Township of Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, NZ

After a not so smooth flight Mum and I touched down at Rotorua to meet Mum's sister and my dear cousin S - its been way too long for me. After many hugs and laughter we headed off in the car for an hours journey to my home town. There were many stops along the way - with camera in hand, as we passed Lake Rotoiti, Lake Rotoehu and Lake Rotoma.

On arriving in my home town of Whakatane, I noticed many changes. How the town had grown - now new storeyed appartments along the waterfront, more roundabouts for traffic but still a town without traffic lights, businesses had closed and been replaced by new ones while others had just simply moved.

This photo was taken from Kohi Point looking west. The air was cool with a slight breeze as the sun gradually lit the meandering Whakatane River and capturing the sudden change in weather. The Pacific Ocean is on the right. This reserve comprises of 154 hectares of native bush home to many native birds along with our NZ Kiwi.

It was good to be back :)