Rotorua New Zealand

I took these photos at Rotorua which is on the North Island of New Zealand









The smell from the sulphur and hot springs was quite overpowering. I did get to spend time in a hot spa at the resort we were staying in and I have to say, although the sulphur was not a pleasant smell it was very relaxing..







A celebration was held in our honour in their meeting house. We were entertained by a group of Maoris and their chief. Their singing was beautiful and their humour very entertaining some of us were chosen to join in and be part of the entertainment . Thats me in the pink making a fool of myself swinging the pois. I had really bad co ordination, what made it worse was that I couldn't stop from laughing..

The end of the night was finished off with a traditional Maori feast..


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Cody's Secret

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Australia Day, Parramatta

January 26, is the biggest day of celebration in our country and is observed as a public holiday in all states and territories.It is the day all Australians come together as a nation to celebrate what's great about Australia and being Australian.
Many activities are organised through out the country. I was able to arrive early to watch as air balloons coloured the skies in Parramatta Park.

My daughter and I sat on the damp early morning dew listening to good old Aussie songs, eating pancakes and hot coffee .
We wandered about the many craft stalls which were filled with lots of goodies..

To our surprise an old English bus was available for short rides.. It was a bit rickety, the original seating had been replaced with a row of benches. still it was a fun experience..


We finished the day by watching this awesome display of fireworks






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Fairy Walk

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Larnach Castle pt 2

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As you can see from this signpost the weather
was pretty dim, this was taken just leaving Dunedin..

Dunedin is on the South Island of New Zealand and one of the prettiest places I
have ever visited.






The area is very much Scottish influenced. I won't give up too much information about Dunedin as yet, you will have to wait until I post about it..



















These photos are views taken from the very top of the Castle











I climbed, this staircase which took me to the top of the tower. It wasn't so bad climbing to the top, coming down was the problem; the steps were very narrow and there were no hand rails. We had to walk in single file.

Larnach Castle Dunedin

William Larnach

built his castle for his beloved first wife Eliza in 1871. It took him over thirteen years to complete.

He had employed over 200 men, to complete it to shell stage which took three years.

The next 12 years were

spent with European craftsmen creating the beautiful interior.

There was no expense spared this was to be his dream home.

This castle didn't come without sadness; It was both tragic and scandalous. There is quite an eerie feeling as you wander about the second floor..The story goes it has its own resident ghost.

William's first wife died young and tragically leaving him with 6 children to care for. He married his wife's older sister, who also died unexpectantly.

He re married..

However, he became increasingly unhappy with his children and his third wife; after receiving the news that his wife was having an affair with his son and was carrying his child; William took his own life.







We were not able to use our cameras inside the house so, all the photos you see here I purchased as a souvineer pack. I did take some shots from the tower..

The day I visited was a very wet miserably cold day ..The views from the tower were still magnificent.. I'll add them shortly..

Poppy's Secret Garden

I took this photo about five years ago before my Dad went into a nursing home. He was a mad keen gardener, not only with flower beds but had his own hydroponic vegetable garden..

This particular garden was filled with gnomes and maiden hair ferns all his grandchildren called it the Fairy Garden..It is not as pretty now, the old gnomes have faded and the ferns have since died..



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The Fairy Queen

Canterbury Plains New Zealand

Wisteria Gardens Parramatta

It is such a wet and miserable day in Sydney today I had to sift through my photos and find something to brighten up my day. These were all taken during Springtime 2007. The Gardens are a part of Cumberland Hospital. It is opened each September for two weekends only.
























Besides the gardens being opened the patients and their families run a fete selling crafts, jams , books and the odd piece of junk..





It is such a perfect place to relax and wander about smelling the flowers , at the end of the walk- about tea, coffee and Devonshire scones are served for a very small fee


There were so many photos to choose from; these are just a few...


They certainly brightened my very cold wet winter's day..

Norah Head

Norah Head is famous for its views to the Pacific Ocean, and also for its immaculately kept Light house.








The Light House and it surrounding gardens make a great back drop for weddings and on any given day of the week there are often couples taking advantage of the superb scenery and native fauna.

These steps take you down to the rocky shore line. It is an easier enough walk , however the climb up is a little on the steep side. As you can see from the photo I did walk to the bottom.

There were reports of whale sightings along the coast. We did get to see two, from a distance but they were a little too far out to take photos..