RECIPES

Sunday 25 October 2020

Dozers On The Beach

 

Home again now and glad to be back to ultra-fast broadband!

We rose early on Day Three of our Road Trip, so that we could watch the sun rise behind the Castlepoint Lighthouse.  It was a wee bit chilly and very windy, but worth the effort to crawl out of my warm bed.




Our drive today was down to the bottom of the North Island to visit the Cape Palliser lighthouse. 

The roads down here are not main highways and hazards can be different, like this herd of cows we came across.




Some of the road was positively scary, like this “active slip” area we passed through.




Eventually we arrived at the small settlement of Ngawi, with its multitude of bulldozers and tractors sitting on the steep rocky beach.




They are used to launch (and retrieve) the fishing boats that go out from here to catch paua (abalone) and crayfish.




I never had the energy to climb the 253 steps up to the lighthouse (not recommended for anyone who dislikes heights or when conditions are very windy), but my three companions made the trip up and back down.




I was intrigued by this toilet in the carpark, tied down to prevent it blowing away in strong winds!




There are also a lot of seals along the coastline here.  I walked down onto one beach and wondered who was coughing – it was a seal sitting on a rock, warning me off.  I simply had not seen him as he blended in so well with his background.

This seal was up on the grass and easily spotted.




We had a lovely dinner this evening, but I will write about that tomorrow.

Margaret 😊



16 comments:

  1. You, obviously, had a wonderful trip.

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  2. Oh, yes, it sure was worth getting up early, beautiful!!
    I´d stayed down, too!
    Coughing 😂 A sweet guy, that is, sad your trip is over already, hope for more pics to come!

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  3. I'm from Wellington and my Dad used to live around that Wairarapa coast. I must do a road trip down there sometime! Great photos.

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    1. I really liked the area. It would be nice sometime to spend more time down there.

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  4. Hello,

    I love the views of the lighthouse and the beach. The seal and the cattle are cute, great sightings. The slide area does look scary. Take care, enjoy your day. Have a great new week!

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  5. Here you are back home again, and it seems like you had barely left. Hope your break away was filled with happy memories.

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    1. Thank-you David, we had a great time. Pity I had to come home with food poisoning!

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  6. Such a lovely day, lots to see, then home. Sounds perfect to me.

    One of my most vivid memories of NZ was on a bus driving such a narrow road over a mountain. At times part of the bus hung out over the mountain, into the air. We didn’t look out believe me.

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    1. Oh Marie, I have been on some roads like that. I never look either!

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  7. Your area must have wind as bad as here...

    Yes, definitely worth getting up to see that sunrise. I want to look st these on computer so I can see the shots in all their glory.

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  8. Now that is getting out and seeing the country. Seals are great aren't they - but a tad smelly if you get down wind of them.

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  9. Ngawi kind of reminds me of a cross between Totara North and Bayleys Beach. Nice to see our country.

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  10. I would have no problem with the cattle, in fact we were once caught in a cattle drive with numerous cowboys which was all together exciting and worth every minute of the wait for them to clear away.
    The stretch of road eroding would have scared me though. One always wonders if the exact moment you're on it the whole shebang gives way.
    You caught food poisoning??? That's terrible. Do you know what it was that caused it?

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    1. I try not to think of the road giving way when I am on it LOL.
      Yes, I do know what caused it. It was my own fault - an egg sandwich kept in a hot car for a couple of hours before eating. I never even thought about it. Feeling better now, though (thankfully!).

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  11. Glad to see you back again, and it looks as though you had a marvelous time away. Two friends and I are doing a road trip to New Plymouth this coming weekend... to celebrate our milestone birthdays this year :)
    Stay safe
    Blessings
    Maxine

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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