8.30am. The shuttle driver warns of how hard the next few hours will be, briefly describes the challenges we’ll face, and asks us to use the toilets now available along the route and not just hop off the path as: you wouldn’t do it in your own home, please don’t do it in ours. He […]
Tag: New Zealand
A Bridge to Nowhere
During and after World War I the New Zealand government offered land in the Mangapurua and Kaiwhakauka valleys to returning soldiers. Many took up the offer on the understanding they would soon have easier access via a new road, but the land was remote, untamed and hilly, and clearing it was challenging. Without its bush […]
Beasties: Part Two
WARNING: This post contains images and descriptions of pest animal trapping. If this distresses you, please do not read on. When the chunk of land that became the islands of New Zealand broke away from the great southern continent of Gondwana seventy million years ago, it wasn’t just the nasty beasties that stayed on the […]
Beasties: Part One
A friend sent me this picture the other day. The subject, one of its fangs clearly visible between two front legs, fell on her back whilst she was sunbathing. She claims the only reason it didn’t take a chunk out of her is that she was smothered in tanning oil rather than sun cream so […]
Reflections
One of our regular walks (Waitonga Falls: https://purplehippo.blog/2020/06/12/on-the-mountain-waitonga-falls/ ) provided us with a pleasant surprise on Christmas Eve. As it had the day before, the sun shone from a clear blue sky, so we left early for a quick walk before its heat made anything more than a snail’s pace unbearable. Within the trees it […]
In the Ida Valley
Spring in New Zealand is a tale of two seasons: winter tries its hardest to maintain its grip as summer struggles to assert its authority. Nowhere is this more evident than in Central Otago, a place that regularly records both the highest and lowest temperatures in the country. The sun feels hot through a window […]
The Lockdown Files
A couple of fellow writers recently shared that they ‘loved’ lockdown, plenty of time to write and no need to go out and interact with other humans. They are clearly much more motivated individuals than I am, my lockdown life being seriously unproductive in terms of writing anything of value (not that I’m sure I […]
A Clear Run
There are challenges to skiing in New Zealand. One is that many people ski on the mountains in much the same way as they drive on the roads – too fast, not in control, and with little awareness for anyone else in the vicinity. As with any rule, there are exceptions, but my skiing here […]
Buck-it
My husband has had a few issues trying to get his exercise today. Yesterday, for the first time in, oh, probably a few years, he went out on his road bike, spending a good few minutes beforehand dusting off the cobwebs. Mountain biking is frowned upon during lockdown, primarily because of the possibility of a […]
Burn
From the warmth of the duvet I heard Neil open the logburner (the door squeals like a toddler who’s been refused a cookie). Strange, I thought, he doesn’t usually do that until I get up and moan about the cold. A few minutes later he appeared in the bedroom, cup of tea in hand. ‘I […]
Tracy Annenberg 