Hiroshima, Japan

After a day of planes and trains we spent today with Janet and Michael exploring Hiroshima. First a beautiful garden called Shukkeien, rebuilt after the bomb exactly as it had been for the centuries before. Then we went to Hiroshima castle - a tall wooden pagoda-style building surrounded by a moat, it was encircled by fast food stalls, Japanese style. Then we went to the Dome, the bomb was detonated just above it. We then went to the Memorial Museum. Very sad things to see there. Then we had some train adventures and got to Kyoto this evening.

At the gardens

Tea house at the gardens

Fried squid, I think

Chocolate covered bananas

Hiroshima Castle

View from Hiroshima Castle

Archery at Hiroshima castle

The dome

Paper cranes and origami at the children's Peace Memorial

At the museum

Hong Kong day 3

Aberdeen harbour

Last day in Hong Kong. This morning we took the bus to Aberdeen Harbour. What a contrast to Hong Kong city! I think we were the only tourists there. We had a sampan ride around the harbour, then found the bus for Stanley.  

Fish market at Aberdeen Harbour

I am the only tourist

Our Sampan lady

Floating restaurant

Aberdeen

Stanley Harbour

A shrine on the clifftop walk at Stanley

Hong Kong day 2

We got up early and caught one of the tall, narrow trams into central, then got the tram to the top of Victoria Peak - it goes up at a really steep angle.  It was very cold at the summit where we did th circular walk, about 1 and 1/2 hours.

Wearing all our winter layers, the wind was biting!

Finally the sun came out hazily.

At the botanical gardens.  Warmer back down from the mountain and we began to take our layers off.

Not a giant red kiwi -ibis.

The zoo was within the botanical gardens and mostly consisted of caged monkeys

...whereas at the old prison complex there were cells that had once caged people.  The whole complex is now an arts and heritage centre with lots going on.

At the heritage and arts centre

We also checked out more markets with strange food...

...and meat sold in alleyways.

And now for something completely different...Hong Kong

We arrived in Hong Kong after an 11 hour flight and bought oyster cards at the airport (seniors!) which covers our travel on trains, trams, buses etc while in Hong Kong.  Leaving our luggage at the hotel until check in time we headed over to Kowloon where we visited the flower market, the bird market, the ladies market and the jade market. 

The flower market extended over a long street with florist shops and stalls...

there were all kinds of flowers

The bird market was full of all sorts of birds in all sorts of cages...

The jade market was interesting - they have jade of different colours.

Near our hotel the street is full of shops selling weird and wonderful things...

The view from our hotel window.

Summer is here!

A beautiful, sunny weekend.  A group of us went to Matapouri this afternoon and walked to Whale Bay.

The track goes through bush along the clifftops.

Pohutukawa were flowering at Whale Bay.

Then we walked back to Matapouri for ice creams :-)