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Friday, November 11, 2016

Next stop: New Plymouth

Kakaramea Hall with Mount Taranaki in the background.
The weather on our drive from Hawera to New Plymouth was wonderful, which meant we spent some of the drive 'mountain chasing', with (I think) good success.
A farmhouse with Mount Taranaki in the background.
I also had a mountain view from my bed at the Airbnb place we were staying in, but that was less good luck and more good shopping on my part!
Bed and bedside table. On the table is a small pottery mountain.
Our Airbnb bach was perfect. From the fresh baking waiting with the welcome note,
A tin of baked slice with a welcome note from an Airbnb host.
to the perfectly-placed chairs on the patio overlooking the sea (which reminded me that I really need to get back to work on my writers' retreat).
Two adirondack chairs on a holiday house porch.
We popped into the local village for fish and chips on our first night
A pair of muddy gumboots outside a fish and chip shop. Inside, the owner of the boots is ordering at the counter.
which we washed down, as per family tradition, with a bottle of New Zealand bubbles
Fish and chips and a bottle of sparkling wine.
before watching the sun set into the sea.
Sunset over the sea.
(We loved the bach's deranged-looking seagull).
View of the sea, with a slightly deranged-looking wooden seagull in the foreground.
Being from a land-locked city, I had to go for a walk along the beach
Large rocks on a New Zealand black-sand beach at low tide.
(which, with large rocks and black volcanic sand,
Large rocks on a New Zealand black-sand beach at low tide.
may not look much like the beaches you know).
Large rocks on a New Zealand black-sand beach at low tide.
One of the main reasons for our trip to New Plymouth was to visit The Len Lye Centre, a recently-opened gallery celebrating the work of renowned New Zealand kinetic artist Len Lye:
The exterior of a modern building made with undulating metal. Reflected in the metal is an old town clock tower.
The interior of a modern building made with undulating concrete.

 Here are a couple of short videos I took of a couple of his pieces that were on display: Flip and Two Twisters,


and Zebra:
and an image of Once More with Feeling, a work by Rebecca Baumann.
Shadows of two people against an artwork made up of many colourful stripes.
Our final pilgrimage while in New Plymouth was to Tupare, a beautiful arts-and-crafts house created by Taranaki architect James Chapman-Taylor, set in extensive gardens.
Entryway of an old arts-and-crafts-style building.
This involved the major disappointment of the trip: we knew in advance that we wouldn't be able to time our visit to coincide with one of the regular guided tours of the inside of the house, and were heartened to read that tours could be organised by prior arrangement.
Side of an old arts-and-crafts-style building.
Alas, we never got a reply to our inquiry.
Side of an old arts-and-crafts-style building.
Which I suppose we should be pleased about really,
Front of an old arts-and-crafts-style building.
as it gives us another good reason for a return visit to the area!
Courtyard of an old arts-and-crafts-style building.
We did manage to wander around some of the garden, though.
English-style garden with park bench and arch trellis.
Two people admiring an english-style garden in front of an arts-and-crafts-style cottage.
And visit the gardener's cottage,

A man walking up a path in an english-style garden to the entry of an arts-and-crafts-style cottage.
which, luckily, was open.
Inside view of an arts-and-crafts-style cottage, with a desk and chair under a window.
Inside view of an arts-and-crafts-style cottage, cane armchairs under a window.
An arts-and-crafts-style cottage set in an english-style garden.
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1 comment:

  1. Tina8:50 pm, November 11, 2016

    At least you got the Chapman-Taylor book. Hope you do manage to get back to NZ in the not too distant future.

    ReplyDelete