Pauanui and Hot Water Beach, Coromandel

As you may have gathered, I like to escape to NZ's beautiful beaches with my family!  This weekend was no exception.  We went to Pauanui on Friday morning and had a wonderful relaxed weekend with no less than 3 days of sun! How cool is that!?  We watched Amazing Grace on Saturday for my Influencing Public Policy paper.  It was a fantastic movie! I knitted and read my magazines, hubby did lots of reading, we walked, and the boys played with their computers and LOTR models.

On Saturday, we went to Hot Water Beach and were amazed that it was April and still hot!  What a beautiful day.  The beach was busy and we forgot our sunscreen.  Oops!  I did discover this wonderful artist at the Surf Shop, doing Harakeke weaving (NZ flax). Her name is Jess White and she can found at hotwaterbeachsurfschool@live.com Enjoy her beautiful art!

Artist and friend

Landscape by Billie Mallet (ignore the shadow on the left side)

This post is of my English friend, Billie Mallet.  She left for Vancouver the other day today so I thought I would capture some of her paintings before she left.  She comes to NZ every year, escaping the winter months in Devon.

When asked what she enjoyed most about her trip this year, she said, "I enjoy the feeling of coming home and meeting up with friends who have become more than acquaintances. I've enjoyed discovering the landscape. The biggest thing as far as my work is concerned; I really think I need to paint from reality because there's a vibrancy and directness that comes when you paint from life rather than photos, as photographs make your choices for you."

 
It's always wonderful seeing Billie's inspiration from NZ landscape and people.  Billie started painting when she was young and went to West Surrey School of Art & Design in Farnham, before she was married.

You can see other images of Billie's paintings on her website here.

Christchurch, NZ

I wanted to write something about Christchurch but I have only visited once. It was a short visit of two days in November 2010 right between the two earthquakes.  We walked around the city, in Hegley Park, and even in the cathedral.  It was a beautiful place with a lot of stories, statues, gold, and stained glass.  I'm so glad that we went when we did; it was such a beautiful place. I'm at a loss for what to say. The devastation in NZ's second largest city is enormous.  Reports tell us that thousands of people have left the city and even the country for good.  It seems that many still have no power or water in their homes and their jobs will be impossible to return to.  It's amazing that I went there when I did.  At the time, my husband and I were making the most of a week without the teenagers. We hadn't been to the South Island together and we especially wanted to go to Christchurch. I took some photos.  Enjoy!

Castle Hill

I picked up a book from the library last week.  It was The Road to Castle Hill by Christine Fernyhough.  A really interesting read of High Station life in the Canterbury Alps of New Zealand.  She was a "townie" from Auckland and after experiencing life's ups and downs chose to change her direction and became a farmer.  It's a wonderful story that kept me riveted.  I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the triumphs of a woman who has given the better part of her life to philanthropy and community.