Turquoise Cafe

This cafe popped up out-of-the-blue! We were en route to Roxburgh yesterday when I saw a flash of blue out my side window and the word 'cafe'. This is Ettrick orchard country and I hadn't seen anything bright blue before. I asked Nigel to turn around and sure enough there's a new cafe (only been...

Beauty Is Here

This post features images taken by Nigel when we visited Horseshoe Bend near Millers Flat in Central Otago, New Zealand. He got some really nice captures. There was so much more than just the historic bridge. Taken 31 Dec 2019. Native flowers. I think this may be manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) rather than kanuka (Kunzea ericoides)....

Down By The River

Down by the Clutha River or Mata-Au, this post continues our exploration at Horseshoe Bend - I've already posted about the historic bridge. I took all my photos close to the river and bridge so these are they and I'll put Nigel's in a separate post. Horseshoe Bend is near Millers Flat, Central Otago, New...

Horseshoe Bend Bridge

The Clutha River or Mata-Au, often referred to as the Mighty Clutha, runs from Lake Wanaka through Central Otago, on through the Clutha District via Clydevale and Balclutha, and then down to the South Coast via Inch Clutha (338 km total). There's an interesting photo of the Mata-Au meeting the ocean featured in Te Ara...

Near Roxburgh

These are the last photos from our trip into Central Otago on 27 Nov 2019. Coming through Roxburgh Nigel took photos of this interesting birch tree (trees?) by the road, the canopy covering a lot of ground. Betula pendula. Then driving through the Teviot Valley I spotted words on a hillside in white letters -...

Wild Yellow

Some yellow flowering plants caught our eye when we visited Central Otago on 27 November 2019. The first two photos show yellow lupins and wild roses. Both are extremely common weeds in Central Otago, New Zealand. The final three photos are of an endemic plant, Raoulia australis. First photo by Liz, all the rest were...

Clyde Spring Gardens

We were in Clyde on Nov 27, 2019 and had a walk around some of the residential area, enjoying the home gardens. Roses, peonies and lavender were much in evidence. Although we've grown green-flowered lavender ourselves in the past I think the lavender below is only green because the flower buds are immature. Clyde, Central...

Giving Thanks

Because many Americans are focussed on Thanksgiving this is a simple post of some lilies that I enjoyed seeing on a table in a Roxburgh cafe yesterday. The blooms seemed huge although that aspect doesn't seem obvious in these photos. They were the biggest lily blooms of this type that I remember seeing. I enquired...

Jimmy’s Pies in Roxburgh

Roxburgh in Central Otago is the home of Jimmy's Pies. We often eat Jimmy's pies locally, getting them from the pie warmer in the Four Square down the road from where we live in Tapanui. Yesterday we were able buy them from the source - the bakery is based in the small town of Roxburgh....

Best Little Cottage

This beautifully constructed stone cottage is in a place named Fruitlands in Central Otago, really lovely area. After navigating past the middle-of-the-road peacock we then drove on up the country lane until we reached this site, further up the hill. It's a really captivating place. Fruitlands, Central Otago, New Zealand. Photos taken by Liz 10...

Tale of a Tail

Sunday, while showing visitors around Central Otago we turned off the highway onto a side road and there was a peacock in all his glory raising beautiful tail feathers to great effect - in the middle of the road! It was like the show was just for us! We assumed there was a peahen somewhere...

Roll Out the Red Carpet

We stopped in Roxburgh for breakfast en route to Central Otago and noticed some new shops. Roxburgh now has its very own tea store! Opened 30 September 2019.  Teviot Tea Store  is a pretty little shop selling various teas and other tea-related things. If you're passing through it's worth taking a look... the red welcome...