Visitors

Summer is all about visitors and January is peak season for cruise ships, trampers and those just wanting to chill out. Although it would be lovely to have sunshine to welcome them, the people I've spoken to have taken our inclement weather in their stride. The Coral Discoverer made its fourth visit this month and possibly won't be back for a year or two; our guiding team had the pleasure of having lunch with the staff and passengers on board before showing them round Ulva Island - with a cold easterly blowing most birds had sought refuge on the lee side of the island so just as well the plants stayed put!

The Coral Discoverer at anchor in Paterson Inlet

On the tender approaching Coral Discoverer

The tender after being lifted to deck level

Looking from the boat to Sydney Cove, Ulva Island

Off to Ulva Island in the tender - good view of the tender 'cradle'

Ulva Island jetty with the Coral Discoverer tender mid-picture

My visitors at home are four-footed or winged...

Whitetail deer out from the deck - a spiker (?Dad) to the left, Mum at
the rear and Bambi by the incinerator

Lots of kereru around at present

Another pic of our lovely native pigeons

My visitors pale in comparison with those visiting Beverley's garden; her mature kowhai tree had 16-20 kereru perched in it the other day.

The top half of Beverley's kowhai tree

The Bluff Coastguard were here last weekend on a PR visit; they appreciate the fundraising efforts of some Islanders and were giving free rides out in their rescue boat. I went down after work and got these shots as they took another group for a ride.

Welcome rain

Our island paradise has been bathed in sunshine for most of this year and we've had very little rain. Most households and tramping/hunting huts, are dependent on rainwater so it's with a sigh of relief when we finally get rain after a long dry spell. The ngahere (bush) also welcomes the rain, and judging by the display I witnessed yesterday, the birds were hanging out for it too!

Thursday and Friday were fine and windy with a wee dribble of rain overnight; rain was forecast for Saturday morning but that dawned fine and calm and got increasingly more humid through the day. It was hot working in the shop, especially on checkout duty with the pie-warmer at your back. A few spits of rain came mid-afternoon but most evaporated before it hit the ground. I got home at 4pm and smiled when proper rain finally set in and started watering the garden for me.

I was heading out again for dinner and then off to the Bunkhouse Theatre to see a New Zealand independent feature film called 'Sunday' so needed to put on leggings and raincoat for my walk back to the Bay. Just down from the airstrip turnoff several bedraggled kereru were perched on the power lines and revelling in the rain - a chaotic ballet of trying to roll their bodies to the moisture accompanied by wing extension and teetering to maintain their balance.

Looking up Main Road from Whipp Place - only 4 driveways and
12 minutes walking before I'm home

The 70 minute self-financed movie was great and I'm keen to buy the DVD as it captures perfectly the shattering and rebuilding, both on city-wide and personal levels; check out the trailer or watch the film online and support the Christchurch community with their creative endeavours. I visited Christchurch in December 2011, about the time the movie was made, so many of the areas depicted in the movie were my memories too. Beautifully shot and high fives to all those involved - please do a sequel!

Nature's Christmas decorations

Humans are not the only ones that decorate trees at Christmas - Mother Nature puts on a pretty good show without having to queue in shopping malls or spend any money! I took the camera out on Christmas Day to snap a few examples.

 



Kamahi in flower

At the entrance to my driveway is a beautiful kamahi in full flower; pink and white candles that smother the tree.

Kamahi flowers to the left, native clematis seed heads to the right

Close up of kamahi 'candles'

Kamahi candle forming the seed head

Seed head from last summer

The cabbage tree has also started flowering - it has a beautiful scent, especially on a warm summer's evening.

One of my transplanted flax plants has shot up a flower stalk not far from my bedroom window; fingers crossed for some good bird photos!

It's not a partridge, nor a pear tree but this kereru was happy to be photographed regardless!

Christmas lunch was a picnic on Horseshoe Bay beach with my friend, Raylene, and her Cairn terrier, Mac. Raylene brought her thermette which boiled water superfast for our cuppa and Mac put the 'sand' into sandwiches when he decided to bury his stick inches from the picnic blanket!!

Christmas on the beach

Time for a brew

Mac after a romp on the beach

Horseshoe Bay on Christmas Day