06 Monday Oct 2014
Posted in Wellington
Tags
This is looking due south down our street. The Southerly front is sweeping towards us… It was 21C when I took this picture 10 minutes ago. Currently 13C and dropping. Oh, and hailing.
09 Saturday Aug 2014
Posted in Wellington
Tags
27 Sunday Jul 2014
Posted in Wellington
Today we drove to Upper Hut and visited a brewery, as you do. Kereru Brewing Company is a local artisanal brewery here in Wellington. Kereru has good beer and some great beer label artwork.
One of the beers brewed at Kereru is called “Hop To It” and there are native New Zealand bats on the label. How cool is that?
These are New Zealand Lesser Short Tailed Bats (pekapeka-tou-poto). There are two extant bat species in New Zealand: New Zealand Lesser Short-Tailed Bats and New Zealand Long-Tailed Bats.
From the back label:
New Zealand short tailed bats hop around the forest floor. They’re pretty hoppy. So is this beer.
Kereru Hop To It is a good, well balanced Pale Ale.
21 Monday Jul 2014
25 Sunday May 2014
Posted in Wellington
Tags
evans bay, gale force wind, lyall bay, miramar peninsula, shelly bay, tarakena bay, windy wellington
Metservice issued a Sever Weather Warning for the Wellington Region for severe northwest gales, with gusts reaching to 120km/hr in exposed places. We decided to go for a drive around Miramar Peninsula and watch the gale force winds and waves along the beach…
First, we drove along the southern tip of the Miramar Peninsula, to Tarakena Bay, to see the leeward side of the peninsula and the entrance to Wellington Harbour (Port Nicholson).
Occasionally, the swells would come in at just the right angle and crash against the rocky shoreline.
We noticed the Interislander ferry approaching from the west, so waited and watched as the ferry entered the harbour. The swells were not too bad today, but we later found out this was the last ferry sailing of the day as they were cancelled due to high winds in the harbour.
We left Tarakena Bay and drove through Wellington Airport, then north, along the east side of Evans Bay, to Shelly Bay.
The windward side of Miramar Peninsula. The northerly gales were really howling into Evans Bay. We drove further north along Shelly Bay Road and parked at the Chocolate Fish Cafe.
At this point, waves were crashing against the seawall, sending thick sprays of water onto the road. We turned around and headed back south.
Keep in mind, these swells are generated within the harbour, not from open ocean.
Pretty impressive wind!
04 Sunday May 2014
Posted in Wellington
Flat Stanley is heading back home to California tomorrow and asked if he could see where we like to spend time in our community before he leaves. So, this morning I took Flat Stanley for a walk along Lyall Bay Beach…
Flat Stanley climbed all over the driftwood.
Flat Stanley loved to watch the sea birds walking on the sand. We found a few birds a bit further along the beach…
Flat Stanley wanted to run all the way to the end!
We walked to the western end of Lyall Bay Beach, where there are houses right on the beach.
The western end of Lyall Bay Beach.
When we reached the houses, Flat Stanley asked if we could turn around and walk all the way to the eastern end of the beach. I love to walk along the beach, so I walked with Flat Stanley along the beach, close to the waves, to see if we could find anything interesting on the beach.
Flat Stanley found heaps of cool rocks on the beach and a neat paua shell sitting on the shingle.
Flat Stanley was excited to find this beautiful paua shell!
Flat Stanley was a bit tired of walking, but we made it all the way to the eastern end of Lyall Bay Beach, right next to the runway at the Wellington Airport!
Flat Stanley was hungry, so I bought him a burger at Ekim Burgers. They set up a caravan next to the beach. As it turns out, today is the last day Ekim Burger will be open at this beach. They are moving into a shop in downtown Wellington.
Flat Stanley got to meet Mike Duffy from Ekim Burgers!
01 Tuesday Apr 2014
30 Sunday Mar 2014
Posted in Wellington
New Zealand Praying Mantis (Orthodera novaezealandiae)
28 Friday Mar 2014
Posted in Wellington
I spotted these signs whilst wandering from Lyall Bay to Greta Point yesterday…
15 Saturday Mar 2014
Posted in Wellington
Tags
I noticed an interesting manhole cover the other day. This manhole is located along the footpath along Lyall Parade, adjacent to Lyall Beach, Lyall Bay, Wellington.
I will have to keep a lookout for any other interesting manhole covers around Wellington…
