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Landscape Contractors
Whanarua
Bay, Eastland
Accredited member
(Landscape Design) of The Landscape Industries Association of New Zealand
(Landscaping New Zealand)
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NEWS FROM LAURENSON LANDSCAPE DESIGN
February 2010
SOUTH, EAST AND WEST OF THE NORTH ISLAND
I have travelled to every corner of
the North Island, with the exception of
the northern corner, over the past few weeks. Highlights would have to be
trips to Kapiti Island and around the East Cape.
KAPITI ISLAND
Unfortunately, the day we had
booked for our trip to Kapiti Island was very wet. We
reached a compromise and went for just a half day, which proved to be a good
choice, as we were all cold and wet by midday. This didn’t dampen our
enjoyment of the place, though, with its wonderful forest and birdlife.
Our team on Kapiti Island
EAST CAPE
The weather on the East Cape was, by contrast,
superb. We were told in Ruatoria that the East Cape is a trip New
Zealanders leave until they have seen everything else in New Zealand. It seems a shame to me
that we leave exploring this part of New Zealand until last. Backpackers
don’t make this mistake.
A trip around the East Cape is a wonderfully
refreshing step back in time, where horseback is a common mode of transport,
fishing a popular past-time, restaurants and takeaway stores close early, and
petrol pumps and ATM’s are rare. The scenery, however, is stunning, the
people friendly, there are some lovely walks, and the sunrises and sunsets
are fantastic (yes, the northern part of this trip in fact faces west).
Tokomaru Bay
On a beautiful morning on the 3rd
of January we got up at 3.30am to drive 43kms, then
climb 770 steps to the East Cape lighthouse to watch the sunrise,
which was a really magical experience. There were 22 other people watching
this spectacle with us, most of them young backpackers.
East Cape sunrise
NEW PLYMOUTH and RAGLAN
In addition to my trips to the Kapiti Coast and the East Cape, I joined my daughter
for the tail end of her singing tour, meeting her in Napier, then travelling
to gigs in New Plymouth and Raglan with her. As always, I made sure I had a
chance to see some of the landscape in these areas, and to photograph the
highlights.
We were lucky enough to see the
Festival of the Lights in New Plymouth, Pukekura Park lit up in a delightful
way during the evening. This is very hard to photograph, but we returned the
next day to stroll this lovely park’s paths.
Pukekura Park, New Plymouth
Not far from Raglan are the
beautiful Bridal Veil Falls, a spectacular drop of 55 metres
set in a delightful native bush setting. The top of the falls is an easy 10
minute walk from the carpark, but it is worthwhile walking down the well
constructed track to the bottom if you have the energy.
Bridal Veil Falls, Raglan
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