View of the Oruawharo River and Kaipara Harbour from Atiu Creek Regional Park, Tapora, NZ. Image: Su Leslie, 2017
There is a hint of autumn in the air. Auckland’s oppressive humidity has disappeared and I feel invigorated enough for long walks.
The Tauhoa River, Kaipara. Seen from Atiu Creek Regional Park, Tapora, NZ. Image: Su Leslie, 2017
The Atiu Creek Regional Park covers over 800 hectares of bush, farm and wetlands north of Auckland with walking, cycling and horse-trekking trails criss crossing the landscape.
The park was gifted to Auckland in 2006 by owners Pierre and Jackie Chatelanat, who wanted to protect it from development and allow people to enjoy its beauty.
Views from atop the parks many hills are panoramic and stunning.
Zimmerbitch 
Gorgeous landscape photography! >3 Do you like Autumn? It’s my favorite season.
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Whooops. That “>3” is supposed to be a ❤ !
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🙂
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Thanks JoAnn. Autumn is definitely my favourite season. Here it tends to have less rain than spring, less humidity than summer and longer days than winter. Perfect!
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Stunning is the word I’d have chosen also. A distant cousin just returned from two months in NZ and Australia and loved NZ. She wrote about how green it is and also about the absence of guns. Sounds heavenly.
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I think my little corner of the world is a very special place. The (relative) absence of guns is something I value more than ever — being mother to a young man. And I would love to say that our country lives up to the hype, but our government seems determined to destroy (and/or sell off) the natural environment and we are becoming an increasingly socially unequal society. I’m feeling very angry and politically fired up at the moment — which is why the trip to Atiu was such balm for my grumpy soul.
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Well, politically fired up has been my state of mind since November 8. At least you don’t have a lying, ignorant, narcissistic bully running your government.
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That’s true. And our system doesn’t give the Prime Minister nearly as much power as a president — thank goodness!
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Sigh.
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Striking vistas…
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Thanks Sally. The photos really don’t do justice to the beauty of the place.
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Looks like lovely farm land, Su.
Leslie
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Hi Leslie. Yes, quite a lot of the park is still farmed, with the rest in bush.
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🙂
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the beautiful Kaipara – vistas as far as the eye can see…
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Yes; I can’t believe it’s taken me so many years to really appreciate the Kaipara in all its shades and moods. I’ve lived practically on the doorstep for so long!
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Very beautiful. I still feel startled to read that it’s almost autumn. First day of spring here which has been typically Scottish. Blazing sunshine followed by torrential downpours on a loop.
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Sounds like Auckland — though I guess we play the loop at higher temperatures. 🙂
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Lovely landscape.
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That park is such a wonderful gift to leave the world. I really enjoyed your photos though I hadn’t realised Auckland was a humid place. No wonder so many kiwis from there love to make their home on the Gold Coast in Queensland. The climate must be very similar.
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Thankfully we don’t get the same high temperatures as the Gold Coast!
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Views for the soul, Su.
janet
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Thanks Janet.
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Wow Su, those photos are very beautiful! I just want to jump right through my computer screen and be there in person. Lovely.
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Thank you. I need to get out of the city often to remind myself of all that I love about NZ (and the world).
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I love these photos.
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Super vistas there Su, I only wish I’d discovered NZ years ago, but it was always far too expensive for me to travel too then.
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It’s still pretty expensive (and time-consuming) to get to.
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Yes, the flights do put me off now. I think you reach an age when long-haul becomes less attractive.
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I think I might be there!
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😀
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Stunning indeed! Would love to go for a walk there! 😄 xxx
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It is beautiful. I am feeling very grateful to the past owners for making such a generous gift to the city. 🙂
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Watching “Top of the Lake” right now. The scenery is the best part of the movie!
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I have to admit I haven’t seen it. I like Jane Campion’s work generally, but struggle these days to find much time for TV.
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