The Travelling Nutmeg: Valentine's Day Escapade

Kizzy Rennie Saturday, February 15, 2020 8 Comments

In a new country especially one much larger than your own, it's quiet easy to fall into the trap of feeling lonely. However if you have mastered the art of enjoying your own company, then adventure is patiently waiting around every other corner.

I spent most of the afternoon networking with the locals. I'm still trying to catch the vibe of the city which is proving to be challenging because most persons aren't actually from this city, whether physically or ethnically. However one thing they all have in common is their friendly nature so making new acquaintances has been quite easy.

By 3pm the sun was blazing. We had only been promised one or two summer days that would near 30 degrees Celsius but as usual the One who made the sun and the stars was looking out for your girl. So I enjoyed a Hazelnut Frappe and a view of the square to cool down. And although journaling requires some physical exertion, the mental offloading really energizes you to keep pushing through the day.

I think the greatest challenge so far has been getting used to the time. And I don't just mean the time zone. On most days, the sun doesn't set until 9pm. There are many times that I've eaten dinner too late because I gauged my cravings by the sun. In this case, it fooled me into thinking I could lime a bit later than usual. So I took a cool walk and randomly found myself here at the Victoria Esplanade.

What an interesing name! There must be some sort of British influence but I'll have to do the research and report later. What I do know is that this area includes a golf course and leads to the Manawatu River. I continued walking over train tracks and into a beautiful, well manicured park.

A mobile camera cannot do this place justice but it is quite amazing to see these pops of colour. Although we have periwinkle at home, I've never seen it used in such a vibrant manner. It's a nature photographer's dream even though I'm not even one!

Unfortunately the Conservatory was already closed so I checked out more of the familiar and not so familiar plants in the area.

Sorry I forgot the name of this one

Could this be Shado Benni's Cousin?

Very exquisite looking palm trees

I thought I lost out on the Conservatory but I never imagined this prize awaiting me on the other side.

A garden dedicated to roses!

It's filled with pure breeds and hybrids on trial for competition. You may smell them on the way in but you will go into visual overdrive almost immediately.

Only a small sample of these beauties

Each rose plant is coded or named for easy identification. For some plants, it was obvious.

For others I think the owners were running out of ideas.

Stumbling across this garden was the Valentine's gift I didn't know I needed. It was also the gift no human could've come up with, although the elderly couple in the bushes may beg to differ. Either way it was a great way to end the weekend. Now back to work!