Yesterday, we all felt the need to be out and about. Lunch packed, thermos filled and off we went. We left home, travelled East, then northwards, westwards, and south again.A little, well, really hard to see, but the lines indicate where we went.Just south-east of Whanganui, inland to Feilding, north to Apiti, then further north through very isolated areas, west to Mangaweka , and homewards south through Hunterville.
We decided that if we lived there, once every 2 months to town for groceries would be the norm, probably just over an hour, but a narrow windy road the only way back to a larger town, and all I would need would be power, running water, a log fire,ample dry wood, internet access, and lots of batiks on hand. One cat for the mice, one dog for company, and a 4WD vehicle to ensure safe travel in the winter ice and snow.Does this indicate I would be so happy as a hermit??? OOPS, the one totally necessary item would be internet access!!!
Along the way we stopped for lunch by a small stream, and I did manage to get a few photos, window shots were difficult and stopping places very few.
The rock layers can be clearly seen, and I guess any Geologist would be able to give a year and age to the formations.
The Pohangina River was a long way below the road. The hill country was typical of all that area well inland.
When we finally reached the main road again, there was a long queue of cars, trucks and vans .It looked like a huge truck had rolled off the road into the paddock below. Again, a windscreen shot was not the best. Two huge cranes had been brought in, they had stabilisers on the far side, and it must have been a massive undertaking to lift the truck up. Another Halls Transport truck was there behind the far crane, backed up and no doubt ready to take the load from the first one, we didn’t know if anyone was hurt, and I could not find it on the news either. I am so sure when we compare it to the scale of terrorism in London again, this was very insignificant. Thoughts with all those abroad, those who have lost, all over again. When will it ever end??
The other morning we had a beautiful frost, sparkling and so pretty. Fairies had been there overnight, their mushroom home was empty by the time I walked carefully round the edge of the grass. The Gossamer Grass fronds were graceful with just that little hint of frost on the fronds.
Quotation of the day, from Hans Christian Anderson
“ To move,to breathe, to fly,to float,
To gain all while you give,
To roam the roads of lands remote,
To travel is to live”
Greetings from Jean
19 comments:
Kind of sounds like one of those cabins shown on FB posts asking "Would you live here for (whatever length of time) for $1M. My answer is yes, if there is room for my quilting machine and all the rest of my quilting stuff and at least some way of having electricity to run the machines and charge my laptop and Kindle...solar, generator & fuel, deep cycle batteries...
Enjoyed sharing your day trip. Wonderful scenery! Funny how we have become so dependant on the Internet, which wasn't even invented when I was young.
I'm so glad you guys went for such a nice long trip. You live in a beautiful country and I love that frost. A long time coming here, a lot of heat to live through first. Oh, well, I guess we will manage.
Such beautiful country. I know how wonderful it must have been to get out and about. I wished the terrorism would end too, but I'm afraid it's the new way of life now. So sad. Stay warm. Carol
What a day, so glad you shared!
Oh you did have a good drive around! I lived in Wanganui for a year in 1962/63 - loved it, many happy memories. Well, I like the quiet life but the sound of a narrow windy road to get in and out would not be my ideal, and we need internet for our blogs Jean!
Hello, lovely drive and views. Until the truck accident, it was lovely. The terrorism is awful, my prayers go out to the victims and their families. The knitting needle bag is so cute. I love that quote, to travel is to live.
Happy Monday, enjoy your new week!
Thank you for telling us about your day trip. It sounds like lots of fun and beautiful country!
The frost was gorgeous. Wow - such a fleeting sight of a fairy wonderland.
Sounds like quite the adventure with beautiful views :) Sometimes it's just good to get out and see all that there is to see around you.
What a great outing, Jean. I read your requirements for backwoods living and am in agreement. I have lived in isolation so I know I little about the need for certain things that are precious for well being. And one can have quite a satisfactory life really and especially these days with the internet thrown in. Another lovely quote. Where do you find them?
We too have driven places and contemplated how it would be to live in some of the out of the way places. I can see how Internet access would be at the top of the list too. Dog, cats, camera and sewing machine would be other necessities. We are already wondering how we'd live where we are now if we tried to go to one car. No place to bike to.
Oh yes, as long as I had the internet, lol! Lovely travels and pics. I'm in love with the name "Whanganui".
That looks like a nice day out !
What a beautiful trip!
Home is where you place your heart.
We've moved so many times... I hope this is the last one.
I wish you happy trails. You are such a dear person! xx
Hi, Jean! I was writing a comment on this post yesterday and got pulled away. :( I got a kick out of going to Google maps and tracing your outing. Not being familiar with New Zealand I started digging into the geology of the Pohangina River Valley and the Wanganui Basin and quickly realized that no easily assimilated account was to be found. It's a tectonically active, complicated mess from marine sediments to volcanic! I discovered that New Zealand has a local timescale and that the Wanganui Epoch correlates roughly to the Pliocene, Pleistocene, and Holocene. So I guessing that a lot of the rocks at the surface are up to about 5.3 million years old ~ very young. Your outcrop photo could be a limestone or a clayey limestone, but it's hard to know without getting on the real rocks. The area you drove through has gorgeous landscapes, and I would love to see its rocks! I really enjoyed your account of your drive and the accompanying photos. No internet? No way! I have to have internet! Wishing you a great day!
What a wonderful drive you went on and how lovely to see the pictures of the countryside. I can't imagine living somewhere where shopping for groceries would only happen once a month or so! I've grown far too dependent on the grocery store being so handy that we shop daily!
Such an apt quote! I could've used that (not that I needed help signing up kids lol) when I was travelling to Quebec and to France with my students. So very true. Changes lives. That toadstool--!! From Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict's gorgeous, boa-enshrouded moth (I think) to your toadstool, Earth has so many many treasures for us to behold, if we only take time, and also take care...have lost so very many already. Sounds like a lovely day you had; we need to do one of those and soon! Some of those shots make me think of Lord of the Rings scenery. Beautiful.
I think distances are far out your way, too!
Such glorious landscapes! We took off to Kingston on Wednesday. Somebody over flowed the toilet and I needed to get outdoors!
My son is soon going for his final driver's license test. We took a long drive yesterday and ended up at a conservation area and went for a lovely walk. Sounds like you had an enjoyable tour, too! It's always a pleasure to travel with a friend and see all the beautiful sights!
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