bunny

g'day

further images from my odyssey to New Zealand, then. or tales from operation falcon, for that was the codename for the project to get me there, look you see. bit of a warning for you up front, as whilst this post ostensibly concerns (what i think to be) a bunny i saw, there are three (3) selfies of moi. there are certain people who(m) would not care to see me at all; if you are such but still read on then i would suggest you quickly scroll to the bits you wish to see. 

so, moving on, as part of my odyssey (or adventure) i took a most pleasant stroll around Mount Maunganui with my Dad. the things you never thought you would get to do again, but here we are. it was at the journey end when i encountered what i believe to be (for Dad said so) a hare, rabbit or other such variation of bunny. hence the title. 

quite pleased that i could get so (relatively) close to it (or him or her) to take reasonable enough looking images and yes, there is some video later. this splendid looking creature, resplendent with exceptional and striking ears, did not get at all skittish as i approached. it would perhaps be a bit much to say (or suggest) that all forms of life in New Zealand are comfortable with each other, but at the least in my experience it was so that they are all more attuned than is the case in England. 

one of them selfies i spoke (warned) of is coming up below this, so if you have no wish to see me now is the time to get scrolling. a shame if you do, for Dad took a really lovely picture, but no worries. 

if we assume that previously my favourite volcano was that boss hollowed out one what Blofeld used as a smart ninja base in You Only Live Twice, then yes, here is my new favourite one. as far as i am aware, and internet says so thus it must be true, it is an extinct volcano. but still, you know, there's at least some excitement in the idea of walking around any sort of volcano, on the off chance it goes pop, or whatever sound they make when erupting. 

for specifics, the trail around the base of Mauao as it is also called (although most simply refer to it as The Mount) is some 3.5kms. which is just north of 2 (two) miles in proper English measurement. yeah, indeed it is all that kilometer stuff in New Zealand, which just goes to show nowhere is absolutely perfect. they are exceptionally close, mind. at a steady pace, near enough is close enough to an hour to gently wander around it, although i suspect them what we saw jogging or running around it managed to clock in a somewhat shorter time. 

but there was no such rush for me. to begin, commence or start with, i was thoroughly enjoying the chance to spend some time with Dad. and then there is of course reason to pause and take in the astonishing, magnificent views, such as the one above. i am not sure my limited abilities to take pictures captured how wonderful it is in the above, but i gave it a go. 

rather likely that you are here mostly for bunny stuff, since that is the title of the post. very well. as i gave every indication of earlier (or previously) behold, here is some video of the bunny doing its thing. just a short video, and apologies for some abstract conversation i caught. 

going off of memory, which is not always the best thing for me to do, not so many others were all that taken by this bunny. no one else appeared to pay that much attention. i suspect the locals would not, but it did seem there were a few other tourists around. Mount Manganui is a rather splendid stop off point for cruise ships, as it happens. can't say with any certainty, but i believe there were a significant number of people off of Austria (or similar) wandering around the same time as us. 

would you wish (or care) for a warning every time a picture of me turns up? this is kind of my blog you know, but no worries, such a warning is now in place. anyone all that upset to see moi would do well to simply take in the background, or if you like setting.

there are many, many wonderful aspects to taking a walk around the mount. a particularly pleasing element is how on pretty much (virtually) every step around you can pause and see quite a remarkable view. hopefully i get to walk it once more in this lifetime, at the least. 

did i see any other wildlife or animals whilst in New Zealand? yes. surprisingly more cows than sheep, with one massive one in particular (cow) coming to mind, but perhaps more on that in a later, rather than earlier, post. alas, sadly, no, i did not see a kiwi in bird form. i did, however, find a new favourite bird in the form of a tui. they are quite class. apparently they get quite smashed (be it drunk or stoned) on nectar and go quite mental. but, for now, bunny. 

my lingering suspicion is that i could have (potentially) got closer for more better pictures, but i ventured as near as i dared. the zoom on my new(ish) phone what has a camera welded to it is rather poor, so no, i didn't use that function. still, you know, i don't think either picture is too bad, or (nor) the video for that matter. 

our walk around the mount was in the direction which ended up at the beach. i think this would be a clockwise approach but please (in general as well as specifically here) don't take my word for it, for indeed i did have a significant time displacement thing on the go nearly all the time i was there. actually probably all of the time as it would not be displacement if not. or something like that. 

happy days, or it was a very happy day, to see that a big massive volleyball tournament was about to start, or if you will commence. any fellow Top Gun appreciator will, of course, well, appreciate the nuances and joys of volleyball, where men can express their admiration for other men. 

in the unlikely (implausible) event of someone consulting this blog for any sort of travel advice, yes, then, Mount Maunganui is absolutely full worthy of a visit. my expressed wish is to visit the place once again one day. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!