The Sentinel - South Africa

Well it has been a long time coming but here is a collection of our experiences from our trip to South Africa. We kick off first with our climb up the Sentinel. The Sentinel is part of the spectacular Drakensberg escarpment. This hike took us 3000m above sea level and was estimated to take 5hrs from the carpark. We started with a 12km zigzag UP the mountain 'meadows' and then came to the shear rock face. Check out the chain-ladders we had to climb - stretching 40m vertically! Once we had overcome our fears and had our feet back on stable land - we wandered another half hour across the top of the mountain to the awesome amphitheater, waterfall and rock pools. By this time the cold mist had cleared and we were able to marvel at the spectacular views, mountain flora and fauna, and enjoy the feeling of having conquered the Sentinel.

Building - Final

And so the dream took shape, the windows became the eyes and the people are the soul.

Building - Part 2

The painting, the rain and the building continue...
Check out the finale - Part 3

Buildling our Dream - Part 1

Here - with the music and photos is how the dream began to unfold...
Check out Part 2

Finding our niche

We started off together and that made it all seem possible. For just three years from the darkness of our rental flat we explored the bays of the Whangarei Heads and the slopes of Mt Manaia. First there was the potential backpackers villa. The ancient home with rambling corridors and large rooms looked out over 2 acres and a bubbling brook. The acres had gorse, and the kauri walls needed stripping, but that could be conquered for an extra $100,000. Then there was the villa in town - beautifully restored and easily accessible. The quarter acre, traffic at the door, and neighbours to peer - were unrectifiable. We had a dream...
The RealEstate agent asked us to verbalise our ultimate dream. This is was our dream....
5-10 acres, indigenous established trees, and hey - lets chuck in a view of the sea. For a dream you can make a sacrifice - so when she took us to our ultimate aspirations - sacrifices had to be made. Unfortunately, even at the limit of our budget, it did not come with a house - but that was solvable - one day - eventually - if we gave it our all.

Falling in Love

Falling in love with the Whangarei Heads - New Zealand...

In 2000 we took a romantic drive along a newly discovered track. Our instructors (family) had advised us of a 'nice drive' - so off we went at 7pm. We drove through the small city, over a non descript bridge, traversed the mangroves on tarseal, and chanced upon an unexciting suburb until we found the sign "Whangarei Heads". It was yet another non descript intersection and we wandered if we would really see more than mudflats and mangroves. As a product of the big city (Auckland), with my new love from overseas, I was hoping for adventure, but doubted we would find it here.

We wound down the hill passing more mangroves as we reached the waters edge. We scooted around corners and through a seaside village. The shabby houses seemed to be right beside the lapping waves - a rustic tranquility that we were unable to motor towards. The road swept us further. The specks of mudflats were fast disappearing under a glass of sunset water. The dusk blue sky had begun to show it's evening blush, and the ripples in the harbour began to catch the mood as our car continued to pull us into the spell. By the time we had reached the carpark at Tamatirau our gentle whispers had become a rush of excited babble as our dreams took shape in this hypnotic setting. We were not a quarter of the way towards our current residential address - but our adventure had begun! Together we planned to dream a home that would nurture our creativity, demand relaxation, and inspire our life. In a hidden place like the Whangarei Heads, we knew that was all possible.

just need a pic online

Not sure if my HTML is correct or how I can do this more easily - but if it works this way you will see why this pic is here when you visit my latest blog Anecdotes