5 in 5 - December 2018 - The Giant's House, New Zealand

Welcome to '5 in 5' where on the 5th of 

each month I post 5 photos that I have 
taken in 5 minutes.

I would have chosen a seasonal theme for this months photos but as I have just returned from travelling around New Zealand I have not had time yet to decorate my home.  

I was away for over four weeks and I have photos a plenty from my trip (around 7,000 to be exact!) so it is not difficult to make another choice.  Especially, as I visited an amazing garden with tiers of mosaic sculptures and landscaping, and I had under half an hour in which to see them all!

That's because we didn't appreciate the scale of this project and rather than prioritise this visit we had lingered over lunch and spent time around the museum in Akaroa. This sea side town has an interesting history, so it was a good way of finding out more information. But we were leaving next morning before the garden opened, so we decided that a quick visit was better than none - after all, we might never have the chance again! And to fully appreciate all that I saw, I dashed around, camera poised, and my breath held at all the amazing scenes that were in front of me.  If ever I return to Akaroa, The Giants House will be first on my list to revisit. 

And so... imagine a steep climb up the drive to an entrance that immediately hints at what might be the other side of the gate. And then step through with me into this wonderland...

I decided to add a sixth photo just to show the steepness of steps and the garden. From each tier you look across the landscape to more glimpses of artwork, discovered by hidden, winding, mosaic paths and steps. It was amazing and I only wished we had more time to absorb and appreciate what we saw.  But that said, I did manage to get round the whole garden and I was so glad that we'd come. 

International artist, Josie Martin, started this artwork after finding lots of broken china in her garden when she moved in to her new home. She has been working on the sculptures for over 15 years and the colour and whimsical work were great fun and surprise.

A big thank you to everyone who has visited this neme over the past year, and especially to those who have contributed and taken part. Some of you will remember my friend Melanie, who lives in Australia. I was lucky enough to meet up with her in New Zealand a couple of times and also enjoyed 5 days of travelling. We visited this garden together, so it is even more fitting that I choose these photos this month.

As the final 5in5 for 2018, I take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy Christmas, and look forward to sharing more photos in the coming year.  I hope you will join me!

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 If you would like to take part in this month's challenge you have until 25th to take your photos and post a link to your blog. Here's how it works:

1.  Choose a location.

2.  Have your camera ready.

3.  Set a mobile timer for 5 minutes.

4.  Take as many photos you can until the time is up.

5.  Choose 5 photos to download and share by using the link tool 

   

You have until the 25th of the month to add your photos and if you want to know more about 5in5 there are details here.

And one more thing - when you use the link tool, please click on your post title.  This will show the web address. Please right click, copy and paste this as your link.  This will take readers directly to your '5 in 5' blog page and be easier for them to find.