Friday, November 14, 2014

New Zealand Part 1

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I realize that a lot of my posts may not necessarily be about quilting, but I have found that every aspect of my life is who I am and so I want to share this on my blog.  I want to thank you in advance for reading. After my teaching trip to Australia, Clint and I headed to New Zealand, I have always wanted to go there.  Especially since I have watched Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia. I have to say, it didn't disappoint.  Everywhere I looked was green hills with beautiful pastures of cows and sheep.  The topography is amazing there and it was complete eye candy everywhere we looked.  Clint had to learn to drive on the left side of the road instead of the right, and that was hilarious and totally confusing at first.

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We stayed two nights in a loft in Cambridge and the above photo was our view.  It was so beautiful! 

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We made our way to Hobbiton and the tour was amazing!  Seriously.  Everything here is natural and part of the amazing outside set for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies.
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We got to see Bilbo and Frodo Baggins hobbit house.  

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As well as Samwise Gamgee's place. 

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I loved how much effort was put into making this look as real as possible, even down to the mailbox.  

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One of my favorite things about traveling is being able to find different plants and flowers.  These little beauties were amazing! 

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So, so beautiful!

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It was hard choosing which pictures to share, but I wanted to share the things that I really loved about visiting there.
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Anytime I see a bridge it reminds me of the romantic proposal at the end of Anne of Green Gables.  Call me crazy, but I love bridges and one day I will be at the bridge where Gilbert proposes to Anne.  Preferably with my own Prince Charming - just putting a bug in Clint's ear ;-)

Clint and I had a wonderful time walking around the Shire. It was a perfect day.  

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I love these beautiful flowers. 

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I loved the doors to the Green Dragon.  So many inspirations for quilting can be found anywhere.  You just have to look!

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Later that day Clint and I took a walk to an abandoned Military barracks somewhere in Cambridge. This would be the perfect setting for a quilt backdrop, or using the textures within this building as inspiration for my quilting.  I just loved it. 

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Aren't these flowers beautiful?
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These trees were amazing.  We were there in the springtime, so everything was coming to life.  The birds in these trees were chasing each other and singing, it was really amazing.  Clint took a video of the birds in action. 

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Here's a closeup of the blossoms on the trees.  So amazing. 

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We finished the night with a lovely view of the valley and the sunset.  Stay tuned for the other part of our New Zealand trip. 

Have  a wonderful weekend!

23 comments:

Linda H said...

Wow! Awesome scenery- I'd love to see "the shire". Thanks so much for sharing this with us. SO glad you had a wonderful time there...

Dreams can come true! said...

I so enjoyed this journey tonight. thank you for bring it to me. Your so so lucky.

Anonymous said...

I love that you can share about where you've been, and who you are. That only adds to the understanding of why you do what you do. Never apologize for an 'off topic' post. It's refreshing for both the reader and the poster. I smiled the whole way through it.

Unknown said...

There can never be too many pictures. Especially when they are of such beautiful things. Some of those flowers are incredible! Thanks for sharing.

http://thankfullga447 said...

Wow I just love their little homes.

gailss said...

Re3ally nice pics and always enjoy seeing different places. Great shots and your camera takes nice pics....thanks

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Your visit to NZ looks amazing. Beautiful collection of photos and everything look so green and inviting! I'd love to visit there one day too - just a hop and a skip from the land of Oz.

Razzle Dazzle Quilter said...

Oh golly, Cambridgeshire and Matamata just up the road from where I live. Now I am wondering if you made it to Taupo where I live.

Leeanne said...

Lovely of you to share your visit to my home country. I live north of where you visited, Cambridge is certainly a good example of what New Zealand has to offer. I have never been to Hobbitville....is that sad or what!

kitty said...

Thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures! You must have had a great time experiencing the beauty and magic of New Zealand.

Anonymous said...

Oh I would love to have a Hobbit house - really.
Thank you for sharing.

Hildy said...

Thanks for sharing the 'Shire' pictures! I love the movies and this green door ... I think I need one!

Dana Gaffney said...

New Zealand is a dream of mine, thank you so much for sharing the pictures.

Jackie said...

Thanks for sharing your pictures. I was more excited though reading about the episode of Anne of Green Gables when Anne is proposed to on the bridge. I love that series and watch it once a year usually at Christmas while I'm sewing actually. It's a small world when you think about it.

Anonymous said...

Hi Judy, wonderful pictures of NZ and the Shire! I really enjoyed those and will be pinning a few of them. Thank you for sharing! I see it is part one, and will look forward to part two!
Carole @ From My Carolina Home
craftnut on MQR

T Holzer said...

Gorgeous photos!! Thanks for sharing.

~Diana said...

I enjoy reading about bloggers' travel...that inspires me too! I'm also amazed (ok...and a tiny bit jealous) of where your quilting talent takes you. Did you ever think, when you started, that quilting would take you around the world??? It's awesome, and...inspiring! :)

Gemini Jen NZ said...

I am so pleased you both took the chance to come here on your trip and that you both enjoyed your visit here. I live at the far south of the country and have not yet had the chance to visit Hobbiton but one of my summer hang-outs is the Fiordland/Queenstown area, where a lot of the other LOTR adventures took place and I certainly do appreciate the wild beauty of it all! Thanks for sharing!

Jenny Faasavalu said...

These kind of posts are my favorites! Thanks for sharing.

Patti said...

Love this post! So lucky to see the Hobbit houses! My kids would love to see them too. I hope you do get to the bridge from Ann of Green Gables someday! One of my favourite stories.

Raewyn said...

Great to see you enjoyed our country :-) Your photos are beautiful!

Concha de Aromadetela said...

Me parece un viaje increible. Las fotos que nos enseñas son de cuento, la casita de los hobbits me encantaaaaa. Preciosas esas colinas todas verdes. Que bonito todo.
Me alegro mucho, Un abrazo.

Sunflower Stitcheries and Quilting said...

Judi it's great to know you are a kindred spirit. Perhaps we'll both bet to PEI one day.

Glad you enjoyed Australia and your travels in the Land of the Long White Cloud.

Cheers
Raylee