A Lake and A Rocket

 

This morning was most dismal, with thick fog blanketing our world until nearly 1pm.  Then (yay!) it cleared away to a beautiful afternoon, albeit a bit cool but the sun was shining.

I made the most of it by visiting Hamilton's Lake for a while – lots of others had the same idea as myself and the boardwalk was quite busy.

This was the view looking across towards the rowing club, and you can still see the remnants of the fog bank on the horizon.

Back home, Son invited me to watch the live launch of Rocket Lab’s Electron satellite with him.  He owns shares in Rocket Lab so likes to keep in touch with what they are doing.

The unmanned rocket launched from Mahia Peninsular near Gisborne, on a beautiful afternoon (no fog down there!), and travelled 90km in a straight line upwards in 2½ minutes.

At 550km above the earth, the rocket/satellite settled down and began preparation for the next step – which I believe is joining up with another satellite already in orbit. 

Together they will be used to keep track of weather systems, particularly major storms.

Technology may have its downside (as does everything), but I think it is wonderful that rockets like this can be utilised to give up-to-date information that may help save the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of people by giving adequate warning of disastrous weather.

Our sun is fading here for the day and the temperature is dropping.  No major storms on our horizon, just more fog!!

Have a great weekend everyone 😊

Margaret.

 

Lake Karapiro

 

First, let me apologise for having been absent from Blogland for so long.  I’ve just not felt up to visiting here, or doing much else for that matter.

It was reasonably sunny a few days ago, so Younger Son popped me in the car and took me for a drive out into the countryside.

We stopped at the lookout over Lake Karapiro, formed when the Waikato River was dammed here in 1948 to build a hydro-electric power station.

Today, this Lake is famous for the rowing facilities it provides.

Because of the recent rains, dams along the Waikato River are reaching capacity and water has to be released down-river.  Karapiro only had one spillway operating when we visited, but at times lately they have been operating all four of them.

There is a road over the dam.  It is only one vehicle wide and has traffic lights to control the flow of small vehicles.  Larger vehicles are prohibited.

Along the way home we passed this lovely old church at Kaipaki.  It was built in 1871 and used originally by Methodists and Presbyterians.

In 1901 a traction engine was used to tow it to its present site, and these days it is used as an interdenominational worship centre and wedding venue.

I hope you are all keeping well, and I look forward to being able to join up here again soon.

Margaret 😊

 

Four Lakes In One Day

 

On Sunday our city of Hamilton was hammered with severe gale-force winds from the remnant of Cyclone Dovi.  On my way out of the city this morning, it was clear to see how much damage had been caused – trees blown down, large and small branches lying everywhere, and leaves in piles larger than appear in autumn.

The Council has been moving through to make sure road and path access was available, and the debris has been left to be cleared away when they can.  Quite sobering to see, but thankfully there was not more damage or injuries caused.

Fitzgerald Glade, on the road to Rotorua

For my February get-out-of-the-city excursion, I headed for Rotorua.  All of this area was once a prime tourist destination, and it was sad to see how many businesses were shut (but hopefully not closed down completely) during this covid time.  It must be such a struggle for some of them to survive.

My first stop was Lake Rotorua in the heart of the city, where I sat for a while and watched seagulls, cormorants, coots, mallards and black swans.

Lake Rotorua, with some of the city in the background

Then it was on to Lake Tikitapu (usually called the Blue Lake), a pretty crater lake that is popular with swimmers and water skiers alike.  I went for a paddle along its pebbly shoreline and found the water pleasantly warm, and was thrilled to see a little tomtit flitting among the trees (sometimes I think I need to buy myself a good camera!).

One corner of the Blue Lake

At Lake Tarawera there was a tree waiting for a little car to park beneath its shady canopy – the perfect spot to enjoy a picnic lunch while enjoying the peace and quiet.

Stoney Point Reserve at Lake Tarawera 

A drive to the end of the road showed an amazing number of houses clustered together like a long strung-out village in this semi-isolated spot, each with a view of the mountain and the lake.  I imagine many are most definitely well outside my price range!

Mount Tarawera across the lake (it last erupted in 1886)

Heading back into Rotorua, a short detour took me to Lake Okareka.  Not as popular as Lake Tarawera, it nevertheless still had a significant number of homes built along some of its shoreline.

At the end of this road there was a Department of Conservation campsite, and several campervans and a couple of tents were in evidence.

On the shores of Lake Okareka

The drive home took around 90 minutes and included several lots of road works.  At one spot, my poor little car had to negotiate melted tarseal with only a thin layer of rough metal spread over it – I was afraid much of it would stick beneath the car but I think very little actually did.

I am so thankful I am able to make these little monthly excursions to different places.

I would recommend it to everyone! 😊

Margaret.