The best thing about going off-island for a month is returning!! Living on my island haven for 16 months has given me the taste for a simple life and living in a town no longer holds appeal. Whilst it was great to see family and friends, I longed for bush and birdsong, sparse traffic and the sense of identity that our island community has.
The Weather Gods blessed me with amazing Autumn weather - it's not often that there's 3 weeks of mostly fine weather in Taranaki but I certainly appreciated it as my main mode of transport was either walking or biking. No time for tramping this time round but I did get to visit the high country of North Taranaki for a few days - stunning in the rain and low cloud that swirled up from the valley below.
Enough talking! Here's some photos...
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| Mt Taranaki from the Stratford side |
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| Mt Taranaki from Egmont Village side |
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| North Taranaki high country |
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| Swirling clouds rising from the valley below |
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| New Plymouth's Wind Wand taken from the bus |
The bus trip to Wellington was interesting as it's been a while since I've had the luxury of looking at the scenery instead of where I'm driving. Amazing to see the damage done by high winds/tornados in the Patea to Waverley area - huge branches smashed and roofs blown away. The Intercity bus was very comfortable and smooth and I thought the price of the bus ticket was exceptional at only $23.
Wellington was fun - not only did I discover more great bush walks just a stone's throw from dense housing, I was also shouted tickets to the Hurricanes vs Brumbies match at Westpac Stadium. Not a good result but the atmosphere was good and we had great seats to watch the action - and the Hurricane supporters and their drums sitting just a few seats away. Fun to try out the new units to and from Johnsonville as well.
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| Fab views from a bush walk between Brooklyn and Aro Street |
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| Go the Hurricanes! |
