This press was displayed in one of the alcoves at Craggy Range in the Hawkes Bay.  I looked for information labels but didn't find any - to me it seems too small to have been used for grapes, perhaps it was used for olives?

This is where I sat with my cup of tea until joined by the others, as they wearied too. It was cooler out back, under the umbrella, a few sparrows flitted about and made advances, but I had no crumbs.

Walking round town of a morning I started to flag and needed somewhere to sit down. Eyes downcast, I struggled on, then I noticed quite a few different covers over the service areas underneath the pavement. Completely forgetting my search for a seat I was off on the hunt for different patterns. Diversion works for me.

I did not enter this old church, in behind Hawkes Bay. I think  it is now a restaurant and function centre. We did try and book but had no luck finding anyone there. Although this shot doesn't show it there are huge lovely old oaks surrounding the building and well tended formal gardens and entrance in the front.

I am looking for more subtle photography subjects, rather than focusing on the more obvious things in the moment. Aged objects draw me right now, things that have weathered or changed through time, the forces that the elements subject natural things to - erosion for example. This stool caught my eye, and with the tile lines, shadows, intersecting leg lines, it had to be recorded. The only thing I might change if I had another chance would be to capture more of the actual seat.

A beautifully restored cart that was used in earlier days, when the grapes needed picking.

Still in the Hawkes Bay, this intricate and detailed building is near Ahuriri and you can enter the front few rooms but the rest are operating as offices for Big Save Furniture.  The internal doors are typical of the attention to detail. There is marble, wood, lead light glass, columns, brass, tile work, on the wall hang plans and photographs of the heyday.

Morning tea at the delightful and inspiring Birdwoods gallery out in the country near Havelock North. I am nicely hidden by the spout, slimmer than I have ever been. A few of my traveling companions are also in the reflection on the teapot.

Hardly pudding but I was tempted - then succumbed and it was only lunchtime! Apricot tart with summer fruits and vanilla ice cream at The Mission.  Delicious.

It was a quiet sunday morning so we were able to drive slowly around the CBD looking at the architecture, I had no map and may well have missed some worthy buildings. Chris took us round the bluff to the iconic Tobacco Company building, she had been here before and done her research.

Napier suffered a devastating earthquake in 1931, and 256 people lost their lives. The central city has been rebuilt and is famous for it's Art Deco buildings from that period. This is detail from one of them.

Driving slowly up Te Mata Peak I could see the Ruahine, Kaweka, Maungaharuru Ranges and Cape Kidnappers. It was too hazy with low cloud so I couldn't find Ruapehu. What a stunning series of eroded limestone ridges caused by the collision of tectonic plates. We just missed one of the area's frequent tremors. Amazing to get  such an over view of the surroundings, we noted the wineries along the Tukituki river but more about that later. Originally  settled by the Maori the almost 100 hectare Park is held in trust for the people of Hawke's Bay and is popular for many outdoor pursuits, we saw a launching ramp for abseiling, wind socks, trails disappearing over cliff, and hairy bikes tracks.

One of the oldest and largest NZ farmer's market  is held in beautiful grounds near Havelock North. I do not like pollarded tress normally but this one, at this time of year was amazing. The stall holders were arranged round several huge circles making good use of the shade from the mature tress.

From the top of Bluff Hill, Napier, on the first evening, looking north west across Hawke's Bay.

On the trip down we had a little bit of this, other than that we had clear blue sunny day skies, with just enough cloud in the evening to make it interesting. This of course is taken through the front window.

I have been away from the city for a brief holiday. Most of the photographs I took were from the passenger seat looking out the car window going 100k an hour. Talk about hit and miss, I was amazed how often a power pole or singular tree ended up in the shot. This was an  interesting  surprise.

Let's all head over to the banana cake! Yeh Yeh might even get two made. Summer is here and the heat means I will have to save this food before I am ready to eat it.

Roses doing what they do best. Beaver Road.

Another brilliantly coloured sky.

Playing with the buttons, levers and switches, moving the tripod, the camera and the candle to see what effects happen, this was done with only the light of the candle. Asher the naughty boy cat was mighty interested and sat just out of shot waiting.

It is the last week of photography classes. I started with things at my desk and used my regular lighting.
Mapping pens, compasses, a box of tools from Neil and a few other useful things.

The gums are not mature yet but they stretch a long way above and the sound of the wind in them is distinctive, snapping, cracking and rustling with leaves adding the background white noise. (Can I say that?)  A get together at the new house.

I just had to return to the sunshine and buttercups. Practicing my depth of field, aperture, shutter, ISO and then to crouch down and remember to breath out  (which was an effort). I did take one shot on auto as a standard test. Still on Beaver Road.

In the banana grove are these cropped trunks looking strangely out of place. There is a lush tropical micro climate here, sheltered from the prevailing winds by tall trees and the natural lie of the land, the valley slopes down to the freshwater spring and the sun.

A buttercup and sunshine meadow, only the bees working. Ian and Jeanette's new home up in the hills.

Bryan our night class tutor patiently posing for us, while we got in each other's way trying to master our equipment and remember all that we had been told during the course. I prefer people looking to the right, I have no idea why, apart from my culture reading from left to right means it progresses naturally to the next page. When Bryan was looking left it stopped the eye, even on this blog. Habit eh?

We have had some colourful sunrises this week and I was waiting for the early birds to come and visit my place so I could take their photo. This is from the lounge looking east over the roof tops. I sat there for a long time and watched the sky change - no birds came, so I went in for breakfast! That's when they arrived.

Asher has discovered that birds sit in trees and thought he should see what he could do about them. I am not sure he would know what to do if he did catch one. Ungainly and awkward he is about to fall. When he fell the blossom dropped like snow and he was quite surprised, not knowing quite what was happening.

Seeing this displayed on the computer for the first time I burst out laughing and thought to myself I'm flying like superman! I am still at the art gallery and this installation was resurrected from 30 years or some ago and it was good to see it back.

I think I should have edited this photo, cropped it, straightened it... etc but this is as I took it. I love the lines, the light to dark, maybe I should have walked further away to get more in. I suppose I took this for a reason, is it the detail? The freshly refurbished Auckland Art Gallery.