Kiwis/New Zelanders

[RoadRaven]

K... back... is it really that beautiful, Lise?
Yes, it is...

I grew up in Northland (on a map look at the top of NZ, above Auckland, and find the Bay of Islands) - sub-tropical bush, ocean and clear water, and native bush full of noisy pretty sounding birds, clear beaches, safe swimming... dolphins including the little tiny Hectors dophin if you dive (which I used to) and just as many pretty fish as anywhere else with clear warm water. I miss the Pohutakawa trees at this time of year... NZ's own "Christmas" tree... It flowers the most beautiful crimson over summer... stunning

I have lived in Hawkes Bay for most of my life and have holidayed at Mt Doom (Lake Taupo) frequently.

HB is fabulous for cycling because there are plently of good hills if thats what you want (there are mountains running right down the back bone of NZ). However, where I live are the Heretaunga Plains (you'll locate them by finding Hastings and Napier) which are just that --- flat...

Much of the country is very close to rural and semi-rural land... Hawkes Bay is known as the "fruitbowl" of NZ as it has so many orchards, although it is pretty populated by vinyards and winaries too... also hepas of farmland still (like what I live on) so most cycling is in beautiful scenery, the weather is fairly consistently mild.

I have only really been cylcing here, but my partner and I plan to do some cycling tours when the youngest children are a little older.

Is it beautiful...?... yes... and so much of it seems untouched and natural still - European/English settlement here happened only some 200 years ago... everything is new...

I've been to Sydney, Australia... I've been to California, USA...
I want to go to Canada, to Scotland, to France and to some of the African countires...

But I doubt I would want to live anywhere else...


For some nice pics of this land...

http://www.mosaictravel.co.nz/photo_gallery.htm

http://www.bigfoto.com/pacific/new-zealand/


Links to pages about where I live and work...

http://www.hb.co.nz/

http://www.hawkesbaynz.com/