Twenty Twenty-Five

  October - New Zealand

  16 October - Christchurch. I arrived home and settled into my first significant stay in Villa 4. I had a very long ToDo list, which got ticked off fairly easily. So, I had time for yoga, movies and activities in the village and catching up with mates. I went for plenty of walks in "The Garden City".

  November - New Zealand and the Sub-Antarctic

  8 November - I made a short excursion north to the Sounds (aborted by a toothache), and continued to enjoy walks from the villa, and activities in town and at the village.

  Some scenes from this period: Cherry blossoms and flowers in the Botanic Gardens x 3; One in a long spring of nice sunsets over a lake near the villa, The Marlborough Sounds; Punting on the Avon; The Fairy Forest an evening stroll from the villa.

         

         

         
    
         

  December - The Sub-Antarctic and New Zealand

  1 December - Macquarie Island. After stay at home I joined the ship for 2 coastal voyages - both quite enjoyable especially the Criterion charter with university alumni from the USA. As on my previous Criterion trip, both the guest lecturers, and their audience, were fun, entertaining, and educational. Then followed the start of the Sub-Antarctic season with a Galapagos of the Southern Ocean voyage - also excellent and fun. Somehow my enjoyment didn't translate into much photography, likely due to repeated visits to these wonderful islands.

  Some scenes from this period: Snares: A typical splashy Zodiac cruise; Auckland Islands: Rata treetops at Hardwicke; Macquarie: King penguins, Royal penguin in the surf

         

         
   
    31 December - Christchurch. I arrived home a few days before Christmas. The final voyage of 2025 was Birding Down Under in the sub-Antarctic - again a wonderful voyage with few photos but the megaherd garden at Campbell an absolute highlight. I had a nice, quiet Christmas Day with Jill at her place; saw a few friends and went for walks around town and near the villa over the holidays; and finished the year with the annual New Year's gathering at Takamatua.

  Overall, this year has been another in my unexpected second career and vagabond life. I keep saying how lucky I am, but only because it is true. I have managed to stay healthy, avoid disaster, spend time with so many old friends and family, settle into my new home, learn heaps (every day is a school day!), visit and enjoy remote wild places, help others visit and enjoy them, and not yet become jaded or tired with life. Fingers crossed for more of the same in 2026.

  Some scenes from this period: From BDU: Macquarie Island: Ele seal weaner/weiner face and flipper; King colony, Royal crest; Campbell Island: nesting Southern Royal Albatross, megaherb garden x 3; Chatham Islands: Basaltic columns, hard at work outside the museum in the sunshine, the team on the final night; Home: a black swan event and a mallard in the pond weed (false color) on an evening walk.

         

              
    
              
    
         
    
         
    
    
    
         

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