RECIPES

Wednesday 4 March 2020

Ruapuke Beach, Raglan


Ruapuke Beach is a wild remote black-sand beach that is dangerous for swimmers but popular with surfcasting fishermen and experienced surfers, and is located between Raglan and Kawhia on the west coast of the Waikato district. 

The last time we visited here (2007), the only access road was gravel.  These narrow roads, with their twists and bends and dips and hollows, were often used by international car rallies but I believe the road has now been tar-sealed, at least between Raglan and Ruapuke.


At the Raglan end of the beach we found these cave formations along the rocky embankment here.  They were not ‘proper’ caves as they did not go into the bank very deeply – they were just exciting enough for children to play pirates in!


We saw very few shells along the beach, except for pockets of Rams Horns that had been washed up after a recent storm.  A woman was busy collecting them – she had so many that we suspected she was maybe hoping to sell them.


Washed-up Blue Bottle Jellyfish, also known as Portuguese Man-of-War, were plentiful along the beach on the day we visited.    These marine creatures (they are technically not jellyfish) have long venomous tentacles that can deliver a very painful sting (even after being beached), and are responsible for the majority of ‘jellyfish’ stings along our coastlines.


It was low tide by the time we left Ruapuke.  We were alone on the beach, and spent a magical moment standing quietly in awe of the untamed wild beauty of this place.  I can still smell the tang of the ocean waves and hear the sound of the wind.  Some things are just imprinted in your memory forever.


At home today, we woke this morning to rain!  A light steady fall of rain which was great for the garden.  The sun is shining again now, in the afternoon, but there are still rain clouds around.  We are currently under a thunderstorm watch, so we shall see what the rest of the day brings.

Margaret.


LINKED TO My Corner of the World and Skywatch Friday

14 comments:

  1. Isn't it wonderful how a memory from over ten years ago can still evoke the sounds and smells of a delightful moment in time?
    I have never heard of Rams Horns sea shells. They look interesting and quite different from regular sea shells ( of which I have collected many throughout the years).

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  2. What a magnificent photo of the beach and waves.
    Finally a little rain. Hope it is enough to water your garden and ease that drought

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  3. Lovely photos! I enjoy visiting the beach when we are in the area, it's quite a pretty place for a quiet moment.

    We got a little rain last night, too. It was truly welcomed.

    I'm so happy to see you at 'My Corner of the World' this week!

    My Corner of the World

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  4. That last shot is really awesome...it really appeals to me.

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  5. Such pretty photos and good memories for you!

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  6. Love that final photo. We stopped there on a coach trip to Raglan.

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  7. Beautiful!
    I´ve never seen a black beach. Only in Hawaii, huh. Ours here are mostly dirty (and far away).
    Nice to see yours, thank you for sharing!

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  8. I hope you get several more days of beneficial rain. You certainly need it.

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  9. I bet that rain was welcome. That beach is the perfect place for a wander. And the black sand is different from anything I’ve ever seen. Thank you for sharing, Margaret.

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  10. Beautiful! It is great to have such good memories to look back to.

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  11. Nice! I'd love to traverse those dark, sands barefoot. But I wouldn't want to step onto a tentacle. Beautiful.

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  12. your dark sand is fascinating to me, so different from our light sand here in Florida

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  13. What an extraordinary beach! Love the photos.

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  14. We visited Raglan about 2-3 years ago and it was a very windy Spring day, the beach was so wild and being weather beaten but it's just one of those places that really is a surf beach.

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Thank-you for visiting my blog. I love it when you leave a comment so please feel free to have your say. Have a great day! Margaret xx