We spent the last weekend in Awhi Farm - a centre for sustainable practice. The name in Maori means "to take care of", "to nurture". It is a little paradise in the middle of nature. Isolated from the "modern, hight tech world". No electricity, maybe just some solar panels. No heating, just your sleeping bag. No light at night, just the moon and the shining stars above you, and in the morning, waking you up, the first ray of light. Compost toilet or the bush. Shower only at the Squash Club nearby, or at the natural hot pools. No charger for your phones, but real birds chirping around. No supermarket on the corner, yet a fascinating food forest and hens that nourish you. Just pure nature.
You loose connectivity, yet reconnect. With the people around you. With yourself. Simplicity, at its best.
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I love long weekends. The first long weekend that came up since our arrival was Labour Day weekend. New Zealand celebrates it on the 4th Monday of October. It is very similar to the May 1 celebrations in Europe. It marks the beginning of the official BBQ season. Gardening stores fill up their spring flower stocks and go on huge sales with a myriad of colours in blossom. They also start heating the pools, slowly paving the way for summer days. :) A perfect time to enjoy the outdoors and escape into pure nature.
Labour Day couldn't have happened in a better moment. This year. For us. This long weekend was a special one. We celebrated. A first birthday. Parenthood. Ourselves. :) So we picked a special place to visit. We went to discover the most Northern part of the North Island, the Far North, the tip of New Zealand, aka the Northland region. Where the road ends. Where the seas meet. King Protea. The national symbol of South Africa. It was actually already in New Zealand, not so long time ago, that I got to learn about these amazing flowers from a South African friend. I didn't even know such a beauty existed... Last weekend, we spent some days on a Protea farm. Each and every single one of them left me speechless... Do you want to know why?
I always had something about peninsulas. They just look so fascinating on the map. Almost like an island. They are attached to the land yet still out there on their own. I can get so excited to walk along the shore, discover the parts that are next to the water, to see how the landscape curves and where it will lead me. Have you ever had this feeling?
As we were planning our weekend, we realised that the place to pick up the piece of furniture we were still missing from our flat is just located in a beautiful area. Well, it is not really hard in New Zealand not to be located in a beautiful place anyway... So we decided to combine the pick up with the discovery of the Mahurangi Peninsula, just about an hour's drive north from Auckland. "Traveling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller" - Ibn Battuta ***Got inspired? So happy if you share ;)
It was a bit rainy, grey day today. October is like April in Europe. Spring, but changes its mood often. April is playing the fool with you. Or October. :) It is a bit confusing that it is spring instead of autumn...
Hi guys! Living by the water is just amazing! Especially if you like treasure hunting, like we do. There is always so much to discover. There is of course the sea, the ocean, the waves, digging in sand, walking barefoot. But what if you take a closer look? Shells, crabs, oysters... Today I am posting this little seaside collection to give you an idea what you can find here around Auckland, New Zealand. Feel like a kid again :)
"There is nothing greater in this world than to love and to be loved." ***Got inspired? So happy if you share ;)
This time I invite you, dear reader, to come along for a little virtual tour to the Northern part of the South Island, the breathtaking Tasman Bay area. We will visit the surroundings of Motueka and Kaiteriteri. Excited? Me so much! :)
Where green mountains and turquoise green-blue sea meet in such a sweet embrace. Where colours of the nature are so vivid and energising, yet everything so peaceful and calming. Where the golden sandy beaches reflect the warm glimmering sunshine. Where playful waves wash the shores and happy seashells, long and round alike, travel along the tide. Where puffy white clouds paint the sky pink with the setting sun. Where your body and soul refreshen with the warmth and positive energies of our Earth. Oh, I sometimes wish I was a poet. There are simply no words to describe the beauty one can experience in this part of the world… Let the pictures speak to you. Nature at its best! :) |
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AboutSharing my passion for photography, New Zealand, nature, and a journey within.
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