Tramping with the little elves

This country is so beautiful, partly because it's just so beautiful but partly because it's so darned diverse. The weekend that was going to be an all girls' overnight tramp to a hut a couple of hours from here turned into a weekend of rain. But it cleared today, somewhat. What started as a somewhat rainy, windy day by the sea became a sunny, almost warm day as I approached Wellington on the train. Then, as we drove north toward Kaitoke Reserve, north and inland from Wellington, the skies moved from overcast to sunny as the clouds raced across the sky. Did we need our rain gear or our bathing suits? It was hard to tell. That's New Zealand, as far as I can tell.

The pictures here are of the hike we took in one of the few remaining old growth forests in this part of the country. It also happens to be the place where the little elf scenes were filmed in Lord of the Rings (Rivendell)

The day ended back by the sea, like this.....

And now, as I get ready to go to bed, I'm looking at the moon setting, fiery orange, out over the sea. Ahhhh.....