Coffee Cheesecake

 

Morning tea today could be described as decadent.  I had a piece of coffee-flavoured cheesecake with a cup of lemon ginger toddy. 

It was very rich, but I forgot all about my waistline and thoroughly enjoyed the treat!

I was visiting Lava Glass near Taupo (they produce hand-blown glass art), having driven down there to purchase a special present for my granddaughter who turns 18 next week (where did the time go?).  I hope she likes her present (no photo – sometimes she reads my blog!).

Afterwards it was a quick visit to Huka Falls.  It seems I cannot go to Taupo and not visit this iconic waterfall. 

At this spot, the Waikato River is forced to enter a narrow ravine of hard volcanic rock before tumbling 11 metres (about 36 feet) into a pool and then continuing along its way.

It is said that over 220,000 litres of water crash through here every second.  It makes quite a phenomenal sight and the noise could be described as thunderous.

There is a foot-bridge over the top of the falls and then the path continues beside the river for a little way (a great way to walk off some cheesecake!).

The sun was playing hide-and-seek with the clouds and the wind was rather cold, but it wasn’t raining and I enjoyed the pleasant walk.

Keep smiling 😊

Margaret.

 

A Stunning Waterfall and Other Bits

 

Yesterday I had the wonderful experience of being able to ‘escape’ the city again.  This time it was down to Waitomo, near Te Kuiti, and our trip was made more memorable by the superb sunny weather we had.

On our way we passed through Temple View, where the attractive church of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is situated.

First stop was at the Mangapohue Natural Bridge.  There was nobody there except us (one of the few benefits of covid restrictions!), so it was incredibly peaceful.

The boardwalk travelled along beside a stream that once flowed through the base of a large cave system (this area is full of limestone caves). 

The cave roof collapsed long ago, and all that remains now is a natural rock bridge that towers 17 metres above the stream.

Next stop was Marakopa Falls.  The track to view these is only 420 metres long, but it is extremely steep (and it took me more than twice as long to come back up!).

But, wow, the walk was definitely worth it.  The falls were breathtakingly beautiful, with the sun making the water sparkle as it roared over the 35 metre rock face.

We stood in the lookout area for a long time, just admiring the view and feeling the light misty spray brushing against our faces.

Another twenty minutes’ drive and we arrived at Marakopa itself, with its river mouth and black sandy beach.  There were people swimming in the river and others were fishing off the beach further down from us. 

It was full tide and the distant ocean waves could be seen crashing over the sand bar at the mouth of the river.

It was also hitting 25 degrees, so we never stayed long – have you tried touching black sand in the heat?  It is burning!

A shady tree further up the river made a pleasant spot to have some afternoon tea, looking out over the river with all its reflections. 

It was so still and balmy, that it was possible to hear the sheep bleating from the opposite hill.

All in all, it was a most pleasurable day – the sort of day that lingers in the memory to be treasured and brought out every now and then when one needs a bit of cheering up.

Margaret 😊

A Cracked Windscreen

 

I was on the road fairly early this morning so I could take grand-daughter down to Taupo to stay with friends for the weekend.  It took us about two hours to get there – it could have taken longer if my windscreen had shattered instead of simply cracking.

Something, perhaps a piece of metal, hit us soon after leaving Hamilton.  It left a deep indentation and a small crack that continued to grow throughout my journey.   Thank goodness I have insurance cover for windscreens, as I can see a new one being needed.

As we entered Taupo we decided to stop off at Huka Falls on the Waikato River.  

I am glad we did as there seemed to be more water than usual, and the colour of the water was a gorgeous deep aqua mingled with the white foam.

There were a lot of people there, almost as many as we had when tourism was in full swing. 

This weekend is a long one, with Monday being a holiday to celebrate ANZAC Day (our national day for remembering those who have fought for our country), so that may have contributed to the number of people out and about.

It took me a lot longer to come home again, as traffic was beginning to build up.  Thankfully, most of it was going in the opposite direction.

There were a few idiots making bad driving decisions, but on the whole the traffic was well behaved and flowed reasonably well.

I was still happy to get home safely again 😊

Margaret.

Weekend at Taupo

What a fantastic weekend we had, three of us ‘girls’ wandering around at our own pace and enjoying each other’s company.  We traveled to Taupo on Friday afternoon, arriving fairly late in the afternoon so that evening was a catch-up time (talk, talk, talk, and talk some more!!). 

On Saturday morning we headed off to explore.  Our first photo-op was the “Love Taupo” sign on the waterfront.

There was still some autumn colour around.

The weather was kind for us, with no rain, but there was in icy wind blowing across the Lake from snow-capped Mt Ruapehu.

