A beautiful native specimen in the Nga Manu Nature Reserve
We took a drive up to Waikanae, which is about an hour north of Wellington, on Tuesday to visit the Nga Manu Nature Reserve. It is a special place for many reasons. Aside from being a great (natural) display of New Zealand's beautiful flora and fauna, it is where Ivan & Irene's (Zeph's Grandparents) memorial benches sit (can't think of many better ways to be remembered). There are two benches, each within close proximity of each other.
Zeph on Irene's bench and I am sitting on Ivan's bench in the distance...
Happy nature reservists- not to be confused with Naturists!
The ducks act quite innocent yet they move quick when on a mission!
In memory of Irene (Zeph's Grandmother)
In memory of Ivan (Zeph's Grandfather)
Before our sit, we took a stroll through the reserve's bush walk, where they have native plants and trees labeled with explanations and stories for those of us not familiar with what is native here. There are several big ponds where ducks and geese practice their take-off and landing strategies while the swans preoccupy themselves with themselves.
Sarah thoroughly enjoying the nature walk (and the hat her mum knitted her)!
Zeph is especially happy when camera is in hand!
Zeph is obviously quicker than I am in the camera department!
Yesterday we woke to some good winds here in Wellington. This time, not only did it sound like the porch furniture was moving across the porch, it might have been blowing an occasional house off its slab! Needless to say, when it is this windy and we want to go mountain biking, we drive over to what is now our friendly stand-by, the Makara Peak Mountain Bike Park. This day was one of those days where no matter what you do (or how much coffee you drink- Zeph), you just don't feel awake or altogether, together! Fortunately, while on vacation, we can just enjoy that space and not have to rush getting out of it. So we left on our ride up to the peak. The single track winds, or as Kiwis call it "undulates" up to the top of the peak which is about 1,500 feet above sea level, through beautiful canopies of ferns. To make matters even more enjoyable, it had just rained the night before so the trail had perfect traction with the rocks being just a bit on the slippery side. Needless to say, while this ride was just a little over an hour in length, it was perfect. It was so fun winding our way up the trail, feeling the warm sun on our backs, it almost felt like we were levitating up the mountain. Pure peaceful bliss. And, then we started the downhill! It was one of the best, flowing (flowy is the mountain bike term that we have come to love) single tracks with whoops and berms tossing us all around (in a good way) all the way down off the mountain. One of those trails you never want to end and one of those feelings you never want to forget. We got to the bottom, exhilarated and at peace, all at the same time, with very big smiles on our faces. A good day indeed!
Perfectly happy!
On a side note, we actually rented a movie the other day that is worthy of watching. It is a documentary by Eric Bana (the Australian actor most women instantly remember). It is his story about his passion for cars, or a car in particular, a 1970-ish Ford Falcon XB, that he has owned for over 20 years, rebuilt 3 times (about to be 4) and raced in the Targa/Tasmania multi day road rally twice now. The story isn't so much about him, but the relationship with the car through all these years and how it has been the fabric interwoven within his relationships with his best friends and family. It might not sound like the most exciting of stories, but it is a story well told with some beautiful pictures of Tasmania, that most don't see every day. So there it is, the shout out to Love the Beast. (Those of us who have or continue to have relationships with inanimate objects can especially relate- Sarah).
We are here in Wellington for a few more days before we head across on the InterIslander ferry once again (continuing to involuntarily contribute to the financial success of the ferry being this is our third trip in a little over a month) on Tuesday. From there we will drive the 900km, 10 hour drive down to Dunedin where we will get to unpack our bags (YAY!) and get into a little bit more normal life, well, enjoying life. In the meantime we get to check out the Wellington Farmer's Market on Sunday and Cafe Ora, a 100% gluten-free cafe with rave reviews, for a special treat Sunday brunch, as well as Graeme's return from Cambodia! Much to look forward to!
She was not camera shy in the least!
2 comments:
Thank you for going back and visiting Mum and Dad's contemplation benches. Dad grew many seedling to the small sapling stage to plant at the reserve. He and Mum were long time members of the Bird & Bush Society. (It's like the Audubon Society over here).
Did you put a stone on the 'gate'?
I am so glad you got to take a rest on Nana and Grandad's benches.
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