by Joanne Wadsworth | Jan 16, 2013 | Author Blog, Protector
DROOL ALERT — The follow pictures will make your mouth water. They may even make you want to hop on a plane to come and see the following location for yourself. You’ve been warned. 🙂
Mount Maunganui Beach, New Zealand
It was a stunner of a day at Mount Maunganui Beach today. I thought I’d share some pictures of my local hotspot, and with it being the kids’ summer holidays, this is where we were. We hiked up the pictured hill, of which we Kiwis simply call The Mount. It’s a glorious spot with heaps of things to do.
The Mount is an extinct volcano *phew*, and it sits on the edge of a peninsula. It has a fabulous beach on one side, and a harbour-port on the other. It’s 761 feet high and takes about 45 minutes to climb.
Here’s a picture from the top of the Mount.
Once you get to the top, you really don’t want to leave. Nope, not a chance. The best thing, is to make sure you’ve brought a picnic with you. Toss out a blanket and lie down. Then eat, relax, and take in the spectacular views.
After this, we hiked back to the main beach. The kids love swimming here, and there’re always treasure hunts or other sponsored events running at this time of the year. So much fun.
I hope you enjoyed seeing a little of my backyard.
Also, the chance for the four-page critique remains open until this Sunday, 20th January. I’ll draw a winner on Monday morning using random.org and post the name then.
PROTECTOR, by Joanne Wadsworth. Here’s a couple of snippets from some 4 and 5 star reviews which came in this week on my debut release on Amazon. I was so excited to read them, and you can catch the full reviews if you want right HERE.
“I’m eager for the next book!” Jenna Czaplewski  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement
“I loved all the characters, especially Faith and davio.” Kamijo101  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
“Joanne Wadsworth brings up a fast paced book full of likeable characters, action and romance!! Toni |  1 reviewer made a similar statement
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PROTECTOR–BUY THE BOOK: Amazon Kindle / B&N Nook / iTunes / Lyrical Press / Kobo.
by Joanne Wadsworth | Dec 20, 2012 | Author Blog
Down Under in New Zealand, Christmas defies logic. Tourists from the Northern Hemisphere to my fair country scratch their heads when they visit at this time of the year. On December 25th, they sit back on sun loungers staring out at the ocean, shocked to be wearing swimwear, or shorts and loose tees. Where’s the snow? How’d Santa and his sleigh manage to land? They can’t possibly curl up in front of a roaring fire to open their gifts. No, that’s because the summer sunshine abounds and blissful temperatures of 80 to 90 degrees prevail.
Yeah, this is how Santa arrives in my backyard.
We fire up the barbeque to cook the midday meal, attempting to drag the kids out of the surf and to the table to eat. Yes, that’s a Kiwi Christmas.
Check out this hilarious cartoon Christmas wish.
Oh, I so want the home office with a lockable door. How will you celebrate Christmas? With family and friends? With roast turkey and mulled wine?
I wish you all a wonderful Christmas no matter where you are in the world, whether playing in the snow or the surf. MERRY CHRISTMAS and have a safe and happy holiday.
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PROTECTOR–BUY THE BOOK: Amazon Kindle / B&N Nook / iTunes / Lyrical Press / Kobo.
by Joanne Wadsworth | Nov 26, 2012 | Author Blog
Let me introduce you to New Zealand’s Ninety Mile Beach. Here’s a picture of one of the most isolated and gorgeous beaches in the world, and being a Kiwi, I just had to bring it to you. The top map is for you to get a grasp of where it is within the country, sitting at the topmost peninsula of the North Island. The second map is of the beach itself and the whole 90 miles runs in a complete, straight line.
Yeah, wow! I drool just looking at all this untouched beauty, and I mean untouched. Because would you believe Ninety Mile Beach is an area with next to no residents? Seriously, I’m not kidding you. There is like a lighthouse overseer at the cape Ninety Mile Beach runs to, and apart from that, perhaps three houses along this entire stretch of land.
Now, to let you in on a little secret–Ninety Mile Beach isn’t in fact 90 miles long. No. It’s much shorter–very tricky. Let me tell you how the name Ninety Mile Beach came about. Around 1840-1860 (no one is actually quite sure on the exact date), missionaries traveled on horseback along this beach to estimate the distance. Back in the day, the average horse could travel 30 miles before needing to rest. (A fact I found most interesting since I’m not a horse-person.) Now, the clever missionaries took three days to travel the beach, thereby giving Ninety Mile Beach its fabulously incorrect name. Very dishonest of them, but they’re forgiven. So, to explain how they made this terrible error—it was because they walked their horses on sand, the pace of their travel slowing radically.
Ah-huh, these missionaries sadly covered only 18.4 miles per day, meaning, yes, you got it, Ninety Mile Beach is in fact 55 miles long. But hey, as is the Kiwi way, I’m giving them a hearty clap for at least trying.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s post and feel a touch more enlightened on some amazing New Zealand history. If you’ve noticed I’ve spruced up my website and it’s undergone a change. I’d like to point out that where I update my current weekly news under “News This Week”–it is in fact still there, although I’ve moved it to a tab-button position which means it’s not immediately visible. So, if you wish to see what I’m up to at a glance, just click on the “News This Week” tab to check it out. Which you should! 🙂 Just saying! 🙂
Okay, enough from me–who’s feeling in a cheeky kind of mood. Have yourselves a wonderful day, and I’ll catch you all next week.
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PROTECTOR–BUY THE BOOK: Amazon Kindle / B&N Nook / iTunes / Lyrical Press / Kobo.
