Mt. Roskill

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone!   

If you are a follower of my blog, you'll know that I've done a number of posts about Auckland's many volcanic cones. This post is about the latest one I climbed, Mt. Roskill. I did so on August 10, 2021.  

As I started working on this post, I got to thinking about how many I might now have climbed. It turns out that Mt. Roskill is my 13th. To make sure that I didn't forget any, I looked up a list of cones, and realized that there are two that I hadn't thought of as volcanic in origin. I've been on them a number of times however without realizing their origin. I have noted these on my 'been there, done that, list of Auckland's volcanos just below. English and Maori names. These are listed in no particular order.     

North Head                            Maungauika 

Auckland Domain                  Pukekawa              (I hadn't realized was this was a volcano) 

One Tree Hill                         Maungakiekie

Mt. Eden                                Maungawhau

Mt. Albert                               Owairaka

Big King                                 Te Tatua a Riukiuta

Rangitoto                               Rangitoto

Mt. St. John                           Te Kopuke

Mt. Hobson                            Ohinerau

Mt. Wellington                        Maungarei

Albert Park Volcano                                        (In downtown Auckland, a surprise to me)

Mt. Victoria                             Takarunga

Mt. Roskill                              Puketapapa 

It was a gorgeous day when I climbed Mt. Roskill, but a little chilly.  I wore a wind-breaker and was glad of it.  I had been down this way only once on a bus and I didn't have a clear picture in my mind of exactly where Mt. Roskill was located. I should certainly have looked it up before I came, but I didn't, and that meant that I got off the bus too early. I probably walked nearly a mile more than I needed to, but that was okay. I walked past some really interesting markets. Middle Eastern, Asian, and Island stores that were no doubt chock full of amazing foodstuffs. I'll probably go back some time there just to investigate some of the places I passed. And, as it happened, I also passed a Burgerfuel so I bought some lunch for later.  

So, here are my pictures. I hope you enjoy them. 

I've zoomed quite a bit already in this picture, looking west. Can you see the lighthouse?

There it is. That's the Manukau Heads Lighthouse. Believe it or not, that is over 22 kilometers (13.5 miles) from Mt. Roskill. (according to Google Maps) 

The Sky Tower is only 7.5 kilometers away.  That's Mt. Eden to the right of the city and in the distance, to the right of Mt. Eden, you can just see Rangitoto.  

I have turned on the 'Zeke' filter for this shot. Because of the position of the sun when I snapped this, I didn't get the detail I would have liked. This filter allows us to see some of that detail.   

Here is a much better look at Mt. Eden and Rangitoto.  

In producing this post today, I have been showing you pictures, and then the enhanced (zoomed in) versions of them. I might as well continue that routine and end with this close up view of Rangitoto

End, that is, except for lunch. I found a comfy bench, and, since the wind had died a bit, took off my jacket and basked while I ate.  

They really do a nice job on this little burger. I also like the burger I'm showing you below, but it's a bit too much burger for me to eat for lunch. That's definitely a dinner-sized burger.  

Well, that's it for today. My thanks go out to all of you who will see this.  Your interest is what keeps me taking pictures and producing this post. I've had 51,023 views of my blog to date.            -djf

'Abstract in Living Color Exhibit', at the Foster Gallery of the Arts.

This is the view from the entrance to our retirement village, Waitakere Gardens, two days before Christmas 2021. What a difference. 

Merry Christmas everyone!

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And now to today's post...

I was thinking about the parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant the other day.  I also happened to pass a storefront during my daily walk that had an abstract painting displayed inside.  It all set me to thinking about what I could do with some close-up photographs of flowers.  Could I zoom into some part of it and produce a sort of living abstract, with vivid colors and patterns, but one that didn't fully identify what it really was? You know, the trunk, or side, or tail of the elephant, so to speak?  Well, why not? I decided to try.   

Some of the photos below still look very much like flowers. I briefly considered zooming in even closer to further disguise them.  

I decided instead to leave them as they are, and suggest that as you scroll down through these, that you try to imagine them, not as flowers growing along the footpath next to the café at Waitakere Gardens, but as abstract swirls, curls, eddies, and whorls of color that have been painted. I have commented on, and have named some of them. Your imaginations may also become engaged. New or alternate names may be submitted.       

These are all hanging in an exhibit at the gallery that is this post.  

If your world has recently turned all white outside, perhaps these splashes of color will be especially welcome.  I've turned up the thermostat so the virtual halls you'll stroll through are as warming as the colors. There is no entry fee and you may stay as long as you like. There are no guards to move you along should you decide to linger a bit in front of a favorite. 

I wish I could offer you a glass of wine as you enter or a cup of tea before you leave.      

 

I thought about this one for some time, and then decided to call it, 

-Herding Behavior, Petalasaurus fosterae 

-Devil's Tower, Close Encounter of the Preferred Kind. 

 

I imagine that this is an explosion that occurred 0.00001 seconds ago. I call it,

-Detonation at 400 nm.   

  This color of light has a wavelength of about 400 nanometers. (A nanometer is equal to one billionth of a meter) 

And now two of a different sort...

(Not a Covid virus)  

These two 'paintings' hang by themselves in a small room between the wings that house the others. I think of them as palate cleansers between courses of color. 

-Nexus of thorns 

-Focal Nightmare

I've noticed that visitors to my gallery often pause in this small room, and alternate their gaze between these two opposites before immersing themselves into the next deluge of color.  

-Petal-umbra

(I'm now imagining a sci-fi story) 

"The crowd stands motionless and watchful as the rover approaches."  

This is the original picture that Focal Nightmare and Petal-umbra were taken from. Petal-umbra came first. Focal Nightmare was an afterthought. 

This one reminds me of the wrinkled fissures, bulges, and grooves of a brain. I've named it, 

-A Passing Thought. 

This one is -Pinwheel of course. 

- A Scoop of Lemon Ice

-Inchworm

This one seems to have been constructed in thirds...I call it, -Three States of Matter. 

While some of these previous 'paintings' appear to have been done in oils and other in watercolors, I think this last one may have been done in pencil.  

I hope that you enjoyed your visit to my gallery today.  This exhibit will be on permanent display at  FGA, and I look forward to your return.       -djf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_men_and_an_elephant

St. Matthew-in-the-City Anglican Church.

This church is near the Sky Tower in Auckland and we've therefore walked past it many times during our rambles. It has always intrigued us. We've tried its doors each time as we've  passed, hoping to be able to take a look inside.  Unfortunately, it has always been locked.

Recently, I got lucky and discovered that the doors were open. I went in and spent the next half hour or so quietly admiring the beauty and recording it to share with you.  It was every bit as beautiful as we thought it might be.  

I think 'magnificent' is an apt description, don't you?          -djf