Underwater Love

We took an underwater film disposable-camera to Rarotonga, as we are nothing if not old-school. Most days my Dad & I took it kayaking on the lagoon with us and I love the adventures it captured. There are some pretty funny people shots- including the village fishing dogs who would swim out to the little motu islands but would hitch a lift back on your kayak if they could...but I liked the way the scenery shots came out, all wonky & dreamy.

Distance

Week 48

I never tire of taking pictures from the ferries in the Hauraki Gulf. This second shot I seem to take so many times; the first one is departing Waiheke Island {on a recent weekend}.

I know it is obvious but New Zealand is pretty darn far from everywhere. Not just some places, it is literally in the middle of nowhere. This distance is kind of what makes it great in some ways {unique...natural beauty....} but it is tough sometimes when you are an immigrant, which I guess I am; then again, as options loom, contemplating leaving and being far from here for a while is also a tough call. Geography sucks sometimes!

Kiwi Summer on Film Again {Wellington edition}

Long walks with good friends, excellent picnic tins, strange little buildings, dazzling, bleach-everything sun, not-as-red-as-I-thought rocks and the promise of a seal colony {who knows, we got too hot and turned back}. Excellent weekend Kiwi-ness. Also, this was apparently where Frodo, Sam and Gollum reached the Black Gate in The Lord of the Rings. So I've picnic-ed at the Black Gate! Choice, as they say here :)

Light breaks where no sun shines...

Week 47

...so says Dylan Thomas. Through the windscreen-while-moving {not, I hasten to add, driving myself} shots? Why not. Crazy light.

Coromandel {on film}

I loved our summer break in Whitianga. It's so beautiful, but it's the little things, being able to relax and spend time with my parents during their visit...I only wish it had been longer. My film photos are sun-drenched and hold such nice memories for me. Beautiful beaches, sitting reading in the shade, ice-cream, cute little sights on the way back from our favourite daily swim spot and finally the little ferry running back to Whitianga. I ❤ the Coromandel :)

Good food, quiet times

This weekend hasn't all been about food, but almost :) There have been pot-luck dinners and especially social brunches that have evolved into long afternoons at the beach. We had the best flat whites from here and brunched here and while everyone's food looked amazing, I loved my 'empire eggs'- poached egg on cumin & coriander lentils, with relish on the side. Hmmmmm. 

Our endless summer heat has cramped my cooking style, but getting new ideas for yummy food made me resolve, now I have moved house and have a nicer, airier kitchen, to become a domestic goddess. I kicked it off right away this morning with a birthday party batch of Nigella Lawson's brownies. If you have never made them before, you need to. They are insanely good. The measurements in the recipe make a huge batch though, so next time I would halve it as I had brownie mix everywhere- I ended up improvising and making some of these brownie 'pots' when I ran out of tray-space! Soooo good though- everything will seem/feel/smell better for these brownies :)

The recipe is from, aptly, How To Be A Domestic Goddess, which is a gorgeous cookbook. 

On the horizon

Week 46

...hopefully lots of nice things after some challenging times. 

This pier has become one of my favourite vantage points- I think it has one of the loveliest Auckland sunset views.