Omaha Beach

I am staying with a really nice friend of Burch (our neighbor in Omaha, NE) while in the Auckland area. His name is Shane. Neither Shane nor Burch are from Omaha, but both were at the University of Oklahoma where they met (Burch was Shane’s Ph.D. student). Burch kindly suggested I contact Shane before I went to New Zealand.

Shane has been so incredibly generous and kind. We went with one of his neighbors, Ann, to an art exhibit by Judith Meakin. Judith is neighbor of theirs who has a summer home north of Auckland.



This is Shane and Ann near Goat Island.

We traveled about an hour north to hike, but also took in Judith’s art exhibit. The artist spends her summer up there and paints the beach next to the town she summers in.

The name of the town, coincidentally (and amazingly), is Omaha.

Omaha, NZ is a tiny town. The area across from Omaha Beach makes you feel like you are up at Lake Tahoe. Witness some iPhone pics:







Shane thinks both the name Omaha and Omaha Beach are from WWII when there were a lot of American soldiers in the area. There is very little in Omaha, NZ. There is a golf club there, but not much more:



There is also an Omaha Bay Vinards winery somewhere nearby:



Here is another image of Goat Island (also fairly near Omaha):



By the way - This will probably be my last scheduled post before I am back in the States. Unless I post it earlier, it should appear while I am on the plane headed back home.

I will miss New Zealand and its amazing landscapes and environment. I will miss the yellow-eyed penguins. I will miss the kiwis.

From Omaha, NZ back to Omaha, NE