New Zealand Holiday Camping

 

Last sketch of 2022.

Oakura Christmas

Another year without a white Christmas. What a bummer... it was horrible!

Capturing summer in a concertina sketchbook

 

I finished my sketchbook just before Christmas. I had another grey book on the go that I could have used, but they're not so good for the material I was going to be sketching up north on a camping trip. 

So I took this A6 concertina sketchbook that's been kicking around for a year or two. I can't remember the brand unfortunately (it has a blind debossed logo embedded into it's cloth cover, but it's a tad blurry so I can't tell what it says).

 

I quite enjoyed it. Sketching in a concertina sketchbook is something I hadn't done before, but a lot of fun as it turns out.

We tried the camp at Hihi out this year. Nicely refurbished with lots of shady old trees to read (and sketch) under.

Hihi is only 20 minutes from Taupo Bay so we headed over several times – a great place for a surf.

Mangonui is on the other side of the harbour (it's an easy paddle or 15 minute drive). Famous for it's fish and chips, but I'd rather have a beer in the old pub with it's eccentric characters, parrot and memorabilia.

Some letterboxes at Hihi. I really liked the whare letterbox.

The Butlers Bay Whaling Museum is at Hihi too. Well worth a visit too. Times have certainly changed since dead sperm whales in various states of decay would have littered the bay.

Matai Bay at the end of Karikari peninsular is actually 2 bays and a really long white sandy beach, all equally stunning. With beaches like these there is really no need to go to Tahiti.

The old cottages in the Hihi camp are very sketchable.