We saw several different sculptures – I think this one celebrates the marathon event held here every year which attracts participants from around the world.

(Addendum: It is actually called the Ironman - an extra long triathlon with running, biking and swimming)

One must-see on any tourist agenda to Taupo is a visit to Huka Falls, where the Waikato River is forced through a natural narrow chasm.  The noise is deafening!

About 200,000 litres of water plunge over the 9 metre rock face every second – that is enough to fill five Olympic-size swimming pools every minute.

From a lookout point we could watch the Huka Jet bring people-who-don’t-mind-getting-wet up to the base of the Falls.

We went out for dinner each night (who wants to cook when they are on holiday?) and the nicest meal we had was at the Fox And Hounds restaurant.  The staff were friendly but professional and the food was delicious (the wine was great too!).  I had a Lamb Shank on a mash of different vegetables with a rich gravy.  The meat was perfectly cooked, being melt-in-the-mouth tender but still staying intact on the bone.

We visited a few other places as well, some not worth mentioning, but two places I want to write separate posts for in the next couple of days.  They are the Lava Glass Studio and the Aratiatia Dam. 

It was lovely to go away but it is lovely to be home again.  No place quite like your own home J 

Margaret.

Over The Lewis Pass

Twelve months ago I was in the South Island, visiting friends and family and doing a bit of sightseeing as I traveled around.

The main route between Nelson and Christchurch is the road that leads over the scenic Lewis Pass, across the Southern Alps.  This road was opened in 1937 and leads first through trees of Southern Beech with their black trunks.

The Maruia Falls are found a short distance before heading into the mountains.  They were created by the 1929 Murchison Earthquake, and this photo was taken in 2012 when the Falls were in flood.

At the summit of the Pass is found the entrance to St James Walkway.  Hidden not far from the car parking area can be found a very pretty mountain tarn.

This little lake can have amazing reflections, a bit like in this photo that was taken on an earlier visit.

The birds here can be very friendly.  This one is a little Tomtit.

A South Island Robin also came visiting.

  

There are some lovely river views to be had when coming down the Canterbury side of the Pass, but very few places to safely stop and photograph them.

Lewis Pass (and a couple of voracious sandflies!) was soon left behind, as the road headed down towards the Canterbury Plains and the city of Christchurch.

It is great to go visiting different places when we can.  There is always so much to see and new memories to create, even if we have been to the same place before.

Have an awesome day J

Margaret.

LINKED TO My Corner of the World

The Bay Of Islands

After a restless night at my accommodation in Awanui, in Northland, I left early in the morning and headed down the east coast to the Bay of Islands.  I had to call in to see the Mangonui Wharf as I had heard so much about it and its fish-and-chips shop. 

The fish shop is on the right of the picture

Unfortunately the shop was not due to open for another two hours and I could not wait that long.  A sign outside advertised that they sold “king prawns, kina tubs, Mangonui chowder, Pacific oysters, hot coffee and cold beer, raw fish salad, smoked fish, marinated mussels, calamari, and kid’s meals.”  It sounded like a great place to buy fresh kaimoana (food from the sea).

I eventually arrived at Kerikeri, a place I had not visited since being on honeymoon fortysix years ago.  I had thought to visit the model Maori Village there, but it too was closed.

The gateway entrance to the Maori village

Across the river from me (accessed by a footbridge) was the historic Stone Store and Kemp House, part of the Mission Station that was established here in 1819.

The Mission Station at Kerikeri

The Stone Store was built in 1832 and has served as a warehouse, trading post, library, army barracks, boys’ school, and general store (not all at the same time!).  Today it operates as a gift and souvenir shop.

The Georgian-style Stone Store

On the outskirts of Paihia is found the Raruru Falls, a five metre high waterfall on the Waitangi River.  I was lucky to find a car park as the place was busy with tourists and families.  There were many people swimming in the rock pools above the falls, and the rest of us were busy taking photographs!

Raruru Falls near Paihia

A visit to Waitangi was another must, and I went there next.  The Treaty of Waitangi was signed here in 1840 between English colonists and Maori chiefs, and is regarded as our nation’s founding document.  A lot of controversy still surrounds this Treaty, and I was pleased to see that the Museum presented both sides of the history in a fairly unbiased manner.

The flagpole on the large sweep of lawn

The building now known as the Treaty House was built around 1833 as a home for the governor James Busby and his family.  It is one of New Zealand’s oldest surviving buildings.

Waitangi Treaty House

Beautiful cottage gardens have been established around the outside of the house, including fruit trees and grape vines.  So very different from when I last visited and the house was a lonely lifeless building that smelt musty and echoed badly.  The restoration of house and garden is great to see.

