quaint melody

Here are some photos taken at the Orakei Marina, Auckland a few weeks ago, on a bright winter day. It was freezing cold even though it seemed warm and bright in the pictures. Orakei Marina is located on the scenic Tamaki Drive at Okahu Bay in Auckland. It is home to various luxurious large vessels. The view of Auckland city’s skyline and Hauraki Gulf from here is pretty amazing. We were fortunate enough to gain access to a part of the Marina that’s usually close to public due to a kind gesture from a friendly security guard, Lou. She even posed for me! You’ll see her cool photo below.

I’ll let the pictures do the talking here. Hope the many photos brighten up your Monday!

Wait for the photos to fully load then click the main photo. Move your cursor to left/right side of photo to go to the next or previous photo.

p/s: If you missed the Olympic opening ceremony, there are some amazing photographs here.
Special thanks to narrowband for the link!

A hauntingly beautiful view of the park in the afternoon. click photo to enlarge

The sun finally came out Monday afternoon, winds blew away the gloomy clouds.
Rays shining through tall trees towering from a distance, casting long shadows on the emerald field.
Walking along the familiar path, relaxing myself in the lush atmosphere,
I detected a mist of sweetness in the air.
The storm didn’t come, it’s a good day after all.

Share with me, my friends, your relaxing moments of the day.

當我獨自漫步，聽風的歌，看影子舞動。生活也就如此，悠然。

click photo to enlarge

A shot of the morning sky outside my window to kick start Monday.
It instantly brightens up my day. Hope it blows away your Monday blues too!

View outside my bedroom window. click photo to enlarge

It’s been a very wet and gloomy winter down under, raining more than usual. The weather pattern surely has changed dramatically in the past few years. Auckland weather can be very unpredictable. With the sun shining one minute, and gloomy clouds roaming the next. Climate over here is direct opposite to those in the northern hemisphere, with summer starting from December to February, autumn March to May, winter June to Aug and spring September to November. While the weather here is generally temperate, mainly maritime, summery sun can be quite unbearable. Though the general temperature seldom hits the 30 Celsius mark, the UV levels are very high due to its closer proximity to the sun at that time of the year. It is really not advisable to expose oneself under the hot sun for a prolonged period of time, even if sunscreens are applied.

Coming from the tropics, the thing I enjoy the most about living in the temperate climate is the many colours that comes with it. While summer is too harsh, winter too gloomy and spring too garish, autumn yields the perfect season for me. It is then when everything turns colourful and breezy. The whole town seems to turn into a big dazzling picture, with coolness in the air and leaves swaying on trees in shades/hues of reds and yellows. Even the most unromantic people will feel the poetic moments in the air. A walk in the park is most pleasurably at this time of the year. I always feel a little surreal emerging amongst the breezy air and splendid colours of the season. It never fails to amaze me.

On another note, forecast said another storm is heading our way. This gloomy winter weather is killing all my fun to get out of the house for some decent photo shoots. Somehow the sun only comes out occasionally during the weekdays and rains all day long in the weekends! The sky pretty much looks like the above picture lately, albeit a little less dramatic (what to do, I’m all about drama!), but still, gloom! I’m just going to roll into bed and hibernate.

click to enlarge

I pondered, over and over, searching for something that wasn’t there.
‘Let it be for now,’ a voice rang in my mind.
‘Just remember, this too shall pass.’

When Mr K meets D80…

When cc meets D80… (a miserably failed attempt at mimicking the master)

Darkness falls, but fear not. At the end of the passage, a light breaks through.

photography sunset Auckland

Autumn is my favourite season of the year. Everything just seem to be more beautiful in this lovely time of the year. I love the luscious colours the season brings, the colder air, and the beautiful scenery. To me, autumn seems to bring along a more vivid world and enriches my imaginations. Went to the city today and captured some photos of the season’s grace. Hope you like them as much as I do.

Want to stay in this neighborhood? Houses here only going from NZ$700,000!

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