Sanders Reserve - The Faraway Tree

Pam F, one of our Nordic Walkers asked me to accompany her to a place called Sanders Reserve, she had recently taken a Women's Outdoor Pursuits course and did some of her bush survival skills here. She was so taken by this lovely location that she felt she had to show me the area,  I was pleasantly surprised, this is a gorgeous place and a fantastic area to visit for a family or a group outing.

The 'Faraway Tree" - Phil Bonham

Sanders Reserve is about 10 minutes from Albany, it's situated South of Paremoremo and located by the Upper Waitemata Harbour estuary; it's a splendid location, providing areas for dog walking and horse riding. It has a small walking track, a fabulous playground for children and heaps of mountain bike trails with breathtaking views.

Pam took me to see this tree (above) which is along the walking track by an area called Library Point. This is a Macrocarpa (Monterey Cypress) tree and was crafted by Phil Bonham, an Auckland artist and sculptor.

There a wonderful Vimeo clip of Phil talking about his work on the 'Faraway Tree' sculpture, it's a lovely short film that explains where some of his inspiration came from for the figures and animals that are featured in his work.

Take a look: http://vimeo.com/73850678

More information:

http://www.thebigidea.co.nz/work/resumes/133024-phil-bonham
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.599621883423361.1073741838.301561623229390&type=3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paremoremo

http://www.wops.co.nz/