New Plymouth coastline

Auckland Domain - Winter Garden - update

One of my all time favourite places in Auckland from way back in the 1970's when I was flatting in nearby Parnell to the present day the Auckland Winter Garden Wikipedia has always been a place I could chill out - especially on a week day. Looking more spectacular than I've seen in a while it is a must see right now from the perfumed Wisteria to the  flower extravaganza in one of the houses.  Best of all it's free, well not exactly for us locals we pay in our annual property rates but I'm happy to contribute.

(In the heated house that makes your glasses mist over for a time) 

Street planting in Market Road outside St Cuthbert's College

I'm consulting my botanical expert but as yet I don't know what these are called but I found them flowering about a month ago in Market Road Epsom.

Okura Bush walkway

Just to the north of Auckland (but not as far as Orewa) is the Okura Bush walkway. Info

I was checking this out as a bush walk suitable for my mother who is 89 and it is certainly far too difficult after very short distance from the southern end for her. Having said that it is an excellent quality track which would be straight forward enough for most people especially if they had plenty of time. In fact given the number of "camera stops" I made it would be very unlikely that people could complete the whole walk in three hours.

Glow - Devonport

Part of Auckland Art Week was the Glow festival in Devonport featuring lit structures, fire throwing, closed streets and a whole lot of outdoor dinning.

The crowds were out but the weather wasn't kind on the Friday with wind and rain around 9pm.

Hobsonville Point

Hobsonville Point is a new Auckland green fields development spanning a large area that was formerly the Hobsonville Airforce base.

This is intensive living without going to the extreme of the high-rise.

There is a ferry service to Auckland CBD from the old flying boat base and a farmers market adjacent (Saturday and Sunday) - I had the best seafood chowder I've eaten in decades from a vendor there over the weekend.

I have previously posted about the recycling of the old airforce buildings in the area Previous post

There is clearly an approved colour palette across the whole development similar in "earthy" colours to that of the newer part of the Omaha development.

Although many of these homes are occupied there is a stark, grim bleakness in the lack of human activity except for hundreds of yellow vested builders. Above - the main street.

Gannets at Muriwai

It's that time of the year again when romance and nest building is in full swing out on the cliffs at Muriwai.

Mt Taranaki from the Stratford side

I haven't often got to the Stratford (eastern) side of the mountain on my many many trips to New Plymouth over the years however in September I managed a "round the mountain" drive.

The photo below taken from the ski field car park which is at around 1000m elevation. The mountain has an elevation of 2518m.

New Plymouths Coastal Walkway

The Coastal Walkway is a 12.7-kilometre  long walkway located along the coast of New Plymouth which started construction in 1999.  Info and Map

The route is an easy walk or cycle and a credit to Taranaki showing the rest of New Zealand what they could achieve with their coastlines with a bit of will power.