To occupy a weekend’s afternoon, I went for a drive armed with my camera in the general direction of a beach. I had originally thought Evans Head would be the destination, but instead I ended up at Broadwater Beach…

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I’ve photographed the Richmond River flowing through my home town of Casino before, yet it always draws me back to have a look. This particular visit was in the middle of the day, and the colour and sunlight didn’t disappoint.

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No visit to New Zealand, I am told, would be complete without a visit to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. It’s a long(ish) drive from Auckland, but today I went. And I’m glad I did…

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On the drive from the airport on Sunday afternoon I noticed a hill that had what I thought was a column at the very top, clearly visible from just about everywhere that has a direct line of sight to the top of that hill. I subsequently discovered that this ‘column’ is, in fact, a memorial to Sir John Logan Campbell who, having been the original owner of the property surrounding the hill, gave it in his will to the people of New Zealand for their free use and enjoyment.

The obelisk at the top of One Tree Hill marks the resting of Sir John Logan Campbell, and Cornwall Park remains a place where anyone and everyone can go and enjoy at absolutely no cost to themselves or to the public purse.

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Today I visited the historic reserve located on the northern head of Waitemata Harbour, the harbour around which the City of Auckland develops. It started life as a military establishment but is now in the care of the Department of Conservation.

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My home town of Casino used to be a junction for several railway lines, and was also a place where there was a large rails workshop. The workshop closed many years ago, and now only one line – the Sydney to Brisbane line – travels through Casino.

The abandoned rail line is now a track to nowhere…

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Some inclement weather in Forster provided the opportunity for some interesting photos.

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