Hokitika

Today I've been a bit naughty. I just could not narrow it down to one photo so I've included 5.

The bottom left is the view from my parents back gate. They walk straight out onto the beach, and every time I visit I just have to go out and make sure the beach is still there.

Mum and Dad often walk along the beach and when they do it's amazing what they find. Much of their winter heating comes from the driftwood washed up on the beach - but sometimes they find pieces that are just too impressive to burn. At the bottom right is a a small collection of their garden 'pieces' along with a sign that was also washed up.

The central picture is of a path feature that Dad built to Mum's design. It sits between the slate terrace he built (including collecting the slate himself from the quarry) and the punga archway he built (including getting the pungas from the bush himeslf).

All of the bricks and bottles that this path is made from were picked up along the beach. Many of them probably collectors items, as you can see from their shapes and sizes in the top left photo. The top right photo shows a feature I find really interesting. Dad stood the bottles in soil and then packed them in with sand. obviosuly some of the soil carried seeds (or seedlings) as there are ferns growing inside some of the clear bottles. They seem to be thriving in their individual glass houses.

Detail is best seen large.