New Zealand!
This was a trip of a lifetime for us, starting right out of the gate. When we decided to go to New Zealand with no connections, I have to say that I was a bit concerned about how long it was going to take for me to recover from from this 20+ hour flight. Well, I was very pleasantly surprised that I never did have jet lag! I was able to sleep for a full 7 hours on the plane! We arrived in Auckland in the morning in time for breakfast and a cappaccino at our hotel with no ill effects. Our plan for the trip was to spend almost four weeks in New Zealand; half on the east side of the North Island and then half on the South Island where we would spend the rest of our time onboard ship. The people of New Zealand are so nice and very friendly. We stayed at small B&Bs, and small hotels and exploring each of the many areas where we stayed. We saw so many mammals and birds which are endemic to the country. Cheryl was able to take many pictures which you will find on her blog. The countryside was breathtaking -rolling hills with sheep, deer, birds and goat farms. Then, once we were on the boat, we saw more birds, seals, dolphins and penguins.
I brought my travel paint supplies and decided to show you what I use to do my paintings. I use a small travel journal, a small watercolor paint set, some brushes, water, a pencil, eraser, kleenex and a sprayer. Everything goes into a small bag which I take to wherever I’m going to set up…,maybe a cafe where I paint a street scene and have a coffee, or on a hillside overlooking some beautiful scenery. I could spend hours at a paint store going up and down the aisles hunting for painting stuff.
So these first paintings are from outside our cottage, overlooking the Pacific Ocean at sunrise. Cheryl had already been out birding for an hour by the time I set up for this painting. But I need coffee first thing in the morning, so I made myself a cup, brought my stuff outside to sit on the porch and work on this little painting. It was such a beautiful sunrise, the birds were chirping and the view was to die for.
The next painting is from the South Island in a little town which was originally settled by the French in the late 1700s called Akaroa. The town still has a French feel to it, with a French bakery, signs of the French flag aves les nom des rues ecrits en francais.
This last painting is from the South Island. It’s Burnside Church and we came across it as we were on our way to find brown fur seals which are endemic to NZ. I loved the colors on this church, the blue sky and the beautiful mountains in the distance with gorgeous clouds. Also, the blue flowers in the church yard are agapanthus which grows everywhere in NZ!
Upon returning to the Cape, I joined a painting group in Provincetown where I spent a day every week creating this painting of this little church from New Zealand. At the end of the Spring, the Council on Aging puts on a show for the townspeople featuring all of the various artists’ creations completed during the current Spring season. We had a great afternoon at the show!
I hope you enjoy!