24 Sep '08 2:50 pm I have just had a unique experience to share with everyone here.
We went to the southernmost tip of the North island-the end of the road so to speak,though one could say the end of the road in the north island is when you drive on to the Cook strait ferry heading for the South island.However,our family organised to rent a beach house at Cape Palliser for the weekend-we had never been there,as it is really remote.
The Southerly winds blast in from Cook strait,and on a clear day you can see the mountains of the south island.There have been several ship wrecks there,and you have to know what you are doing to venture out into the wild seas.There is a little fishing village called Nga-iwi which you travel through,and a fascinating place it is too.
There are two seal colonies at the cape and we got close to them as it was high tide and they were up on the grass.
the sheep had gone the wrong direction so the farmer on his 4 wheeler and his two dogs were getting them back.Hope you can see it okay.(the dogs ride on the bike till they are given the orders.No ripe language with an audience watching and taking photos.
Last edited by Dixie on 24 Sep '08 3:13 pm; edited 1 time in total
Dixie
garden enthusiast
Waikato-New Zealand
The seal colony,the lighthouse,and Nga-iwi.
24 Sep '08 3:11 pm We went to see the seals,then carried on to the end of the road where the lighthouse is.It was built in 1897.The dangerous,slippery track to the light house was replaced by steps.My grandchildren climbed to the top with their Daddy,but Smiley and I stayed near the bottom,as it was pretty scary and steep.
jack two
nominate your own title
The new improved Jack Holloway v.2
Where do aging catterpillars go?
24 Sep '08 8:10 pm They retire to the seaside!
You say that is typically NZ? I must admit I've never seen anything like it in SA! Does each boat and trailer have its own catterpillar? Are they used on farms as well? We only see them on construction sites - huge big ones. We would use tractors for the boats and on farms. I am fascinated by this! Thanks for posting, Dixie - and lovely to see more of the family!
Faith S
Perpetually learning gardener
Alabama, USA
Fun holiday
25 Sep '08 4:16 am Dixie, what a nice holiday for you and Smiley. Some of the photos of the beach area reminded me so much of some of our past trips to the California coast. It made me sort of nostalgic. The caterpillers were something I have never seen used that way either. Do you think the pink one may have started out red at one time and has faded out to that pink color over time? There is a farm not to far from mine that has a pink barn. I think it started as a red barn.
Dixie
garden enthusiast
Waikato-New Zealand
Caterpillars and tractors
25 Sep '08 6:05 am Hi Jack and Faith.What I meant is that it is typical Kiwi to paint your working vehicles quirky.The caterpillars are recycled-retired from former work and the fishermen painted them all colours-As well as the pink one there were red,green,orange and yellow.Old farm tractors are taken to beaches and used to put boats in the water.When we left our farm,our son in law asked for our old tractor,(named Bertha-we give our tractors personal names) and took it to Whitianga on the coromandel peninsula,where it lives out its retirement towing his deep-sea fishing boat to the water's edge.He has painted her to match with the boat,and other fisherman also paint their tractors quite decoratively.
I must get photos of Kiwi letterboxes one day.They are another story too.
Kerole
nominate your own title
Taupaki, New Zealand
25 Sep '08 8:48 am When Caterpillar first made road-making machines (a hundred years ago?) it was all painted grey. But the traffic could not see them well enough so they changed to bright yellow. Today all caterpillar machinery is produced in yellow only... I wonder what they'd think of their NZ counterparts' new colour schemes? Fantastic Dixie!
