Don't forget to look up, because you might see New Zealand in the Sky

'Amatheia'
Photo credit: Sarah Lay  ©

Covid19 and its variants certainly threw us a curve-ball and disrupted our regular lives more than any of us could have imagined.

Now with 2020 and 2021 firmly under our belts, we are all hoping 2022 will be the start of returning to some sort of normality. 

Even though life is unlikely to return to how things used to be, that new normality will be something we will all get used to and accept as being our 'normal' lives.

In the meantime, I hope your Christmas and New Year break was a lot of fun and you enjoyed time with family and friends.

Once Christmas was over, my partner and I headed away on 'Amatheia', for a lovely 10-day holiday, cruising around Auckland's Hauraki Gulf for the first week and then over to Coromandel. 

On our first night over at Coro, we were anchored in beautiful Te Kouma Harbour, it was warm, clear and calm.  With dinner done and dusted, we sat outside enjoying a drink while watching the sun go down.

With the advent of digital cameras (as in, not having to get a film developed!), I have always taken a lot of photos.  Obviously, having a smartphone means you always have your camera with you. 

This first night was no exception and I happily snapped away every few moments, capturing the ever-changing colours of the sky, Coromandel Ranges, and reflections in the water.

Who knew that one of my photos would end up becoming a bit of a sensation!

At 8.40pm on Tuesday 4 January 2022, I simply looked up and snapped a photo of a cloud at sunset and that unique cloud was in the distinctive shape of New Zealand!

'New Zealand in the Sky'
Photo taken by Marion Jackson at Te Kouma Harbour, Coromandel, January 2022
(Important Note:  This photo is subject to copyright and cannot be used or reproduced without express permission of the photographer.)

Even though we thought it was pretty cool at the time, we didn't think too much about it after that.

The next morning, flicking through my photos from the previous night, I decided to share my New Zealand cloud picture onto two NZ photographic pages on Facebook.  In less than an hour, I received a text from NewsHub!

Even though the NewsHub team loved my photo, apparently one of the producers was paranoid that it was photoshopped because it was just so good.

After providing before and after photos, which clearly showed the 'North Island' cloud being formed and then the 'South Island' cloud dissipating, they decided to use my photo for the Weather Update.

(Note:  I still don't know who sent the photo to NewsHub!)

That night, we were still anchored at Te Kouma Harbour, watching TV3 News on my iPhone (aren't smartphones fantastic?!), when we suddenly had to move the boat and missed seeing my moment of fame!

Thankfully my Mum had recorded the News and sent me a video...

Could a beautiful 'New Zealand in the Sky' possibly be a good omen for us all of things to come..?

Good omen, rare phenomenon or simply a unique cloud formation, the moral of my story is:  Regardless of what is going on in your life or the World, don't allow it to overwhelm you.  Instead, always expect the unexpected… and don't forget to look up!

Oh, and always pay attention to what happens 'before and after' so you can prove that what you have experienced is real and absolutely unedited!  haha!

My Virtual Assistant wishes you a 2022 that's full of fun, laughter, success and filled with lots of very beautiful, unique, unexpected things!