Interesting photo, almost monochrome.
Monthly Archives: September 2009
Chocolate Brownies
The first batch of brownies I ever baked.
Rich and completely, yum, I used this recipe, adding a touch of vanilla extract and some crushed walnuts.
The Outback Comes to Sydney
Last Wednesday – the day when the Outback came to Sydney – literally. This is of my street at 6am that morning.
Abel Tasman NP – The Beach
But the highlight for me is still Awaroa Lodge on a balmy winter’s afternoon, watching the tide rollup in and out of the estuary. Perfect.
Abel Tasman NP – The Detail
We some interesting things around Awaroa – remnants of colonial machinery, interesting rock formations…
And rainforest streams.
Fanfic Update
Spooks:
Reunion (still uploading chapters)
North and South:
In the Company of Children (complete)
Jane Eyre:
Awakenings (complete)
It’s interesting to analyse the traffic for my stories. Most of the hits for North and South, Jane Eyre and X-Files are from the States, but for my Spooks story they are mostly from the UK. Not too surprising really, considering that Spooks rarely shown in the States. Australia’s got a pretty fanatical group of fans though.
I’ll start posting my long-haul Jane Eyre story next.
Abel Tasman NP – The Estuary
We stayed two nights at Awaroa Lodge, that’s perched at the edge of a pretty estuary. It was lovely to be able to kick back after a day’s walk.
Crossings across the estuary is entirely determined by the tides. At low tide we can wade across in knee deep water. At high tide, a boat is needed.
Abel Tasman NP – The Overview
But the highlight of the Golden Bay area is undoubtedly the Abel Tasman National Park, particularly its coast line. I came to the area specifically to walk its coastal track, the very cushy way. It’s a really beautiful part of the world, with golden beaches, estuaries and rainforest, and the walking is actually pretty easy. In August the temperature was perfect for walking, there were no biting insects, and best of all, we had the track all to ourselves.
This photo was taken from Tonga Saddle, the highest point on the walk.
Golden Bay – The Spit – Part 2
The sea-facing and bay-facing coasts of the Spit may only be 2 kilometres apart, but it’s amazing what a piece of land can do to buffer against the wind. From the rough beach, the walk cuts through the sand dunes to the bay-facing east coast, where all is very, very calm.
In August, there is still snow on the far-off peaks, and the clear winter’s day produces some lovely reflections on the sand.
Golden Bay – The Spit – Part 1
Farewell Spit is a 35km long spit that juts out into the strait between the North and South Islands. It’s also the end of the road, literally, although not if you go on foot.
First is a walk through typical Kiwi farmland, complete with cabbage tree palms and sheep.
But the closer to the beach we get, the more windswept the landscape becomes. Well it is literally on the Roaring Forties.
Static and Silence 