Whangaruru North Head Walk

We haven't had chance to get away much this summer so grabbed the chance to head out to Bland Bay and Whangaruru North Head yesterday.  We walked a two-hour loop which took us across from the harbour side of the peninsular to the bays and headlands of the ocean side...

Sandy Bay, where we set off from...

The track started uphill, through farmland.  This is the DOC campsite at Puriri Bay.

We found some moth-eaten puriris on the track.

Looking north up the coast.

The way back led along a boardwalk through a raupo (bullrush) wetland area, then through thick bush and back to the harbour at Admirals Bay.

Heading back we had views of Bland Bay (on the right) and Whangaruru Harbour to the left.

Lunch at Bland Bay...

...it was pretty deserted.

At the campground at Oakura, on the other side of the harbour, we spent some time with friends and went for a swim.

Whangarei Murals

We went for a walk around Whangarei to look at the 15 murals painted this week by local and international artists.  Some were finished and others were almost complete.

These weren't part of it but were done by kids in the style of Hundertwasser and were displayed near where the Hundertwasser building is starting to be built. 

Me, wondering about this one...

Tokyo

Yesterday we travelled from Enoshima to Tokyo.  It was grey and cold and after a bit of sight-seeing Malcolm and I went to the hotel and went to bed.  We both have a flu bug.  I felt better after a 12 hour sleep so went out with Janet and Michael today.

The hotel is very nice, this is the view from the room.

We went to Ueno Park, this is the entrance to the Gojo Shrine.  A local family dressed in their traditional clothes.

We went to a flea market at Ueno with interesting stalls.

Temple on an island in a lake

Swan pedalos on a boating lake

At the Imperial Palace.  We couldn't go in because it was closed.

Enoshima

We took the trains to Fujisawa and this evening went to Enoshima Island, a seaside tourist spot.

Everywhere in Japan there is plastic food outside restaurants to show what's on the menu. They must lie Hello Kitty at this one.

When it got dark the gardens were illuminated by 1,000s of lights.

Mt Fuji

Japanese dining

Someone fishing by torchlight.

Kyoto

A day exploring Kyoto, temples, castle and Gion (the old town, full of wooden buildings and geishas.

We visited a few temples in Kyoto.  Wooden buildings.  You have to remove your shoes to enter and unfortunately we couldn't take photos inside.  This one was close to the hotel.  

This was a water fountain where they washed their hands before entering the temple.

The Gion area was the old town.  Narrow streets and wooden houses.  This area is where the geishas work in tea houses and we saw some on the streets.

Another temple area.  This one had gardens and shrines as well as the temple building.

This was a castle where the shogun lived.  We walked along the corridors and looked into the rooms that were set up as they would have been.