Spring has arrived!

After weeks and weeks of unrelenting rain--the kind that falls 22 out of every 24 hours, with winds at night that sound like they are going to blow the windows out of the frame--we have finally had 3 whole days of sunshine! And more is expected tomorrow. Yay! 

I guess you don't know miss it until you don't have it any more, so we celebrated by going to Hollard Gardens to see what almost twice the 'normal' rainfall for September had brought. What we found was an abundance of color, especially the magnolias, with promises of much more to come.

 Spring is truly here. It was a long wait.

Cabin fever car trip

It has rained and rained and rained...at least for 10 days. But, despite the nippy weather and the overcast skies, we ventured out on Saturday to keep from going stir crazy.

We first went to Hollard Gardens, our favorite 'get away' place. I have no idea what the flowers are, but they were a great sight to see.

We left Hollards and travelled south. The clouds were interesting, too, as the almost-winter weather set in.

We ended up at Opunake Beach, another of our favorites.  In the summer, we have fish and chips on the beach here while the kids play among the rocks and dig in the sand.  

Any other time we were here, it was always at high tide, but this time I was pleasantly surprised by low tide and we took advantage of searching among the rocks for treasure.  

I am continually amazed at the patterns left by the tide as it scurries out to sea.

We found lots of limpets (or barnacles) which make the small, round holes in the rocks.

This is a pink algae that we found in the pools between the rocks.

I guess I will always love the ocean and the views and surprises it brings.

Hollard Gardens

There is a very well kept secret just 20 minutes from Stratford where hubby and I go often just to get out. It's called Hollard Gardens, outside of Kaponga, and it's a beautiful place to walk all year round. We like to take the children along sometimes and we end up with some awesome photos!

It's part of the Taranaki Regional Council and the entrance is free, but most of the time when we go there, we scarcely see another soul. Click here for some history and information about the garden.

It's so spacious, it's hard to believe it started as a hobby for one man! And, they have made some upgrades this year with a small playground and free barbie pits. I have included some of our pictures we like a lot and if you click the title, it will take you to a folder of more pics.

It's really a shame it's so under-appreciated, so maybe I can help a little by telling you about it!