
Wellington as seen from Mount Victoria. I can\’t remember much about this shot as I only manged 2 hours sleep in the 31 hour journey from the UK. To the left of the photo is Te Papa – probably the best museum in the world… free too!

When fully grown the common green shield bug (Palomena prasina) is a broad, flattened, green insect with a darker area at the rear end. The adult bugs are 10mm long and are often seen basking in the sun in late summer on a wide variety of plants. This insect is native to Britain and is of widespread occurrence, especially in southern England.
The name shield bug is due to the shield shape of the adult insects when seen from above.

In the 1950s a large area of land north of Taupo, NZ suddenly began to get hot and emit steam. Craters of boiling mud emerged, along with other geothermal phenomena. And so the Craters of the Moon was born.
The event was triggered by the lowering of underground water pressure by a nearby geothermal power station. Superheated water rose to the surface, escaping through any vent it could find.
Wooden walkways have been constructed to protect visitors from the heat of the soil. These are regularly moved as new vents emerge.

Sun loungers are cool. I want a long hot summer – good for relaxing and good for shooting.

One of the two amazing Roses that have recently flowered in the garden.