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Travel Stripe - November 2011


'I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vale and hill
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of golden daffodils'


William Wordsworth

In a very pleasant valley just outside the quaint South Canterbury town of Geraldine, New Zealand, is a sight that would have inspired Wordsworth to write a epic, not just a mere sonnet.

Pleasant Valley Daffodils Geraldine, New Zealand
Hosts of daffodils




Here, at Pleasant Valley Daffodils, not just a crowd, but crowds and crowds and not just a host but hosts and hosts of daffodils spread across the paddocks, like a thick tapestry. Here, there are daffodils in every possible shade of gold, from the bright colour of the summer sun to the pale hue of the winter moon and in every shape, from stars to trumpets.

Pleasant Valley Daffodils, Geraldine, New Zealand
Every shade, every shape




If you’re a connoisseur, then this is the place to find rare and special blooms for your collection, including the tiny and delicate original daffodil. If you’re after a low maintenance show then there are hundreds of hardy specimens that will happily look after themselves for most of the year and still turn up trumps every spring. Or if, like Wordsworth, you just want “to wander, lonely as a cloud” surrounded by this lovely symbol of spring, then Pleasant Valley Daffodils at 66 Brophy’s Road. Geraldine is definitely worth a visit.

Pleasant Valley Daffodils, Geraldine, New Zealand
Symbols of spring

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It’s almost two weeks now since the All Blacks’ victory brought the 2011 Rugby World Cup to a glorious end at Auckland's Eden Park.

Volunteer, Rugby World Cup 2011, Auckland
A lovely volunteer outside Eden Park


It was a hard won game. Both the French and the All Blacks fought desperately to gain, or to prevent, those few points, while their supporters, equally desperately, cheered them on.

Auckland, Rugby World Cup Fan Trail
Hitting the Fan Traill at St Kevin's Arcade in Karangahape Road


It was a weekend of unforgettable moments; the slow pre-match afternoon down on the viaduct, the long walk up the Fan Trail to Eden Park, the great game itself, Coach Graeme Henry’s humble post-match speech, the long night of celebration at the Viaduct and the jubilant All Blacks’ Sunday parade down Queen Street.

French supporters, Auckland, Rugby World Cup 2011, Final
French Fans on the Fan Trail


The 2011 Rugby World Cup was a great occasion for New Zealand, not only because we won, but also because it gave the whole country the opportunity to share its very best.

Rugby World Cup 2011 Auckland Entertainment
Entertainment on the Fan Trail

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