Yesterday was the day we came home.
Before we left Napier, Mary spent some time with her mother and I was turned loose once again. It was a magically magnificent morning, clear blue sky, no wind, and a hint of winter crispness in the air. Totally beautiful. Since I was in Taradale, and had a limited time, I chose to trudge up Sugar Loaf hill. The approach from the East is short and brutally steep for one so unfit as I am. With many pauses to look back at the landscape unfolding behind me, I eventually made it, gasping, to the trig station at the top. There, I took the eight images that were stitched together to make this panorama.
The air was spectacularly clear except in the direction of the recently risen sun. The obvious solution is to look in another direction, so the next image from that delightful hilltop looks across the plains to Havelock North and Te Mata Peak.
In the opposite direction and far enough around to avoid the sunstrike, we look across the vineyards of the Mission Winery. If you look down in the lower right hand corner you can see some of the plane trees lining the driveway which featured a few days ago.
Back at the rest home, I was waiting for Mary and spotted a honey bee (Apis mellifera) wandering about on the blossoms of a small magnolia shrub. Sadly the feral honey bee is a rarity now, so it was a delight to see a few in the garden here.
My last image from yesterday was taken on a side road just North of Woodville. We had been driving in perfect conditions until Dannevirke, and suddenly heavy clouds appeared. We decided to enjoy a lunch break in the last shafts of bright sun. Happily the ugly weather was confined to the Northern Wairarapa and it cleared again by the time we reached Carterton.
Home at last, and reunited with my big lens, and getting to know the replacement camera.
Wysiwygpurple's Blog 