comes in the winter to her family to visit. This year she is recovering from a crushed pelvis suffered when she was hit by a car while crossing the street. So she cancelled her hiking trip to the Himilayas with her daughter planned for November, and just came to NZ instead. She is 73.(and a typical Unitarian!!!)

Sign for my brothers
If my two brothers ever decided to move to NZ and go into business together, the signs are already made.

Hope Bros business
However, they'd have to learn to cook quickly to take it over.

Hope Bros
This establishment is in downtown Wellington.
For those readers who don't know this already, my maiden name is Hope.

Downtown Welly
Colourful, arty, avant-garde.

Comments

[patricia anderson]

Great photos!
I`ve enjoyed your photos particularly of Welly as I was there last November visiting our son. We went to the cemetary and I was impressed by the different sections there. We also visited other places in North Island but didn`t get chance to see much of Auckland. Enjoy the rest of your time in NZ. Look forward to more photos. Patricia in Northern England.

[tricia123]

great welly pictures!
Enjoyed your photos especially the ones of Welly as we were there last November visiting our son. Stuart also took us to the cemetery which I found very interesting. Enjoy the rest of your time in NZ-- lovely country! Pat in Northern England.

[Chris]

Over lander Companion
Just to let you know I am keeping an eye on your travels lol The pics of Welly where a reminder of my time spent there, Your obviously still having a great time, keep the picks coming. Chris:

[alcarney]

And from alcarney:
Well I'm glad so many people seem to be enjoying the pictures! It certainly takes a long time to upload them, so it's very rewarding to get messages from my audience. Keep those comments coming - I love to hear from whomever is having a look!