A Journey in June

Two years! That's definitely a long time to be silent. However, I must admit that I had been at the mercy of time. I have saved a lot of pictures and memorabilia and had been thinking about what to write about them, but to actually sit down, write, and post the blogs online is another matter.

So, to end the long drought, I would like to give you a quick peek at a place I went to during the only holiday that we have in the month of June about a year ago...

My husband and I, with a couple of friends, decided to spend the weekend Tauranga. A friend has previously mentioned that Tauranga--and Mt. Maunganui--is a must-see. So, when the next holiday came around, we decided to go.

Unfortunately, the weather, being the beginning of winter, was not the perfect time to go after all. It was drizzling most of the time and we almost lost all hope of having a glimpse of the well-known mountain.

Tauranga, like the rest of New Zealand townships, is a fairly small city. It is about 200 kilometers south of Auckland. It's sad that I couldn't post a decent picture of the town centre because all my pictures look drenched. Yet, in spite of the rain that dominated the most of Saturday and the early hours of Sunday morning, we decided to drive to Mount Maunganui, hoping that the sun would eventually come out.

After crossing the bridge, we were jubilant. The sun did come out and so, we can have a better "view" of the place. But before conquering the mountain, we had a brief detour...

First stop: The Wharf

Yachts everywhere...

Then, it was on to the summit.

There are plenty of spots to pause and enjoy the view.

And, of course, there are those lovable sheep... :-)

I was the first to reach the summit!

Foggy and breathtaking...:-)

Going down the other way, there were plenty of sheep, too.

We definitely planned to spend just about thirty minutes on the mountain, but it turned out that we were there for more than two hours. Coming down the town center, there was a huge crowd--it was fun run day!

On the way home, we decided to pass by McLaren Falls... There were actually two. I only had good pictures of the bigger one.

The "bigger" falls.

It was still autumn in the reserve...

I couldn't help but marvel at the colors.

There were ducks a'plenty, too.

An afternoon swim...???

The place was just enchanting.

But it wasn't only the leaves that donned pretty colors.

It would have been lovely just to sit there the whole day... but I couldn't!

The swans were entertaining...

Swan 1: Can you reach it...?
Swan 2: No, I can't! My neck's too short!

Yes, these were the two.

Catching the view while there was still plenty of light. :-)

It was sad to leave so soon. But, then, we still had a long drive home. Maybe I'll visit this place again one day. Hmmm... It's probably high time to improve my driving skills. Now that's a goal!

Well, 'til next time...