Cripes! So many eels hungry for a feed on Saturday ‘avo in the country. We stopped by the Saddleback Cafe at the Country Club Riding Academy to finalise details for Sophie’s 4th Birthday party celebrations and spent a good half hour baiting sticks and feeding the eels. It was a glorious day of sunshine, after […]
nature
Such a tragedy: Nature can be so cruel
I feel cold to the core when I think of the tragic death of the beautiful young people and their heroic teacher in the flash flood in Tongariro National Park this week. These amazing people, united through their love of nature, felt the cruel hand it can also deal. My heart goes out to the […]
The Earth Rocks in New Zealand
Living in New Zealand there is always a feeling of being literally close to nature. This morning I watched powerful waves rolling out onto Lyall Bay Beach; this evening, I felt the whole house shake in a major after shock of a 6.8 earthquake more powerful than the 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake. It was centred 50 […]
South Coast Wonders
The Island Bay Marine Centre had an ‘Open Day’ today and we are always so excited to visit. It’s so incredible to be able to get close to beautiful sea creatures. Learning through interaction and real-life experiences is so powerful. Charlotte and Sophie’s interest in the wonders of the sea has certainly been captured since […]
Kaka Frenzy at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary
In the midst of Wellington City is Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. New Zealand stood alone from the rest of the world for 85 million years. The only native land-mammal is the short and long-tailed bat (peka peka). Bird life used to be prolific and only on offshore islands, now cleared of introduced predators, can people get […]
Garden Dreams
Our home in Houghton Bay is fortunate to be sheltered from the worst of Wellington’s southerlies and this afternoon we enjoyed a beautiful afternoon gardening and adventuring. Tui’s sang in the tree-top of our Norfolk Pine and a fantail flew above our heads, even venturing briefly inside the house (alas too fast for me to […]