Hunt-Sharp Family

COOPER and his CHOCOLATE FEAST 14th February 2012

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Toronto Canada 14th February 2012.

He hasn't and won't eat anything all day.

However, I just found him in his playpen eating the block of chocolate !

Email from Mum Stephanie: TORONTO, CANADA

CLICK BLANK FRAME FOR VIDEO of Oscar's 4th Birthday Celebration 10/02/2012

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Oscar's Birthday Video February 2012

Oscar's Birthday Age 4 February 2012

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I-Phone Emailed Photographs Mum/Dad

A Remarkable loving little boy with a sense of humour and stoic understanding.
We have had many a rugby union "tackle and scrum" on Grandpa's Pilates Mat. The"Engage" rule of scrums had an unexpected outcome at home.
One morning, Dad said to Mum after dialing a busy phone number , "It's Engaged" Oscar heard this and promptly tackled a perplexed Dad around the legs!!
Wish I could have seen that! A phone call to me later explained "Yes I was indeed teaching him a little Rugby Fun....Just Hilarious Tearful laughter followed!
Happy Birthday my little man!!!

First Day Grade One 24th January 2012

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Photograph Received By I Phone Email....

Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.
Plato

Happy New Year Little Man New Year's Eve 2011

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Beautiful

With a Wintery Tree and fresh snow on the garden,complete with gaslight entrance,this is the epitomy of a fairytale Christmas & New Year. So far away, yet so close in our hearts on an unusually cool day in Sub Tropical Brisbane

Yuletide in Toronto,Canada December 2011

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Photograph provided by Email and I Phone

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Happy Birthday Sara from your Loving Family

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Happy Birthday Sara

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Cooper meets Santa at Canadian Distillery December 2011

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Jackson and Oscar's Building Creativity @ 5.00AM!! 12th December 2011

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CHILDREN Dabrowski

Psychomotor

Children who may be "Gifted" often show Rapid speech; Impulsive behavior;Competitiveness;Compulsive talking;Compulsive organizing;Nervous habits and tics;Preference for fast action and sports;Physical expression of emotions;Sleeplessness
Sensual

Appreciation of beauty, whether in writing, music, art or nature. Includes love of objects like jewelry;Sensitive to smells, tastes, or textures of foods;Sensitivity to pollution;Tactile sensitivity (Bothered by feel of some materials on the skin, clothing tags);Craving for pleasure;Need or desire for comfort
Intellectual

This intensity is the one most recognized in gifted children. It is characterized by activities of the mind, thought and thinking about thinking. Children who lead with this intensity seem to be thinking all the time and want answers to deep thoughts. Sometimes their need for answers will get them in trouble in school when their questioning of the teacher can look like disrespectful challenging.
Expressed as:-

Deep curiosity;Love of knowledge and learning;Love of problem solving;Avid reading;Asking of probing questions

More at :-

http://giftedkids.about.com/od/gifted101/a/overexcite.htm

The above is posted for the parents who are driven to distraction by Children who are energetic with a thirst of knowledge. It is not in any way to suggest that J and O might be Gifted; though I will say with looking after them a lot of the above is evident. Either way, a happy healthy given to oportunity life is my desire for these lovely little boys!

Author...ROD

Oscar was at Pre School whilst Jackson helped Granny with Dad's Birthday Cake

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Cooper and "Pop" Toronto Canada November 2011

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Prep Year at an End Brisbane November 2011

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Snow in the Mountains near TORONTO CANADA November 2011

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Bottles used as Retaining Walls Driving Creek Railway 10/Nov/2011 N Z

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A Gillian Abstract. Thames New Zealand

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Viewed from behind you would not realise this was there.Gillian discovered it from the lateral side and hence here is the result. I was unaware until shown on the camera later. Lateral Thinking perhaps?

A Dog Doodums Situation. One Shoe on One Shoe Of Coromandel NZ

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Gillian and I were almost in tears of laughter as John was the unfortunate one to discover the Dog Doodums in our haste to buy the smoked Mussels.How on earth he had it up his trousers in the end we will never know.Fortunately there was a garage adjacent where extensive further cleaning of the sneakers was undertaken with a windscreen cleaning brush.OMG when Gillian mentioned the consternation of the next customer when they cleaned their windscreen...it was just all to much.
Much of my laughter was from a sense of relief that it had been John who had discovered the dog doodums rather than myself. Makes for a good laugh for all with good travelling companions.

