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 😊