Pretty sure I just heard a horse whinny. According to Google Maps the closest possible horses would be about 350 metres away on the far side of the slight rise behind our place … 🐎
Beyond that is the racecourse.
This photo from 10 October 2025.
A flash of very vivid blue caught my eye across the river — it turned out to be a Kōtare | Sacred Kingfisher. It's barely visible in the two photos below, flying at centre right. 🐦
Meanwhile a Matuku moana | White-faced heron took flight.
Today I strolled across the road to the river — a 3 minute walk. After going about 500 metres south beside the river I turned and took this photo looking upstream. The trees on a small hill behind the river are on an old pā site, not far away. A few middens have been found beside the river too.
Yes! This is in my near future — Apple unveils new 14‑inch MacBook Pro powered by the M5 chip:
Apple unveils new 14‑inch MacBook Pro powered by the M5 chip … faster storage, up to a phenomenal 24 hours of battery life
M5 also includes a faster and more efficient CPU, an enhanced Neural Engine, and higher memory bandwidth
This was a very interesting 1 hour podcast episode: Clutterbug Podcast - Why You’re Still Drained — and How to Get Your Energy Back:
If you’re exhausted, unmotivated, or mentally fried, this episode is for you.
I’m sitting down with Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, physician, researcher, and author of Sacred Rest, to talk about the 7 different types of rest — and why getting more sleep isn’t the real solution to burnout.
I always find this nerve wracking. Multiples of triple checks. Especially since roads round here aren’t the highest quality. Made it safely though.
Opened Apple Maps, put in the address for the first of today's errands (driving) and was bewildered by all the surrounding street names at my destination.
Looked closer. Of course Apple Maps had me driving to Sydney Australia from my home near Whangārei, Aotearoa.
Sigh.
Today my new iPhone 17 Pro stopped being able to make or take calls. I checked my provider's Outage Status page, checked my account, failed in being able to make contact with them, decided to follow up tomorrow when I go to town.
Deb's suggestion: turn it off and on again. 🤦🏽♀️
Which worked … 🤪
On our train ride up by Kawakawa the other day we spotted this Kawaupaka | Little shag in trees by the line: 🐦
the little shag’s diagnostic short-billed and long-tailed silhouette, along with its small size and stubby yellow bill. Shape alone is sufficient to identify a little shag.
At least, I think that's what this bird is. It was quite little and has a stubby yellow bill.
On yesterday's vintage train ride out of Kawakawa we had to stop for a few minutes for staff to open huge gates that blocked access to a bridge.
I was interested by the sign cautioning people, especially cyclists on this part of the Twin Coast Cycle Trail, to watch out during nesting season for swooping magpies. 🐦
Warning Swooping Magpies (nesting season)
Dismount & walk.
Move quickly through the area - Don't run.
Protect your head & face.
Wear sunglasses.
Today we travelled for 2 hours on a special outing of the Bay Of Islands Vintage Railway:
pass through beautiful countryside, past rivers, native wetlands and over the longest curved wooden bridge in the Southern Hemisphere.
… the first railway to be opened in the North Island of New Zealand and the only one that runs down the middle of a State Highway.
It was fun and we enjoyed canapés and live jazz as part of the Awa ki te moana – River to the ocean - Savour Northland festival.
This Granny Smith apple tree was planted around 3 months ago, in about July 2025. Look at all the blossoms!
Easy to make and totally delicious. Pearl Barley Soup - RecipeTin Eats:
Barley Soup! Simple to make, clean-flavoured and filled with nourishing veggies, the little trick that elevates the taste here is sautéing a small amount of herbs and spices for the soup. It really makes the flavour bloom. You will be surprised!
This tiny skink lives round our house. I'm happy to see it, but don't know what kind it is. I just hope it's not a Plague skink:
Native to Australia, plague skinks were first recorded in Auckland during the 1960s and are now posing a threat to our rare native lizards. …
They look do look very similar to native skinks but are smaller.
Plague skinks are able to reach high population densities in a relatively short time. Because of this they potentially compete with our native lizard species for food, habitat and space.
This Nadia Lim recipe for Microwave scrambled eggs was easy and delicious. Easier than cooking eggs on the stovetop and cleaning up afterwards.
They don’t have the exact same consistency of scrambled eggs cooked in a pan, but they’re pretty good nonetheless.
Several flights of Kuaka | Godwits flew north while I was hanging out at the Dune Lake. One lot flew right over me, and so low I could hear the whirring of their wings. It was magical. 🐦
Photos from a different group.
Paradise Ducks would be a great alarm system — they spot you from miles away and don't stop squawking till you leave.
These were down at the river mouth yesterday. 🐦
This interesting display seems to be permanent outside one house on Marsden Point Road.
While waiting for moonrise last night I looked west and saw the last signs of a setting sun.
Note: I uses the magic eraser tool in Photos to remove power lines.
A major new report … Our Marine Environment 2025 from the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ [found] that New Zealand's oceans are warming faster than the global average, marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense, the risk of invasive species and marine disease is increasing with climate change, and wetlands, dunes and native vegetation are being degraded.
… 91 percent of New Zealand's seabirds and 35 percent of its marine mammals were threatened or at risk
Via: $180 billion of homes sitting on flood-prone land, government report finds | RNZ News.