Hail

 

Spring is throwing out some strange weather right now. We don't get snow where we live but it is visible on some of the mountains around us over Winter. Last week around 4.30am we had a very loud thunderstorm with hail. It wasn't until an hour or so later my daughter said this is what she saw out on our deck. 

Clumps of hail all over the deck and on her hand. Apparently various other suburbs around town got it too.

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Blossoms

 

These flowers are currently on my neighbour's plum tree but sadly this tree is due to be cut down and removed in November when he plans to put a new fence in, he does have a second plum tree elsewhere in his backyard too but it means we will no longer be able to pick up plums off the ground on our side of the property.

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Daffodils

 

It's beginning to feel like Spring here. I drove past our local council buildings last week to see that daffodil sculptures had been put up on display in front of the fountain. These flowers are the one that New Zealand's cancer society use in order to raise funding for their organization. The wooden sculptures have been made by a local community group "The Menz Shed".

I'm not sure why someone's rugby boot got thrown up onto the grass though.

Edited to add: here's my first daffodils that came up last week.

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Kererū

 

Lately I've been seeing 3 fat Kererū aka wood pigeons out in my backyard. We are just about to go into Spring in September so they are no doubt waiting for berries on trees and for my Kowhai tree to bloom as they like to eat the nectar from the flowers. 

It was a bleak late Winter's day in the top photo so I found the above photo online to show whar the bird's colours look like.

This video is a view of my neighbour's shed and plum tree which overhangs my backyard. The bird singing is that of a Bellbird aka Korimako.

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Wharerangi

 

Photo taken in Autumn about 5 years ago.

Napier - Wharerangi Cemetery. Opened in 1948 and is mostly dedicated to returned servicemen and women who played a part in the 1st and 2nd world wars. B and I visited here about 5 years ago to pay respects to his grandmother and her husband. This is not the entire cemetery, it's only a small part of it.

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Rowi

 

At Franz Josef along the main street is this sculpture with a kiwi sitting at the top on an egg. The plaque says:

This Rowi sculpture commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Westland Tai Poutini National Park 29th March 2010 commissioned by Franz Inc and sponsored by various local businesses.

The Rowi Kiwi is only found in the nearby Okarito Forest.

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Biker's B & B

 

In Stillwater, about 10 minutes away from where I live is this bed and breakfast named "Biker's". When I took this photo it was early Winter so there wasn't alot of colour especially in the garden where they have roses growing. Apparently it use to be the old Stillwater Hotel aka The Junction Hotel but it was moved in the late 1940s nearer the local railway station. All of the Greymouth region was and is still well known for it's gold and coal mining history.

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Hari Hari Mosaic Garden

On 2 of our travels further down the West Coast we have stopped into the small town of HariHari. While the boys wandered off to look at something nearby, I spotted this mosaic garden that someone had set up. Hari Hari is a small settlement on the West Coast about and hour and 20 minutes from Greymouth and the population is approx 250 as of June 2024. Local HariHari artist Helen Hindman created the mosaics in the garden.

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St Lukes Anglican Church

 

This church is a tiny little one down a quiet country road in Whataroa and was dedicated on 10th July 1919. 

These stained glass windows were apparently given to the church by Henry Burrough and his sister in memory of their brother Joseph Burrough who died on active service in France on 22 June 1917.

The inside is well maintained, tiny and looked after. Apparently it's still holding services each week and is under the umbrella of the Christchurch diocese.

I was surprised I could open the door as many country churches are locked. This building was put together from an unused church originally located in Goldsborough

There is no cemetery attached as there is a main one further into town along the main street.

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For the babies

 

Seen in a Tauranga cemetery about 10 years ago. It reads: For all our babies, briefly known, forever loved. 

Beautiful.

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Ice

 

Apart from the odd fine days this has been the gist of our Winter so far. But Winter is good for going through clothes and things we no longer use. Last week my daughter and I dropped off 4 bags of items to one of our local op shops.

And last week we had days of waking up and finding layers of ice outside on our deck. So we have had to be careful not to walk on it until it melted so we don't slip over.

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Lunch

 

Last week we went out for a meal at one of the local restaurants "Speights Ale House". We've been there once before about 2 years ago, it's not often we get out as we all have conflicting days off. My choice, above was Tempura Prawns with sweet chilli sauce, one of my favourites.

 

We also ordered pull apart bread for us to share, this was covered with oliv oil and herbs - so yummy. The meal in the photo on the right was on the specials board - it was so tempting. 

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Kowhai Bush Walk

 

Sunday was a crisp, cold, sunny Winter's day here. B and I decided to venture out and complete a short 20 minute walk around a wetlands in Blaketown.

This photo above and the next few ones are of the water, bridge and pathway around the loop. We could feel the cold air and the temperature got to a chilly 10 degrees.

To get back to the car we had to come out of the pathway loop and cross over the railway tracks. Trains only go through town a couple of times a day so there was no danger.

Someone has written graffiti on one of the concrete overbridges. The West Coast has always been well known for it's coal industry. We don't use coal on our fire but many other people do as it's cheap.

Looking torwards the port and industrial area...

Looking over the railway tracks towards the rugby club then we turned around and walked back to the car.

And here's a video I took on my phone of the walk as we went around, if you want to see the 20 minutes roughly of it here's a link:

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Winter at Rapahoe

We are still trying to take my daughter's dog Bug to the beach over Winter on the odd non rainy day. 

Oyster catcher birds at the edge of the high tide looking for tasty morsels that have washed up.

The remains of an old pier at the edge of the tide and river that goes out into the ocean.

Looking across the beach to the other side.

But was sniffing new smells for the week and checking out rocks with us.

Lots of old empty mussell shells covered in barnacles. Usually this beach is covered in driftwood and old tree stumps and branches. Sometimes people bring their cars and trailers here and chop up wood to take home.

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People

 

Photo taken near the beach access to Hokitika Beach.

This morning my daughter R and I drove down to Hokitika to do some op shopping, While we were there we met up with one of my cousins for coffee and brunch. It's nearly Winter here but it was quite mild temperature wise and the sun was just starting to get out so it felt quite warm.

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The last weeks of Autumn

 

Photos taken at the edge of the town square in Greymouth with the Left Bank Art Gallery in the building on the left.

And this one of the main road through the square which leads into the rest of town. Some nice colours around at the moment...

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