Delicious breakfast at Jack Rabbit in Takapō before we drive to Queenstown.
Dishes at the Dark Sky Diner were pricey, but the Fire grilled salmon served with roasted pumpkin, grilled asparagus, smoked cauliflower puree and caper cream was very delicious.
Filling in a few hours till our 11 pm tour — Takapō Stargazing at Mount John: The Summit Experience:
start by looking at the stars with the naked eye, as our guides point out the sights with handheld lasers. … Then you’ll dive deeper, with full use of our high-powered telescopes. That includes the impressive 16” telescope in our private observatory dome.
Meanwhile an almost full moon rises.
Lake Takapō.
We're travelling in Te Wai Pounamu (the South Island) with our friend Amanda from north of Auckland. Last night's accommodation was lovely: Hall on the Terrace (Facebook link) in Temuka (Te Umu Kaha):
a renovated Presbyterian Church Hall offering luxury boutique accommodation
Waimakariri River just north of Otautahi | Christchurch. So blue! And a famous braided riverbed.
So cool 🐦 : 3D printed eggs used in fairy tern rescue programme | RNZ News:
Staff remove the [real] eggs, take them to incubators at Auckland Zoo, and the terns continue incubating what they thought were their eggs.
… a record-breaking breeding season with 22 eggs laid and 14 chicks successfully hatched.
Hmmm, still none the wiser. Bizarre film. Asteroid City 🎥:
It is Anderson's homage to popular memory and mythology about extraterrestrials and UFOs witnessed in the American Southwestern desert in close proximity to atomic test sites during the postwar period of the 20th century.
I liked the alien.
The Outskirter's Secret (Steerswoman Series Book 2) by Rosemary Kirstein was as gripping as the first book. 📚
The world building in this series is phenomenal and as we learn more about steerswomen, outskirters and wizards there are some hints about what's going on below the surface. On to Book 3!
Fun moment: distance between where I live now and where I was born: Distance Between Cities Places On Map Distance Calculator:
18,759 km or 11,656 miles
Thanks to @crossingthethreshold.
Waikawa Beach, 20 March 2024. The Pacific Wave Appreciation Society appreciates even the smallest of waves. 🌊
Hmm, I'm reading out a brief speech from my iPad at a Horowhenua District Council meeting today. I had the speech in Apple Notes but was worried about accidentally editing (deleting) as I scroll. You can't make Notes read-only.
I ended up pasting into Pages, exporting a PDF and will use that.
I'm usually good with anagrams so was initially disappointed with my first try at Lex Friedman's By A Vowel puzzle.
I was relieved that after solving the first couple in the archive and remembering the answers have a theme, my results improved. Whew.
With Equinox tomorrow, I lit the first fire for 2024.
Waikawa river mouth shines in the early morning.
In 2 days time I will be speaking to our local District Council for no more than 5 minutes on an incredibly divisive local topic: vehicle access to Waikawa Beach.
The community has been polarised. I support a pedestrian-friendly beach where vehicles are not allowed. Refining my talk…
Ate dinner with friends at Samrat Indian Restaurant in Waikanae. Just like last time, the food was delicious. I had a goat curry. It was followed by a surprise amuse bouche of vanilla ice cream.
Bag 2 of the Lego build complete, with no parts left over. 😅
So quiet today — I took a nap in the sun with crickets for company. Delightful.
Kāpiti Island and Te Wai Pounamu (South Island) on a clear sunny day.