Travelling Companions Chilling Out at Thames New Zealand

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Tour Organizer Gillian

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Tour Organizer Gillian at Bushland Park

Deliciously Light German type of Cheese Cake Details Later

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More than enough for 4 Adults Like a Beef Stroganoff B.P. N Z

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Mushrooms, Pear; Berry and Cranberry;.....Delicious B.P NZ

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Entrée of Raw Fresh Salmon Pate: Different and Lovely Bushland Park

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ROD with Open Chownder Flan @ Roadside Cafe NZ November 2011

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Food Glorious Food Peppertree Restaurant

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John chose Gurnard Fish and was a little disappointed
Peppertree Restaurant has been awarded New Zealand Beef and Lamb Hallmark of Excellence five years running.
Other Accolades during 2010 include:

* Regional Winner. ‘Good Food Awards’ – Voted by Café Magazine;
Wild Food Challenge
http://www.menumania.co.nz/restaurants/peppertree-restaurant

New Zealand Prime "Angus Beef Eye Fillett" Bushland Park

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New Zealand Prime "Angus Beef Eye Fillett" with green asparagus & mushrooms and Reinhard's popular cassis port wine Beef Jus and hand cut double cooked parmesan fries.
Desert was a lovel Black Forest Tira Misu with cherry and Kirsch

Fresh Coromandel Scallops on Shallotte Puree Bushland Park Retreat NZ

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Fresh Coromandel scallops on a shallotte puree with Tangerine Fillet & Tangerine Cognac Syrup spiced with chile flakes and fennel. Yes you can also eat the nasturtium flower.

http://www.nickelstrausse.co.nz/?cat=3#Dinner Menu

New Zealand Mussels & Oysters

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New Zealand Silver Fern Wentworth Falls Valley Whangamata NZ

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Tree ferns plants grow in a variety of habitats, although most are found in damp shady sites beneath tree canopies, growing in well drained rich loamy soils up the sides of gullies in New Zealand native bush. A minimum winter temperature of -2°c is advised for growing New Zealand tree fern species.
The New Zealand silver fern is especially well-known as New Zealand's emblem. The silver fern leaf underside is most striking as is indicated mostly here. The Green tops of the fern can be seen at the top of the photograph.

Some Previous Guests to Bushland Park Lodge

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Our Drinking Water Wentworth Valley New Zealand

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This was our drinking water which was UV filtered according to our hosts where all the food was Organically Supplied they said. The food was very good,indeed!

Wentworth Valley Whangamata New Zealand

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Gold was mined extensively in this area in the past and warnings are there for mine shafts

New Zealand's Emblem : The Silver Fern: Wentworth Valley NZ

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This was Photographed beside the bush track heading towards Wentworth Falls in the Wentworth Valley. It is the underside of the Fern that is the silver clour and was used by early settlers to mark their way in the bush.

Trying out the new Camera Again

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Taken on I Auto with Olympus E-P3 BPark NZ

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Bee on Lavender Olympus E-P3 B Park NZ

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PP #

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PP #

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PP #

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PP #

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PP # 6 Dragon Fly using OLYMPUS EP3 Bushland Park

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Picture Perfect #4

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PP #1

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Chums Beach

PP # 5

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Inside Cook's Blow Hole

Picture Perfect #3

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Picture Perfect # 2

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Manuka Flowers source of the famous MANUKA HONEY and PRODUCTS

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Tucked in beside the main roads Bee Hives are dotted to collect the Manuka Honey. It is reported to have useful Medicinal Qualities

The SALT Restaurant does NOT Dissapoint Whittianga New Zealand

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http://www.dartagnan.com/51259/a3171/Duck/Seared-Breast-of-Moulard-Duck-a-la-DArtagnan.html

The Gallette of Duck was superb. World Class Plated Duck Dining as far as I am concerned.
Getting a table in Summer Holidays is extremely difficult. Service is good and friendly. Recipe is Linked above.

Best Oysters for me since New England USA 10/11/11.

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Quite large and very succulent. Makes Coffin bay taste very ordinary to me!

The Oysters and Mussels are just Lovely

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Roadside Shop popular with the Locals.

Driving Creek Railway Station

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Aboyt Almost 3 hours from Auckland this is a must see place for the Coromandel Peninsular The Train goes to the Eyeful Tower built in 2002 and the main line length is 3 Km. There is also an Art Gallery near the station. It is very environmentally friendly with the replanting of Kauri Trees.

Coromandel Pottery Kilns 10.11.2011

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Barry Bricknell is the owner and Potter

There is creative enjoyment by the Randomness at DCR Potteries 10.11.11.

