HELLO!! It has been quite a long time since I have had a spare moment to add pictures and tales of my most recent adventures. Work picked up right before Christmas, leaving me attempting to juggle 3 jobs and care for a garden and house! It was pretty chaotic. I made the 36 hour adventure back to Connecticut to spend Christmas with my family, which was lovely and COLD! I ended up getting to stay for New Years because of the blizzard that closed airports all over NYC. My trip back to NZ took over 40 hours!!! but I made it back, and left for the island a day after reaching the mainland.
Back on the island, we were saddened to see that our garden, which we had put many hours into, had been demolished by beetles and lack of water. We did our best to salvage what was left, and I have started some new plants since. I finally had the opportunity I'd been waiting for to explore the island with Dan, without any work looming over our heads. We found the most incredible spot - Awana Creek - with a very steep and slippery track down to it. Waterfalls, jumping rocks, impressive swimming holes, and the song from Pocahontas "Just around the river bend" stuck in our heads; we explored as far as we could go. It was truly an incredible little spot!
We had some friends out to visit, and went on fishing excursions, surfing adventures, lazy beach days and visited Awana Creek again.
Within the past week, a cyclone has visited the island, bringing with it HEAPS of rain and very strong winds! Chaos! Its peetering out at the moment, but another one is on the way for Friday/Saturday.
At the moment, my conservation work has been halted because of the weather, so I have been racking up hours at the Cafe. Once the weather clears, I'll be back out there, this time trapping Argentine ants in Sand dunes.
Dan and I are trying to make some plans for once we have finished up on the Island in April. We haven't made a solid decision yet, but I will be sure to let you all know once we decide! For now - here are some pictures from the past month or so. Enjoy! Miss you all and hope you're doing well!!! XOXO
Our garden before we left for holiday - before the beetle invasion
Our funny little cottage - all rusty on the outside, but a very warm and lovely home
Back in Thames, Dan decorating our NZ Christmas tree
NZ PLUMS!!!!!
Connecticut Goldfinches having a feed before the blizzard
Back in NZ - Pohutukawa Blossoms
More Pohutukawa Blossoms - New Zealand's Christmas Tree
The Tui drinking nectar from the blossoms
A Kingfisher - slightly out of focus, but cool shot nonetheless
Dan surfing at Whangapara Estuary -- Santa Claus brought me a very nice new zoom for my camera, which allows me to capture moments like this.
The Whangapara Estuary seen from the mountains of Windy Canyon
A Kereru!! Or Pigeon Chicken as our American friends nicknamed it.
They are very awkward, fat birds.
The wind blown Karaka Bay - first time I have ever seen white caps here!!!
That's my "driveway" - I usually walk down to that house on the right, but with the impressive high tides mixed with 45 knot winds, walking down there proves to be mildly dangerous, and very wet. Its been up and over the hill instead!
Waves crashing over the barrier and flooding Orama's front lawn
More of waves crashing...
This is usually a very calm little stream running into the bay - you can see it in pictures I've posted previously of Karaka Bay. Now, due to heaps of rain and a very high tide, it is flooded - and breaking over into the lawn!
This is our baby oystercatcher (the one standing up) with one of his parents. He was born in mid-December, and used be a tiny white fluff. Just since I went on holiday he grew up and has starting getting the mature feathers his parent's have.
Pateke - or Brown Teal - Highly endangered Duck in New Zealand. We have 3 families living in Orama's front yard. They like the yard being flooded because their food is easier to find!
Me relaxing in a Pohutukawa tree...
And relaxing on a boat out in the ocean
This is the waterfall at Awana Creek...
A very bright, and kind of cute in an ugly way, fish we caught! I've never seen a fish this color before!!!
Dan jumping from above the waterfall at Awana Creek
Me climbing some rocks at Awana Creek
All of the rain from the Cyclone brought to life some creeks we have never seen before - this being one of them! I spotted this one on the way to work just off the roadside. So beautiful!!!
