Spring

I think spring has finally arrived.  We have had some lovely days although we all got thoroughly drenched on our Parkinson's walk yesterday.

On Sunday we went to a concert put on by the Whangarei Brass Band in Christ Church.  We attended last year and would have  missed it this year if a lady at the gym on Sunday morning hadn't mentioned it.

I think this year it was even better than last with a guest artist and girl's kapa haka group fromTauraroa Area School.

Tomorrow we are going to Kerikeri to see the bluebell wood.

SEATS ALONG THE NEW HATEA LOOP WALK

At the start of the walk while still at the Town Basin there is a bbq table with bbq.

one then comes to this lovely seat below which is outside the Reyburn House Gallery

then there is this pleasant place to sit and look at the river.

this is one of many with the top that can be altered so that one can either look at the river or inland.

These seats that look like seagulls have been there for a while

after crossing the new pedestrian bridge one is in the industrial part of whangarei and this is reflected in the industrial looking benches.

After crossing the new road bridge we come to some more of the seagull type seats and one of the ladies who accompanies her husband on the Parkinson walks is sitting (or reclining) on one.

 Then there are these lovely benches made and donated by the local "Men's Shed"

 then, when one comes to the road there is a bus stop.  This is where we rested on the Parkinson walk

Most of these seats are repeated at various stages of the walk.

New Pedestrian Bridge.

Today was the opening of the new pedestrian Bridge at the Town Basin giving us a 4.2 km walkway crossing three bridges.

There was a Maori blessing at dawn followed by a  ribbon cutting ceremony at 9.30.  Doug picked me up from home at 7 a.m. and we went to the Growers' Markets first then to the Town Basin.  The new bridge was already open so we walked around the new track, along past the "Wave and Waka" sculpture to the new bridge.




                                 

                                        Looking back at the bridge from the other side.

                   and looking towards the recently built road bridge from the same spot.

                    On the other side of the river looking back towards the new pedestrian bridge and the end of the peninsula.

                              Looking at the wave and waka from the other side of the river

                                                       Back to the Town Basin

                                                Paddle boarders (one with dog)

We got back just in time to grab a "coffee to go" before the ribbon cutting ceremony.  (The bridge had been closed again for this ceremony).

                                              The bridge opened to let a boat through

In spite of a terrible forecast there was one short sharp shower during the proceedings but the clouds gathered again afterwards

Kereru

The following extract from the Department of Conservation website explains why I am so pleased to have the Kereru in my garden.  We spent over forty years on a five acre property in the north but I had never seen a kereru until we moved to Kamo.

"In Northland, the kereru is in danger of becoming locally extinct through the combined effects of predation, competition and continued hunting.

But if the kererū is under threat, so too are our native trees which depend on the kererū as a seed disperser. Fruit is its favourite food, and trees such as the karaka, taraire, tawa, miro and others depend on the kererū to carry their seeds to new areas of forest. The bird's extinction would be a disaster for our forests."

"New Zealand's native pigeon, also known as kererū, kūkū and kūkupa and wood pigeon, is the only disperser of large fruits, such as those of karaka and taraire, we have. The disappearance of the kererū would be a disaster for the regeneration of our native forests.

New Zealand pigeon/kererū.

The kererū is a large bird with irridescent green and bronze feathers on its head and a smart white vest. The noisy beat of its wings is a distinctive sound in our forests. "

Kereru

Out for lunch today with a man from the Parkinson walk and his wife and when I returned I looked out of the window to see the Kereru once again.

A better view of him (her) but a bit blurry due to the heavy rain (yes it is raining AGAIN).

The photo was taken from inside my lounge and the bird bath is about 4 feet behind the bird feeder.

Weather, Kereru and Northtec Restaurant

Where has the time gone.  The weather hasn't been the best - I read the other day that it has been the wettest winter since 1946.

I have been refilling my nectar bottles three times a day.  As I have two of them that is 4500 ml a day.  On my 1/4 acre there are at least six Tuis and what seems like hundreds of white eyes plus a pair of Kereru.

A few days ago I went around the corner of the house to refill the top bottle only to find two kereru - one on the top feeder and the other on the bird bath.  Although I retreated quickly they had gone when I returned with the camera.

Yesterday there was one on the bird bath.  The photo is not the best as I took it from well back in the lounge and part of its head is obstructed by the bird feeder but you can see the difference in size between the kereru and the smaller white eyes.  The kereru is  a large bird.

For lunch yesterday we went to Northtec's Apprentice Restaurant.  I had intended to take a photo of the main  course but ate it before I remembered - still here is the desert.  It was only $8.50 for the main and $4.50 for the dessert.

Next Thursday is Doug's birthday so we are going for their three course lunch which is just $30.00

I don't usually eat meringue type deserts but as it was the only gluten free desert I made an exception.