Green Isles

More of the remaining buildings and high enclosure. In 1799 Matthew Flinders described the island as one of the "Green Isles" however it wasn't named St. Helena untill 1826.

Till another time.

Thanks Brendon from Brisbane Bay Tours, for a wonderful morning on beautiful St. Helena Island, in Moreton Bay, from us all at the Wynnum Manly Tourist and Visitors Information Center.

My visit to New Zealand.

Here are a few visual memories of my recent visit to New Zealand. This of course is the "Silver Fern', emblem of New Zealand. It's to be seen everywhere, growing along the edges of the road, clinging to the side of the mountains amongst pine trees and nestled along the border of bush tracks leading to scenes of beauty and wonder. The Silver Fern is lush and green on it's delicate upper surface, but it's not till you look at the under side that it reveals it's 'silver' lining.

Peace and quiet.

This lovely fresh creek is on the north island. It's quiet and peaceful and one could sit here with a good book and spend time just soaking up everything you can see and hear. The pace is slow, and life is pretty enjoyable.

The Gum Diggers.

I visited the reconstructed workings of the Gum Diggers on the west coast of the North Island. The site of the original diggings has been developed to show visitors how the workers lived and worked under rather difficult circumstances. It was cold, cramped and very uncomfortable, but their reward of the beautiful Kauri Gum or Amber as we call it, was well worth it. The Kauri Museum, a must visit when in N.Z. has the most amazing display of Kauri Gum, do visit when you next visit The Land of the Long White Cloud.

Waiting for a Makeover !

I just love taking pics of old things and this old boat was just sitting on the side of the road waiting for me to drag out the camera. So here she is in all her glory, I wonder how long she has been waiting for me, some time I suspect. New Zealand has a rather slower pace of life I feel, so maybe the boat owner will get around to restoring her to her former glory one day.

The Blue Lake.

I walked around the beautiful Blue Lake, a distance or around 5 - 6 kms through tall trees, tree ferns and lovely lush green undergrowth, past small 'beaches' seeing the odd boat on the water. There are pine trees everywhere as timber and tourism are New Zealand's main industries. I have captured lots of lovely images of this beautiful country and you can see more of them very soon by visiting www.margiparton.com