The cyclone that was ....

Kiwis are an obedient bunch.  

They’re told by Civil Defence to stay home and stay safe during Cyclone Lusi’s assualt on their island

... and they do!

Cyclone Lusi has caused quite a stir.

We, NOT being Kiwi of course, DIDN’T stay home.  

Instead we headed off to Warkworth for a market.

We figured that by the time Cyclone Lusi was ready to vent her full fury on our little world, we’d be back where we belonged, safe and dry

... and we were.

Sadly, more people heeded the warning than didn’t so foot traffic at the market was dismal.  

A pity really as it’s a lovely little market with potential galore. 

Civil Defence take their job seriously though ... as they should.  

Cylone Lusi, now Ex, has the potential and fury to cause serious damage and disruption.  

It was tracking just off the top of North Island on Saturday afternoon and had winds gusting up to 120km/hour.  

It remains an intense system despite weakening.  We should be relieved that it didn’t track closer to the city.  Despite the centre being on the west coastline and nearly 300-400kms away it created significant storm surges with flooding of beaches, carparks and roads.  Winds reached damaging levels

 - but only just. 

Low tide in Orewa and the sand surfers were having fun!

Crossing Harbour Bridge was a little freaky.  

You could feel the strength of the wind as it tried to lift the car off the road.

Weird as it may sound I’m a fan of weather extremes.  

I love the wildness and fury of the wind, the power of the waves.  

We, as human beings, are so fragile when assaulted by the might of Mother Nature.

Cyclones bring out the windsurfers, the Kite surfers and the boogie boarders.

In the words of a friend who knows all, it must have something to do with my Celtic forefathers. 

They raced up mountains and down valley no matter the weather conditions.  

“No stiff upper lip tea and cucumber sandwiches for them.”

None for me either.

If ever Rangitoto were to erupt, I KNOW I’d be out there taking photos

 ... NOT running for the hills.

It does beg the question of how I’d process them as, if Rangitoto were to erupt and spew its innards skywards, we’d have nowhere to call home anymore.  C’est la vie.

There was a downside to Cyclone Lusi that I hadn’t envisaged.  

It disrupted our power supply and satellite transmission.  

NO early morning rugby viewing for me.

Cyclone Lusi tried to blow away the significant other's cap.  Luckily for him, the hound is a GREAT retriever!

The Sharks won their match and Ireland lifted the 6 Nations crown and where was I?

Blissfully asleep in my bed.

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."

~ Aristotle