Wind, Waves & Wings

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September 20 – This morning we woke to gray skies and sheets of rain, so we decided that a trip to the Sydney Museum would be a good idea. This is a massive building that contains more displays than one could possibly do in one day, but we gave it a good go!


Much of the displays on the first floor are dedicated to the Maori culture which are New Zealand’s indigenous people that came from Polynesia. There were many things about them that reminded me of the Hawaiians. We also went to a cultural performance which was just wonderful! The dancing and the harmonies of the music are beautiful and I wished I could have got up and joined them.



In the afternoon, Pat’s friend, Mike picked us up and drove us to the west coast to Muriwai Beach. The winds were strong and it was threatening rain, but we walked up to the lookout and took in the stunning view. Even before we could see them, we could hear the cries of hundreds and hundreds of gannets. They covered the beach, clung to the rocks and swooped from the sky! The west coast is more rugged than the east coast with large waves that surfers love to challenge. There were some surfers out today, but only one was left as we descended from the lookout as the winds had become even stronger.



After a short drive from the beach, Mike introduced us to our first wild bush walk in New Zealand. We then headed off for dinner at a local Thai Restaurant.





Today was the New Zealand general election, so when we got back to Pat’s home, the T.V. was turned on and we became outside observers to the outcome. The parliamentary system is similar to Canada’s, however, there are some rather convoluted rules regarding how the votes are counted and who wins and losses. I would need some study time to comprehend this fully. The political rhetoric, however, was completely understandable.

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Photos

'Just the Two of Us'
Perfect photo for our blog

Comments

[Pat]

Pat and Erin
Erin says hello:-) She loves the gannet pictures & I promise to take her to Muriwai some day.

[Two of Us]

Hello you two
So glad Erin enjoyed the photos of the birds. They were amazing! Hope you get a sunny day when you take her :)

[Dancing Dave]

Gotta say
Your photography is fantastic...hit Follow...looking forward to more delights

[Two of Us]

Thank you
Hi Dave, We're so glad you're enjoying the photos. It is David's passion, and I love the memories it gives us when we get home. Stay tuned for more! Michele & David

[Anastasia78]

Spectacular!
Fabulous photo!

[Two of Us]

Thank you!
It's one of my favorites as well. There's something surreal about it.