On the way back from lunch at Governors Bay we stopped in at a New Zealand native tree nursery as I wanted to get a ponga tree fern to plant in our garden. I was a bit hesitant as to whether it would survive as we live quite close to the sea but I’m sure it will be fine in the sheltered place we have in mind for it. This nursery had every type of fern you could imagine in the fern house and I was delighted to see so many with new growth. The new growth of a fern makes a wonderful curving spiral shape as it opens and is the inspiration behind many of my koru designs. I took lots of images of the different colours and textures of the different species of tree fern and of the gorgeous koru shapes. The large tree fern in the montage is the silver fern – our national symbol : -
Hubby and I had a nice drive over to Governor’s Bay on Banks Peninsula for lunch the other day and stopped off at a lookout point by the Sign of the Kiwi. I captured an image looking over towards the Southern Alps. Look how much snow is still there even though it is meant to be Spring! We can see the hills from where we live and I noticed there was even a dressing of snow on Banks Peninsula itself the next day. While I was taking photographs we heard a noise like a whoosh and looked over to see a keruru – a native wood pigeon sitting in the tree close by. The whooshing noise is a noise distinctive to the native pigeon and it made our day to see this beautiful wild bird sitting so contentedly in the tree posing for the camera : – )
Thanks for visiting!
Deanna
I captured this beautiful ghostly image by chance last week – it reminds me of an xray : – ) This shadowy effect was left behind on a wall after a small garage fire – once a sign had been removed….. beauty can be found anywhere : – )
I think the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time was the YouTube video at vakadesign.
I’ve popped the link here for anyone interested to see : – )
Thank you vakadesign and the office workers!
Cheers
Deanna
Some limestone outcrops at Takiroa, near Duntroon in Central Otago have a number of Maori rock art drawings, which date to the 19th century and on Sunday I was lucky enough to go on a tour with the friends of the Christchurch Art Gallery to see them first hand.
From the mountains to the sea – an ancient pathway…. Takiroa is a significant landmark in the traditions of Ngai Tahu Whanui. The rock shelter lies on an ancient pathway following the Waitaki River from the mountains to the sea. The headwaters of the Waitaki River are fed from ka roimata o Aoraki (the tears of Aoraki) – the ancient mountain of Ngai Tahu Whanui. The limestone outcrops at Takiroa are said to be a legacy of Tamatea-Pokai-Whenua, a great explorer who lit fires as he walked the land. Te ahi tapu o Tamatea (the sacred fires of Tamatea) cooled to form mounds of pale white ash such as the outcrop at Takiroa.
Here is a montage of images I captured on Sunday of the rock art, the beautiful textures of the limestone outcrops and an image of contemporary rock art – (someone has scratched their names in the hard surface of the limestone rock!). The view the tribe had from their shelter would have been very different back then, but they would have been able to see for miles from their shelter high above. This trip held special significance to me as I feel it enhanced the Mauri Ora studying I have been doing. Tihei Mauri Ora – I breathe therefore I am!
Here are some inspirational images I took on Sunday of the beautiful textures, colours and patterns of the limestone outcrops at Takiroa, Central Otago. If you look carefully you may be able to see the little sparrow sitting safely in her nest in the outcrop high above.
Wow – there have been lots of blustery cold days here recently so walks on the beach have been a bit wind blown and wet – what on earth has happened to Spring! On Monday Moses the dog and I were walking fast, trying to beat the wind : – ) I glanced down at my feet and saw a perfect egg half buried in the sand. I have seen mating pairs of paradise ducks on the estuary for the last few weeks and wonder maybe it was one of theirs – as it is quite a large egg. Alas the perfect brown speckled egg was quite cold when I picked it up and cupped it carefully in my hand.
This was washed up on the beach last week after the storm. This broken blue tinted shell looks like a fragment from an archaeological dig – maybe an old urn?
This other image is part of a coconut shell – found on the same day – it looked like it might have been in a fire – I love the leathery looking texture on the inside.
We spent a wonderful day walking around Duvauchelles Bay to the site of the old Maori Pa at Onawe – did a lot of beach fossicking and I found this rusty old object with a hole through it….still continuing this theme – I seem to be attracted to objects like this.
old rusty object battered by sun, wind and rain…I pick it up, peep through the hole…. and see another land….
Look what I found sitting on the window inside the conservatory this morning! It wasn’t such a good spot for this wee fellow’s natural camouflage. He (or she) blended beautifully back into the foliage of the rose bush when we carefully carried him back outside. He must have been hungry as he looked like he was nibbling one of the petals : – )
long skinny legs….he sways to and fro….reticulated insect….with his garden camouflage….
