Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

Hubby and I took this photo of a mountain goat not far from Mt. Rushmore. Mountain goats are not true goats, but are really goat-antelopes. They inhabit alpine areas and are very nimble, able to jump up to twelve feet in one leap. This was one of a group, and they were busy drinking the water trickling down the face of a cliff.

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This is the skeleton of the champion racehorse, Phar Lap. Phar Lap, which is Thai for lightning in the sky, was a chestnut. He was born near Timaru, New Zealand in 1926 and died in Menlo Park, California in 1932 after eating poisoned grass. He was poisoned on purpose, and rumor states the mob was responsible, carrying out the poisoning to protect their financial interests. Shortly before his death, he won the world’s richest race, the Agua Caliente Handicap in California. He did most of his racing in Australia and loved to run at the front of the field. Nicknamed Big Red, he won 36 of his last 41 races.

Phar Lap’s skeleton is in the Te Papa Museum in Wellington, New Zealand.
His heart is in a bottle in Canberra, Australia.
His hide is in the Museum of Victoria, Australia.

Currently, his skeleton is in Melbourne, Australia (on loan) to celebrate the running of the 150th Melbourne cup, a race that Phar Lap won in 1930.

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This is another photo taken at the Royal Sydney Easter Show. I made a beeline for the alpacas, because I think they’re so cute. The sentiment wasn’t returned. This one didn’t want me anywhere near him.

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My photo this week was taken at the Kona Seahorse Farm in Hawaii. Those elegant fingers are mine. I love seahorses and think they’re the coolest creature. They fascinate me. Besides, any species where the male has the babies is doing the right thing.

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I took this photo at the Royal Sydney Easter show. He looked so clean and pink in his pen.

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I took this photo during our last visit to my father’s farm. My father used to breed bucking bulls for the rodeo circuit here in New Zealand, and the sign comes from a time when it was dangerous to enter the paddock. These cattle are pretty friendly and it’s safe to walk up to them.

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My photo this week was taken in Phuket, Thailand.

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This is Thursday, my sister’s new kitten. Isn’t she a cutie?

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We saw this dog while we were walking in Vava’u, Tonga. He craned his neck to see us and seemed to be guarding this partially built house. He looked a bit like a devil dog with his glowing eyes.

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My hubby went out with his brother on his boat this weekend. He took this photo of a shag drying its feathers at the marina.

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