Shama’s Art Inspired by Outdoors and Nature Travels

We usually tend to plan our travels based around the greater outdoors, national parks and all things nature based – exploring lakes, forests, mountains, oceans and wildlife. It is no wonder that we are LOVING our travels around New Zealand, a place of such stunning natural beauty!

Lake Okaro, Rotorua, New Zealand – from our first campervan trip here last week of May

Besides the joy of experiencing such nature based travels with the family, I am really happy to see our children express their knowledge and awareness through writing, photography and art.

I don’t want to hog Shama’s second art based blog post further, so I will let just let her share her world of nature art as she did last month.  This is how she wants to contribute to the family travel blog. She chose the pieces she wanted to show and wrote the captions. All feedback and comments gratefully appreciated 🙂

A new species for us – The Pukeko, purple swamp hen (Porphyrio porphyrio) – we see them everywhere!

This is one the Pukeko of the many we have seen in our travels. In our last campervan trip, we saw many of them outside the window

This is a picture of a beach with a slope/drop and in front is an apple tree with birds flying over it

Paradise Shelduck – another new species for us here

Exploring rockpools

We have been very lucky to have visited islands, volcanos and stunning beaches in the North Island the last 2 months here. Both the kids have loved all the outdoor activities – kayaking, swimming, fishing and exploring coves, rocks and beaches. Below are a few pieces of her art inspired from these travels..

This is an island with water around it

This is a multicoloured octopus in the underwater world

This is a dark stormy night with the stars glowing brightly with shady yellow around – it’s similar to starry night paintings of Van Gogh which I love

This a patch of different style roses and bluebells

We have been loving all the new food – fruits, vegetables and old food with new names – here in New Zealand. Feijoas, Persimmon and ‘fluffy’ are some of Shama’s favourite since we got here.

Enjoying a ‘fluffy’ a new drink Shama discovered 🙂

This is a girl with a multi coloured fluffy with purple whipped cream

Both kids have been loving the fact that we go out catch our fish and have it within a few hours! It doesn’t get fresher than that 🙂

This picture has a giant lobster, red snapper , electric eels and other types of fish

View from our place by the beach

This is palm trees with the bright blue sky and the swaying sea

Last weekend we went on our first campervan trip and the first night just parked in front of this lake with nothing else around us. At night Shama, Ashique and I stood outside looking at the sky. I have never experienced or seen anything like it. The sky was incredible, we saw so many constellations, the milky way, it was quite a magical experience. This next picture looks nothing like the sky we saw but this is how Shama felt it was like 🙂

This is a lampost and a bench with a milky way of stars like we saw the first night on our campervan trip. We also saw Scorpio and the Southern Cross

At school Shama has been learning a lot about Mexico – culture, wildlife, and people. It inspired the following two pieces. She wants to travel here now! Hopefully we will sometime in the near future..

This is a picture of Mexican wildlife. The animals are Iguana, Armadillo, mexican birds, tarantulas and other wildlife

These Cactii are Mexican kind, similar to the ones we have here.

Swimming in steamy waters of Kerosene Creek, Rotorua

Let Nature be your Teacher – William Wordsworth

…and then, I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough? – Vincent Van Gogh

Hope you have enjoyed Shama’s artwork as much as she has enjoyed drawing them and I have enjoyed posting them on our family travel blog 🙂

Linked to Our World Tuesday and Nature’s Notes