Karikari Gallery – worth a visit – Adventures on the wrong side of 60

We will queue for hours, pay exhorbitent entrance fees and battle crowds to see the creations of man yet some of the best art is often contained in Nature’s Galleries which we so often speed past or just plain ignore.

We were lucky enough to visit one of these special galleries during a recent camping stay on the Karikari Peninsula in Northern New Zealand.

There was no hassle in getting to the gallery, just catch shanks’ pony from Matai Bay to Karikari beach – entry to the gallery is free and it is open all hours. Just watch out at high tide – the very realistic seascape that adorns the entire western wall of the gallery is a ‘living display’ and at times you actually feel as though the water is swishing around your feet – amazing piece of technology that powers this. Enjoy our pictures of this special place – note: photos were allowed.

fullsizeoutput_570c — ‘Uprooted’ – an abstract that depicted some seaweed torn from it’s home and dumped on a beach

fullsizeoutput_570d — Another absract – ‘forced integration’ – shells and seaweed have no choice but to coexist in their new environment.

CLIF1309 — ‘Forced out’ – this picture depicts the sad tale of a shellfish that had to leave it’s home when surrounded by seaweed.

fullsizeoutput_5707 — ‘fish-out-of-water’ – what can happen when we abandon our natural habitat.

CLIF1252 — ‘Space invaders’ – a weird bearded intruder

fullsizeoutput_5706 — A seascape by Nature – a splendid blend of colour and activity

fullsizeoutput_570f — ‘Lost’ This got you thinking about not just survival in a hostile environment but overcoming the odds and flourishing.

CLIF1291 — The Mural that formed the western wall of the gallery – an ever changing pallete of blue, white and cream – with the volcanic cone as a backdrop.

fullsizeoutput_5712 — ‘Shells’ – there were so many paintings that features shells it was hard to pick one that stood out

fullsizeoutput_570b — “Loner’ – so many of the paintings depicted the saftey of communities – shells, seaweed, gulls – but this one got you thinking about the lonely existence some choose.

fullsizeoutput_5713 — ‘Grave yard’ – a resting place for discarded shells.

‘Solitude’ – pretty much summed up the atmosphere of this huge gallery

3 comments

Really, really lovely! Beth has spent the last few weeks washing shells from our most recent trip and some of our friend’s shells as well. We try to be picky and not bring back too many – and never bring any “live” shells back at all. Yes, we agree, they are absolutely glorious and astounding pieces of art.

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Cliff & Ruth Mail says:

09/12/2017 at 11:54 AM

You would have been in ‘shell heaven’ at this beach. They were piled high in places, an amazing array of shapes and colours.

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1. simpletravelourway says:
  
  10/12/2017 at 5:48 PM
  
  Oh, my! How wonderful is that?!
  
  LikeLike

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On our bikes

Loo art – Twin Coast

Heading towards Opua

The long boardwalk to Horeke (and the pub)

Unique bike stand

We rode along enbankments, through rice paddies, bush, along dusty roads

Cycling Angkor Wat

Getting back on a bike again – Otago Rail Trail

Thu Bon Delta ( Vietnam): We used multiple forms of transport to cross to the many islands in the delta. We cycled across bamboo bridges, through rice paddies and small villages. A great ride

A paddle boarder breaks the reflection – Lake Hayes, NZ

Cycling along in Holland – Captured on the GoPro

Cycling Burgundy

Roxburgh Gorge

Riding to Gibbston Valley Queenstown

With the family

A cycle to Granity

We biked both along the moats at Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, the latter is 12km. At least we were not the poor souls who had to dig them by hand.

One of the better “red roads” we biked along, it was far too dangerous to attempt to photograph the others while under way.

A more creative “statue” in Edinburgh

The muttering from further diwn the hill suggested that I was not her favourite person at that moment.

One of the many cycle paths in The Netherlands

A man and his bike contemplating the next ride

I would never be able to finf my bike

I had joked about the bridge being hidden in the fog, well not quite.

End of the road – Hawkes Bay trails

Another Chateau – Burgundy France

Ruth resting her dead legs on the Saar loop

A nice long flat section across the Maniatoto Basin

In the boots

Walking the Cotswolds, UK

Rural Devon

Chinque Terre – the climb from Manarola

Coming off Mt Tongariro

The crossing – looking back to Mt Tongariro

Good sensible mountain attire

Kepler track Fiordland

South Western Fiordland

Key Summit – Routeburn track

Wandering the Port Hills – Canterbury

Mt Taranaki wandering

More wandering around Taranaki

The mountain obliged by showing itself

Exploring the Mokau River inland from Mokau

Te Paki track near Cape Rienga

Te Paki track east of Cape Rienga

Abel Tasman track

River crossing near Awaroa on Abel Tasman track

Abel Tasman track

Queen Charlotte Track

Strolling across a farm on the Cotswold Way

The Priest who kindly offered us biscuits and Raki on our trip down the gorge. He put his hat on for the photo.

Rutth opts for the track rather than giving a demo of her skills at scaling rock faces.

The sun was just catching the tops of the White Mountains (Lefka Ora) when we arrived in Omalos for the begining of our walk.

While the wind blew at near gale force while on Skye this was a rare moment where it was not accompanied with cold rain

Ruth got plenty of practice at jumping between wet rocks at Glen Brittle at the base of the Cuillin mountains on Skye

Walking the Dunloe Gap in Killarney Ireland

The final descent to Bath (well so we thought)

A folly built for the owls to nest in, their natural habitat steadily reducing.

Some forced smiles to show how much fun it can be in the rain.

One of the many sections through woods on the Cotswold Way

WTF the track has got lost

Some magnificent beech forest on the early part of the track

The sand was beautiful to look at be hell to walk on.

Favourite Pics

Lavender in Taranaki, NZ

A rare action shot – An endangered Hectors dolphin surfing – Curio Bay, NZ

Sea froth, Granity, NZ

I don’t usually get up early enough to capture the shots – Fiordland, NZ

A fern in the back yard

Going tropo – Rarotonga

Another GoPro shot

Hello World – Matauri Bay, NZ

Angkor Wat – Ruth captured shot on iPhone

Those smiling faces, Angkor Wat

Motorcycle mayhem, Hanoi

The Cat Man near our lodgings in Istanbul

Graffiti, Islanbul

Eye candy at our lodgings – Bodrum, Turkey

Storm clouds over Santorini

You never know what you will pass – Samaria Gorge, Crete

Entrance to the Harbour – Chania, Crete

Bow Fiddle rock – Moray Coast Scotland

The Money Tree – Lake District UK

Oh I do love to be beside the seaside – Wales

Training the hounds – Galway Ireland

Studying the fine print – Versailles

It must be Paris

Boys at the beach, Hahei, NZ

A photogenic horse East Coast, NZ

High flying kite surfer as Cyclone approaches. Orewa NZ

Fun in the bath

Old boatshed Rangitoto

Hello waves – Matauri Bay

Montepulciano Italy

It must be Venice

Night shot in Paris

Autumn in Melbourne

three generations

Sunset over Agnes – Coromandel

A boy and his dog

Spirits Bay NZ

Dolphin lazing around – Kawau Island NZ

Heading to the Barrier

The launch we owned (Agnes) at Kawau Island

Sunflowers in the garden

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