Water Spider

I found this Dolomedes spider (thanks Google!) sitting on a water lily pad by a small lake.  I’m not especially afraid of spiders but not fond of them either.  This one was fascinating though, quite large for a spider in New Zealand, and not particularly hairy.

There were also lots of spider nests in the area so I think there are probably quite a few more spiders like this one lurking around the lake.  And now let’s all take a moment to be glad that spiders don’t have wings…

Spooky spider

This not-so-little spider decided trick or treat in our dining room… It’s now been evicted to the rose bush outside as it’s not the sort of trick-or-treater I wanted to see on Halloween!