Part of the cottage garden surrounding the Treaty House

Close by the Treaty House is a Maori Meeting House, built in 1940 to celebrate 100 years since the Treaty was signed.  Together the two buildings are meant to symbolise partnership between the British Crown and the Maori people.  The house itself reflects the stories and carving styles of different tribes around New Zealand, and, after removing my shoes, I had a quick look inside.

Carvings and woven panels inside the Meeting House

The evening was calm and warm and perfect for an evening stroll.  I wandered down from my motel to downtown Paihia and drank in the atmosphere.  There were a lot of people around, patronising one of many different eateries or doing some souvenir shopping.  I thought this statue of a swordfish beside the wharf was rather appropriate, as a lot of deep sea fishing excursions begin here.

Swordfish statue on Paihia Wharf

Paihia had a lovely holiday atmosphere, and one day I hope I can return and explore it further.

Bye for now,

Margaret.

Kaiate Falls, Bay of Plenty

Almost back to winter weather today, with strong winds and the odd shower of rain racing through.  Only I know it isn't winter because it is so warm instead of chilly.  I can see why we have a thunderstorm watch in place at the moment.
It is not nice to be outside so I have been watching a free You Tube movie - a comedy Western called Lightning Jack (with Paul Hogan) which I enjoyed immensely.

It was 2009 when our family last visited Kaiate Falls (say ky-ar-tee) in the Bay of Plenty.  Sometimes I wonder where time slips away to, as it doesn't seem that long ago.  These photos were taken on that last visit.  The day was cloudy so the photos are a little dark.

Kaiate Falls is actually a cluster of cascades and waterfalls.  The top waterfall consists of three cascades down through the ignimbrite rocks in this area.

From the steep track down from the car park, we could see a concrete bridge crossing the stream.  During heavy rain the Kaiate Stream will flood and this bridge has been known to be completely submerged.

The next view is looking back from the concrete bridge to where we had made the initial trek down from the parking area.   I believe these steps were later washed away in a flood, so am not sure what is there now.

The track we followed was well-formed, although (when we were there in autumn) it was a little slippery in places.  From the concrete bridge we continued on the trail downwards.

The trail often turned into steps to cope with the steep descent.

We finally reached the bottom waterfall.  The pool at its base was deep and the water very clear.  In the summertime this pool becomes a favourite swimming hole with locals and visitors alike.

Across another bridge over the stream and then it was a steep trek back up the other side of the gully to the parking area.  I was glad the day was not too hot!

We spent around 90 minutes doing this walk, but it can be done in half that time.   It all depends whether you like to linger or not, and we certainly lingered while in this lovely spot.

Taking time to appreciate the beauty of nature,

Margaret.

Turtle Lake, Hamilton Gardens

Finally, a day of sunshine!  There were a few clouds around but it was sunny and warm.  The strong wind was a nuisance but we could overlook that and appreciate the sunshine.

I went out with son this morning and we bought some concrete pavers for the new garden he is creating.   He has been hard at work the last few days repairing fences and digging out tree stumps, before leveling the soil ready for laying out a new lawn and garden.

It was so enjoyable being out and about, that after we returned home I went out again.  This time by myself, and I visited Hamilton Gardens.  These public gardens are an extensive collection of many different themed gardens and it takes several hours to see all of them.

Turtle Lake, at Hamilton Gardens

Today I visited Turtle Lake and the Chinese Scholars Garden – I will write about the latter in another post.  I am not quite sure how Turtle Lake got its name, but it does have turtles in it.  I have seen them several times before but they are notoriously hard to photograph.  I had to be content with a photo of them cast in bronze sitting on a rock.

Bronze turtles on a rock

In 1998 a boardwalk was built around the Lake and it makes a pleasant place for a quiet stroll, or somewhere to sit and contemplate life for a while.

Garden Seat near Turtle Lake

Half way around the Lake there is an artificial waterfall.  I like to stop here and watch the ducks and golden carp and have a good look for the turtles.

Turtle Lake waterfall

There are some patches of water lilies growing in this lake and I managed to find a couple of flowers blooming.

A water lily

By now it was time for a late lunch, so I headed off to the Hamilton Gardens Café and bought a small quiche and a piece of cheesecake, accompanied by a drink of hot chocolate.

Turtle Lake Pavilion, with Hamilton Gardens Cafe in the background

Before leaving the Gardens I visited the Information Centre and picked up some brochures of interesting things to see and do around the city. 

I also bought a key-ring.  Recently I read about purse-charms, which I hadn’t heard of before, and found a perfect charm in the shape of a souvenir key-ring which I have now attached to my handbag.  

My new Purse Charm

Hope you have a great day,

Margaret.