Yay! I have been trying to post for a few days but have been unable to, until now. I am now in Hawkes Bay on the east coast of the North Island. This is wine country in New Zealand with many vineyards and wineries. Hawkes Bay is also well-known for its varied fruit orchards – apricot, peaches, apples and plums, and also its beaches, stunning scenery and lots and lots of sun! It’s also where many of our family live, and I so love being here.

This week, my parents and I drove out to the coast to a gorgeous cafe by the sea. We drank coffee in the sun and then I wandered down to the water. This beach at Clifton is very coastal, and not so much for swimming and the other usual beach things. It was just me, a fisherman, and a little blonde boy playing with drift wood and his Mum.

This was one of the fields of corn we passed on the way to the cafe on the coast.

And here is a Phoenix Palm and little red shack beside the main cafe. These palms are really familiar of home, although not native. Because of the intensity of the sun, much of the grass has dried as you can see in this photo. It is so peaceful and lovely.

© Photos Copyright Birgit Whelan 2008

~ by Birgit on February 2, 2008.

Posted in Photos and Slideshows, Travel