Takapuna Caravan Park

Albert Park and the Sky Tower

Long Bay VII

Fallen pohutakawas in Pohutakawa Bay.

Long Bay VI

Footprints along Pohutakawa Bay.

Long Bay V

Gorse in front of Rangitoto...

Long Bay IV

Fields above Piripiri Point just after the downpour.

Long Bay III

The view over towards the Okura River to the north of Long Bay just before the rain.

Long Bay II

Trees and clouds by Granny's Bay.

Long Bay I

It's been a little too wet recently to venture anywhere far so here's a series of shots from a walk we had at Long Bay a month or so ago when it was only raining every so often rather than every five minutes.

The Colour Purple

A few weeks ago, I took a trip to the French Market in Parnell. Fortunately, I managed to resist the over-priced imported goods - cheese, cider and chocolat - and returned with some fennel and these purple carrots.

Oddly, they didn't taste any different - just not very carroty. The rabbits munched down theirs just the same and we boiled ours up with some barley.

Puhoi Stockyards

Once the land was cleared of kauri and other native bush, the Bohemian settlers turned to farming. These are the stockyards where animals would have been bought and sold. We can't quite work out the purpose of the low shed in front but wondered whether it might have been used for shearing competitions.

Puhoi Presbytery

The Catholic Church was an important part of life in early Puhoi. At the start, the priest used to walk from parish to parish, stopping in each settlement to hold a service. Later on, the church was built and a school run, by nuns.

This is part of the presbytery built for the first resident priest in the 1880s. It has the same white walls and red roof that all the church buildings have.

Puhoi Pub

Puhoi Pub is well-known for its quaintness and crowds of bikers. We had lunch in the dining room and enjoyed looking at the photos of the old bullock teams that were used to clear the kauri from the land and a family portrait from the 1920s of the Tongan royal family and the Maori King.

Puhoi in the Pouring Rain

It's been very very wet recently but we didn't want to stay indoors again last weekend and headed to Puhoi to explore.

Puhoi was settled by Bohemian villagers in the 1860s but was isolated for many years with only river access to the valley. As a result, many of the original buildings have been left intact including the library - a single room dating back to 1913. It has an open fire, a safe from the days when it was occupied by the roading authority and marks on the door frame showing where the floodwaters have reached.

Approaching the Bridge

White Rabbits!