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Old Kiln Driving Creek Pottery and Brickworks Coromandel

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Lovely Atmosphere created by Barry Bricknell 10th November 2011

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Driving Creek Pottery

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All these bricks were hand made and fired close by. Many old Pottery Kilns are there as well. The lighting was a bonus as well!
Web Site for the Driving Creek Railway

DCR Railway Siding Coromandel New Zealand

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No 10 Via Duct 40metres long (Second Hand Steel) DCR Nov 2011

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Crossing Via Duct at Driving Creek Coromandel New Zealand

Hand Made Bricks and Tunnel DCR New Zealand

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The length of the main line is 3 KM.

Landscape from moving train 10/11/2011 Driving Creek Railway

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Forlorn amongst a lovely Landscape.

Double Deck Via Duct Driving Creek Railway

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PLACES to SEE: DRIVING CREEK RAILWAY

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Here there is the former clay train,Potteries and Brickworks. In 1991 a Double-Deck Viaduct was commissioned. This is a treasure to see and all profits are going back to replanting of Kauri Trees which were felled many years ago for timber.

Wentworth Valley Great Walks to Falls Whangamata New Zealand

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Our Drinking Water: Bushland Park Lodge Wentworth Valley Whangamata NZ

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http://www.bushlandparklodge.co.nz/index.php#Home

Whangamata Beach SIMPLY STUNNING 14/11/2011

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Population grows from 4000 to 50000 in Summer
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=whangamata+beach+photos&hl=en&rlz=1T4GGIK_enAU283AU285&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=ZZXQTtLJGbGQiAfMqsXpDg&ved=0CCgQsAQ&biw=1242&bih=633

Pacific Ocean Surfing Whangamata Beach NEW ZEALAND 14/11/2011

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Whangamata Harbour Coromandel New Zealand 14th November 2011

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One of the Most beautiful Beaches 14th November 2011

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Surfing of the Point 14th November 2011

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14 th November 2011

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Tairua Harbour

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Tairu Harbour New Zealand 13 November 2011

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Tairu Harbour 13th November 2011

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The Coromandel Coast New Zealand November 2011

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Whittianga Esplanade New Zealand

The Coromandel Coast was our holiday destination during November of 2011.

New Zealand had just hosted the World Cup Rugby in October, winning by ONLY one point over France. We thought it would be quieter after that, so we then visited this beautiful coast of the North Island of New Zealand .(Please see Link below).
Gillian had spent hours researching the places to stay whilst visiting the region. We had decided that10 days would be good and she worked out destination points around one and a half hours drive by car.
We had a hire car and I enjoyed the driving along winding roads and later on the Motorway back into Auckland (our commencement and destination City).
We asked some old friends along to join us.
So they were, indeed, the recipents of a wonderful excursion which Gillian had organized and no doubt came home with some fond holiday memories.
J searched almost in vain, for fresh Snapper Fish usually abundant in the region.
He proved to be a sense of situational entertainment on several occasions; especially when visiting the smoked mussels outlet.(see later)
However, the large succulent Oysters of the Coromandel Coast and the smoked Mussels more than compensated for the scarcity of the Snapper.

Film Set

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You’ll need a boat or a comfortable pair of walking shoes to find Cathedral Cove, one of the Coromandel Peninsula’s most beautiful beaches. The walking track begins at the northern end of Hahei, and takes about 40 minutes. Just offshore from Cathedral Cove is Te Whananui-A-Hei, a marine reserve known for spectacular dive sites.

Inside Cooks Blowhole 12 Nov 2011

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Cooks Blowhole Cave Entrance 13th Novemver 2011

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HO HO ROCK CATHEDRAL COVE

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This is a very popular beach in Summer with as many as 1000 people at a time. It also is a very popular place for weddings

HO HO ROCK CATHEDRAL COVE 12 November 2011

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Rock formations near Narnia Film Set Locations New Zealand

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Mercury Bay Marine Reserve New Zealand 12 November 2011

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About MERCURY BAY

Ferry Landing - accross the harbour from Whitianga, ferry passengers alight at the oldest stone wharf in Australasia, built in 1837. Front Beach & Flaxmill Bay are sheltered north-facing beaches, providing great swimming and rock exploring.

Located between Cooks Beach and Flaxmill Bay is Shakespeare Cliff, an interesting scenic reserve. A very short track leads to a vantage point with memorable views of Mercury Bay. At the site a cairn records the arrival in 1769 of the HMS Endeavour under the command of Lieutenant Captain Cook. "No sea can hurt her..." The famous words of Captain James Cook referring to the original H.M.S. Endeavour. Lonely Bay (walk down from the Shakespeare Reserve) is a highlight of the area.

