Weekend Away in Wairarapa ... 2nd Instalment

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I haven’t been into GoY for a while …. busy doing extra duties at the hospital, so hardly come onto the computer at all at the moment. Heading off to work in another 2 hours, but thought I would pop up some more photos from our weekend away in the Wairarapa, at Masterton, Carterton & Greytown …. in February, so over a month ago now. We are slowly slipping into Autumn, but still nice colour in many gardens. The summer has been very odd …. a few blazing hot days here & there, with cool wet days in-between, & recent flooding way up north, with continued earthquakes in the beleaguered city of Christchurch …. it must be dreadful situation for the people living there, never knowing when they go to bed at night, whether there is going to be another big one, which will bring down what the other 2 big ones left behind. Their homes are now virtually worthless, as who wants to move to a place which is having big quakes & tremors on an almost weekly basis? The huge landslide in the Manawatu Gorge half an hour from where I live, is still proving to be a massive problem with the powers-that-be saying the gorge will not re-open for at least another 2 years! This is having a huge negative impact on the town of Woodville on the other side of the gorge, with many shops closing down, due to now being by-passed by travellers driving up the island, who can no longer go through the gorge. Photo of the landslide was taken on 16th March … I see they are worker their way down the slide & are now on Bench 5 … if you look closely, you will see trucks & graders way up there. I cannot figure how they got up (or down) there as very steep, & I am really pleased that my husband doesn’t do this sort of work! Off to my home-territory of Hawkes Bay this coming weekend, though in essence I am actually a Wairarapa girl, as was born in Pahiatua in the Wairarapa.

Latest pic of the landslide in the Manawatu Gorge … they appear to be making their way down the landslide & are now working at the level of Bench 5. I imagine that is very dangerous work, & we have had rain & stormy weather this week, with more threatened.

Took this photo over the picket fence of a pretty colonial home in the picturesque town of Greytown in the Wairarapa. Nice little front garden laid out. House for sale … we were tempted, but Greytown is a very expensive place to buy.

Another shot of the little colonial house above.

Nasturtiums spilling onto the pavement in Greytown.

A large square fountain in the pavement courtyard of a restaurant in Greytown … water gurgles over large smooth river-stones.

Pair of spiky plants in front of a colonial building formerly The Bakery in Greytown.

Walking around Greytown, I spotted this lovely driveway planting of hydrangeas along the side of this nice old colonial home.

This is a peek through some small shrubby trees into the garden on the other side of the house above … such a shady & inviting garden on what was a very hot day.

The lovely old colonial villa which the gardens showing in the two photos above, belong to.

Beautiful Victorian cast iron fountain for sale in the quaint courtyard of an antique shop in Greytown.

Greytown is full of graceful old colonial villas & houses. Here is another one with nice front garden.

In the main street running through Greytown, I spotted this interesting paved courtyard in front of a private home.

Planting in the pavement in front of a house in Greytown. Certainly acts as a privacy-screen to hide the house from the road.

A tiny but very quaint old colonial church in Greytown, now converted to a boutique shop.

Lovely red roses growing in a front garden in Greytown.

Lovely old colonial home converted into a wine shop …. the Wairarapa district has at least two big & very well-known vineyards & wine estates.

Pretty town of Carterton … lovely mass display of petunias planted on an island along the main road through Carterton.

Lovely display of white standard roses in front of a real estate business at the entrance to Carterton.

I don’t know what this big flowering tree is called, but made a very pretty show in Carterton.

Another small old colonial home now converted into a boutique shop selling work by local Wairarapa artists.

I would love to work in this office in Carterton …. arriving every morning to such a pretty floral display.

Flower displays entering Carterton.

This lovely flowering tree is in front of the same office as the pretty garden 2 photos above. I think it might be a mimosa, but not sure about that. I love the shape of it.

Another shot of the pretty entrance to the Carterton township.

Colonial house named The Grey Fox on the main road through Greytown.

Lovely Historic home in Carterton. I would love David to build me a dollhouse exactly like this …. I live in hope!!!

Due to the Manawatu Gorge being closed because of the massive landslide seen in the top photo, we had to drive over what is called The Pahiatua Track, which is high & hilly & narrow twisting roads. However, we were rewarded when we spotted a very old & rickitty farmbuilding on the side of the road, which had been converted into a secondhand/antique shop. This lovely planting was at the front of it.

Another shot of the pretty planting in front of the old farm building.

The old farm building itself …. everytime I look at this photo, I think I could be “way out west” in America. It shows that our style of building is far closer to our American colonial cousins, than to the British populace who actually are our ancestors! Obviously, wood was a free material & freely-available to use for house-building … & of course, it doesn’t come down as easily in an earthquake, though I doubt if our British ancestors were thinking in those terms at that time.

Last, but certainly not least … another lovely example of an early colonial home in NZ. This one is in Greytown.

• 21 Mar, 2012
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