Far North Adventures: Part 3

Our third day in the north began with yet another gorgeous sunrise, and we lingered over breakfast overlooking the harbour.

Before checking out we enjoyed the subtropical gardens (there are HEDGES of blooming hibiscus!) surrounding the Waterfront Apartments for a few minutes, then headed back south to Kerikeri.

Our first stop was Scope NZ, a studio where a couple make unique and beautiful kaleidescopes. This cozy studio is in a rural setting graced by myriad birds, including fantail doves, exotic poultry and peacocks, as well as a dignified old Jack Russell terrier. The artists use kauri wood for the scope housing, and have developed their own method for making the internal mirrors. In their tiny showroom, they have set up a variety of special kaleidescopes that diffract things placed in front of the lens: one had many small colourful objects placed on a speaker that vibrated and made the objects bounce in time to the music, creating a complex and beautiful dance pattern to appear through the scope; another revealed the incredibly beautiful patterns moving in a bubble held by a wire frame dipped into Joy dish soap; and three different lenses focused on this trickling fountain where colourful flowers floated, causing an infinitely changing pattern. After much deliberation, we chose a kaleidescope made from a lovely piece of ancient kauri, and filled with pieces of the iridescent NZ paua shell (a type of abalone) that create subtle patterns of blues and greens enhanced with a few flashes of bright pink and red. A wonderful souvenir of a unique visit.

Next we proceeded to the actual village of Kerikeri where I took photos of NZ's oldest frame building (1822) and oldest stone building (1836), both built by English Christian missionaries, of which there were many in the 1800's, here to covert the Maori. The gardens surrounding the Mission are maintained in the style of that period, and my photos will make good illustrations for the horticulture blog I am also doing for my U. of Guelph Diploma in Horticulture thesis project during my stay in NZ. As well, we stopped in at a nursery selling subtropical plants and I marveled at seeing a bromeliad in bloom for the first time. Quite a contrast between these lush tropicals and the English cottage garden at the Mission!

A pleasant coincidence happened here, too. We decided to stop a bit longer to have coffee on the green lawns of the cafe overlooking the river, and who should arrive but the two couples on motorcycles we had met the day before at one of the rest stops on our bus tour up the cape! We ended up enjoying a laughter-filled hour with these four Kiwis, and exchanging contact information--I'm sure we'll end up seeing them again.



Our final stop of the day was at a private museum where a rather eccentric Englishman has amassed a collection of vintage vehicles (including about 20 British motorcycles from the late 1920's and '30's), machinery, and tools. Frank spent an intriguing hour in here, but I chose to enjoy the sunshine outside with my book, so, sorry, no photos!

We got back to our cottage in Mangawhai Heads in good time for supper and a quiet evening watching the huge moon rise over the sea. It was an amazing trip, but it's also very nice to be back here. I certainly have lots of new material to translate into paintings!