Mercury Bay and Beach New Zealand

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Beautiful in all respects. One of those Post Card picture perfect moments.(as in Norway last year)

Composition is just right(in my humble opinion):-

Grass
Beautiful Beach
Beach Beauty
Blue Pacific Ocean
Mountains
Clouds (The Land of the Long White Cloud)

Mercury Bay .New Zealand 11/11/2011 4.00PM

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On the map link it shows the Ferry Jetty.It was from there we took a glass bottom boat cruise around Mercury Bay and where I was feeling quite queezy in the swell. Looking down at the fish below in this Marine Park was not an option for me. Looking at the Horizon did the trick of not feeling worse

Hahei Beach Mercury Bay

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Hahei Beach before Wave Breaking and Cathedral Cove Marine Reserve Mercury Bay Film Set

There is 14kms of magnificient volcanic coastine, including Cathedral Cove the marine reserve and offshore islands to be seen.

Cathedral Cove Whittianga

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Eager fans flock to New Zealand to discover the mythical landscapes of Narnia - immortalised in the film adaptations of CS Lewis famed 1950s 'Chronicles of Narnia' series.
Loved by children of all ages, this world of fauns, satyrs and centaurs was brought to the big screen by New Zealand director Andrew Adamson with his 2005 adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe which became the 41st highest-grossing film of all time.
Since then, there have been two more Narnia films - Prince Caspian (2008) and also directed by Adamson, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010).

Anchor Lodge Coromandel Coast

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http://www.anchorlodgecoromandel.co.nz/index.html Room View 8.00AM

New Chums Beach New Zealand Beach Rememberance Day 2011

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New Chums Beach New Zealand Beach Rememberance Day 2011

Beautiful Beaches New Chums of Coromandel Peninsula

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New Chums Beach New Zealand

New Chums Beach New Zealand Remembrance Day 11/11/2011

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New Chums Beach New Zealand 11/11/2011

Long Bay Coromandel Harbour

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Ferns and Coromandel Harbour in Distance from Driving CreekTrain 10/11/2011

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Ferns and Coromandel Harbour in Distance from Driving CreekTrain

Coromandel Harbour # 1 10th November 2011

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Coromandel Harbour and Whanganui Island in Distance #2 10 Nov 2011

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Whakatete Bay North of Thames # 2

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New Zealand in Maori Legend is the "Land of the Long White Cloud"
"Opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa’s collaboration with artist Michael Foreman has produced an entertaining and stunningly illustrated collection of Maori legends for grades five and up. Te Kanawa attempts to capture the essence of the stories told by her mother during her childhood. She does not present her stories as the definitive versions but rather admits that they “have probably changed in the telling” and “there are as many versions of the tales as there are tellers.” The author clearly identifies with her Maori heritage as she prefaces each story with brief notes about Maori culture and the associations each story evokes for her."
"Te Kanawa’s parents, one of Maori and one of Irish descent, adopted her as in infant. After a brief period as a popular singing and recording artist in New Zealand, she became a student at the London Opera Center in 1966. The soprano shot to stardom in the 1970s with her success as the Countess in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro in 1971. She sang at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, and reached a worldwide audience with her rendering of Handel’s Let the Bright Seraphim.” Though she now performs less often, the singer remains highly acclaimed."

Whakatete Bay North of Thames #1

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Dragon Fly at Bushland Park Lodge and Retreat

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Dragon Fly on Pond : Bushland Park Lodge and Retreat.
The Dragon Fly is a source of very intersting research into the field of Robotics.Just briefly for those that wonder at its hovering abilities; it has the ability to register its flight path position through measurement of UV Rays reflecting of the surface of the water to position itself.This is one of the evolutionary geniuses of nature. The new camera more than fulfilled my expectations with this photograph. I was not aware of the magnificent colours until looking on the LCD at 15X magnification.

Introducing the Olympus E-P3 CAMERA ;THAMES NZ 10th November 2011

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Lavender Flowers 3-D

The day before we left I purchased a new Camera. The Model is the Olympus E-P3. It was released around August 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/user/OlympusAU#p/a/u/2/OjaMK1ijzwk

The features are incredible and very user friendly on the Olympus E-P3.There are a multitude of lenses available (see Web). It also has the fastest shutter speed in its miniature SLR Class .

The camera features are updated by USB to my laptop and wireless to the web at the other end of the house. (Can’t see the need for the NBN?). Photographs from the camera can be uploaded by wireless to the

I –phone and the inbuilt wireless feature can operate a remote wireless flash. There are many other features .
Our first two nights were at:-
Cotswold Cottage 46 Maramarahi Road | Totara, Thames 2815, New Zealand Tel - +64 (0) 7 868 6306It was here that I discovered the option for 3Dimensional Photography.