Winter treats...

Sometimes, at the end of the day, the sun strikes the brown-gold hills on the other side of the harbour and the effect is almost mystical. This day I was driving back to Governors Bay from Sumner and the sun was catching Mts Sinclair and Evans to the east of Purau. The headland in the centre of this photo (adjacent to Ripapa Island) is up for sale and there has been sustained local pressure on the Christchurch City Council to purchase the site for a reserve before it is claimed by developers. No resolution as yet...

At this time of the year the kereru are especially active in Governors Bay. The tree lucerne, which is such a favoured food source, is just coming into flower. My resident pair kamikaze from the lucerne above the house to the pine trees below, almost grazing the roof. This one made a detour into the kowhai just beneath my deck and posed obligingly...