Stonehenge Aotearoa, in the Wairarapa, was the goal for our trip on Wednesday. This is a most amazing place. In a country field the Phoenix Astronomical Society has built a structure similar in size and appearance to the Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain, yet scientifically designed for its location in Aotearoa New Zealand. It incorporates aspects of Maori spiritual belief and is supported by the Royal Society of New Zealand.
I’ve been to Stonehenge in England where areas are roped off and you walk around the outside. At Stonehenge Aotearoa you can explore the inside of the circle, and once a small guided tour had moved on we had it to ourselves. One intriguing aspect was the Analemma, which maps the figure eight path that the sun makes annually through the signs of the zodiac. The couple who care for the henge are friendly and informative, and there was much information to fascinate and provoke thought. I’ve made a slideshow of my photographs.
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After this we lunched at Wild Oats in Carterton, run by the same people who own the Dixon Street Deli. The rack which would usually hold brochures for hot air balloon rides was empty since last week’s tragedy, and we also noticed a flag flying at half mast. On the way home we stopped at Greytown and explored the Cobblestone Early Settlers’ Museum.
One very ancient, one brand new.”
What kind of computer have you taken with you on your travels?
Elspeth, I had no computer access for the four days I was away – by choice, as I could have used my friend’s. I had set up four blog posts in advance and WordPress released one each day. All the blogs about my travel have been posted since I returned home. I did take a notebook and wrote down each day’s thoughts so I had a draft ready when I returned.