I would love to do this! Guess it might behoove us to rewatch the movies before the trip!
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Part of my reason for picking New Zealand was because of the beautiful scenery in the LOTR movies. I’ve rewatched them numerous times over the years (often in bits and pieces as they would show up on cable). All of them were on the Quantas flight home so I rewatched the first movie, up until they formed the fellowship. It was fun to think, I was there!
My S & DIL went to New Zealand on their honeymoon and included a LOTR tour. The country is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing your photos!
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@Marilyn - great to see your pictures! We are planning a trio down to NZ in Jan 2027 - can you share your itinerary or list of must-do’s ?
@arisamp - I sent a PM with our info rather than bog down this thread. You might want to start a new thread for this (one might exist; I forget). A lot of posters have been there recently!
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@Marilyn - thanks!
More New Zealand photo editing today. Te Puia just outside Rotorua includes the Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley. It’s home to the Pōhutu geyser, largest in the southern hemisphere and among the most active in the area, erupting up to twenty times per day at heights of up to 98 ft, plus mud pools, hot springs and silica formations. Also home to the New Zealand National Schools of Wood Carving, Stone & Bone Carving, and Weaving.
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Very San Diego. Paddleboarder passes by while a navy LCS traverses the bay. We thought it was headed out to sea, but it was only docking at Naval Base San Diego. Not a normal docking location so likely some kind of event at that facility. We also saw three gunboats, two tugs, a helicopter, and a military transport plane. And seagulls and sailboats.
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Love that spot!
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My husband found this photo from around 2002. Our dear friends are on the left and we’re on the right. The woman in the pink sweater is my friend I’ve mentioned has early onset Alzheimer’s, late stage. I’m going to have the photo restored and give copies to his family and our kids.
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That’s beautiful! I’ve never seen one like that. I do miss cactus! I dug one up in Austin and kept it in my office cubicle. The fluorescent lights made it grow like a mutant, ha.
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Sometimes, the desert surprises you. Here is our saguaro in bloom:
And here is my neighbor’s Argentine cactus. Each bloom lasts only 24 hours, but the plant flowers multiple times. Different plants produce different colors. The brilliant red ones are stunning.
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It is possible to grow a few varieties of cactus up here in the northeast. Here is a picture of an Opuntia humifusa that I have had growing in my yard for 30 years. I have a plant encyclopedia that claims that it is not hardy in my area, but in the past 30 years I have never been able to convince the plant of this fact. The picture was taken mid-summer, but I do not recall whether this was last summer or the summer before.
This particular plant has huge numbers of very tiny spines which break off and get stuck in your fingers. If this happens, you can coat the area affected with rubber cement, wait for it to dry, repeat, then rub the whole thing off.
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Ooh, that’s cool! I may have to try it!
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