Waiheke Headlands Sculpture Festival

Temporary by Delicia Sampero

It's been full on at the Ponsonby ranch these days but I really wanted to put in a post about the Waiheke Headlands sculpture festival.  We managed to squeeze this in on our last free weekend before invasion of the killer hounds and if there's one thing I would recommend doing over the next few weeks, this would be it. According to their website, this has been voted number 35 of the best things to do in the work in the New York Times. There are ~30 different sculpture / art installations scattered around the most beautiful walk just on the northern tip of Waiheke island, very close to the ferry terminal so immenently doable.  This is only on every 2 years (but why?!) and only on for 3 weeks so not a lot of time - it's on until 17 Feb.

Here's the link to the website: http://sculptureonthegulf.co.nz/

The stunning setting for the Headlands Sculpture Festival

When you get off the ferry on Waiheke, on the right is the Headlands pavillion where you can catch a shuttle bus for $5 to the beginning of the walk.  It took us about 2 hours to walk around and take in the sculptures before ending up back at the Pavillion. Grab a coffee or something to eat if you want (the kitchen is run by the runner up of last season's Master Chef, Ana Shwartz).  I haven't been to any of the previous years, so I can't compare, but it was an awesome experience helped by some pretty spectacular scenery and weather.  There is some real quirky stuff on this walk, and lots of it, so I've included some pics, but you really must experience this in its entirety in the setting of the headlands. Very cool.

The view from Casita Miro - worth a visit on Waiheke

Afterwards, we took the bus to Onetangi beach and had a great tasting at Obsidian winery before having lunch at one of my new favourite restaurants in the Auckland surrounds - Casita Miro.  What an awesome place!  Cat who runs Casita Miro is a quirky vibrant and passionate hostess and the Spanish tapas and wines and sherries are just perfect for the vinyard setting of this Spanish inspired hacienda. Cat pulled out an amazing Pedro Ximenez from a little bodega she found in Spain at the end of our meal, which went very well with the Churros con Chocolate. 

All in all, another brilliant day on Waiheke.

Beyond Good and Evil by Konstantin Dimopoulos

Sheep Track - a very cool woven woolen walkway
created by Gina Ferguson

Waiheke Island Sway by Fatu Feu'u



Allister took over 100 pics on the day!  This is my angle..

...and this is his

Pavillion Structure made out of pieces of recycled timber by Gregor Kregar

Breath by Nick Moon



Little Bush by Matt Elwood



Overview, Overlook, Oversee by Graham Bennett

ICOELTP - Trish Clarke



Wildfire by Sarah Brill - very cool effect



Churro con Cholate and a lovely PX at Casita Miro - well needed after all the walking around on the day!

last by not least, believe it or not, I snapped this in the loo at Casita Miro!

Good Life - Good Dogs....

The 2 new Ponsonby residents

Well,
Most people who know us have been inundated with updates on our new puppies and have had to endure us going on about the pending addition to our household for the last 2 months since they were born.
Well, the new Ponsonby Pooches have arrived and what a handful they are! The Good Life is about to take a new direction.
They are full of energy and our primary objective at the moment is to protect them from themselves and protect our plants from them.
As for names, the breeder is required to give them registered names and all her litters are named like hurricanes, (how appropriate, given the absolute chaos the 2 hounds have caused since they've hit!) i.e. successive litters need to have a name with the next letter in the alphabet.  Our little is the 'U' litter, and we have ended up calling them "Upside - Up" and "Upside - Down".  Much like the condition of our house! 
As for their other names, well that's still a work in progress! We're too busy trying to save all plants, furniture, shoes, magazines, and everything else from being chewed, tugged, dug up and torn apart!

Here, just to bore everyone with more dog pics, are a slice of their first few days.



Happy Mora on the way home

Sound asleep in the car with Auntie Sabi

Destroying a plant container - poor garden won't be the same



A cool toy from Auntie Sab and a the other fave is the 'saucisson' sausage from Dave and Caro

Not another Ponsonby resident with a drinking habit! we love the beer cartons......

Hey daddy! Over here.....

So nice when they're sleeping....