Beautiful Countryside

Arrived at the residency yesterday after a 90 minute train trip from Wellington to Masterton and we were greeted by Kay Flavell - director of the New Pacific Studios. It was then time for Poppy and I shop for groceries and then drive up the highway to Mt Bruce and settle into our rooms and see our studio set up.

After a gentle walk down to the small stream at the base of the range and a walk around the picturesque grounds - seen here in the picture above, we proceeded to unpack and get further acquainted over dinner and some local wine.

This morning we visited the Pukaha Mount Bruce - a wildlife sanctuary that houses a native kiwi colony with some amazing birdlife too. The visit included watching baby kiwis being hand fed and also viewing some interesting films about the sanctuary and how the habitat is preserving part of New Zealand native heritage