Off To The Beach

 

The weather has been cloudy today, threatening rain.  The next few days are meant to be wet, maybe with a thunderstorm or two.

Perfect weather to go to the beach?  Not really, but daughter and I are heading off that way for a couple of days from tomorrow.

We are going to go to Mount Maunganui (roughly two hours from home), a well-known surfing spot and a popular place to be during the hottest days of summer. 

These photos were taken a few years ago, but I doubt if anything has changed very much.

Mount Maunganui sits on a promontory.  This is the Ocean Beach side.  

There are plenty of places we can go for a walk – along the ocean beach, around the harbour, up the Mount itself or around its base, and there is always town and lots of cafes to visit if we want.  Or maybe even a cruise on the harbour or a drive over to nearby Tauranga city. 

We will have lots of options, but most of the time I am happy to potter around on the beach or just sit and people watch.  It is to be a peaceful relaxing break so I am leaving my laptop at home and may even switch my phone off.

On the other side is Pilot Bay harbour, as well as Tauranga Wharf

One thing I am really looking forward to is going to sleep listening to the ocean waves.  I’ve not done that for a while and it is one thing I miss about no longer living next to the beach.

See you again when we return 😊

Margaret.

 

 

June Excursion Part 3

 

This is the final part of my trip last Tuesday. 

After lunch, I crossed Port Waikato to reach the ocean side of the village – a drive of about five minutes.

Port Waikato is known as a surfing beach and I expected to see mostly beach homes, so it was a pleasant surprise to see how many appeared to be permanent dwellings. 

Some of them had very quirky mailboxes!

This is the view from the carpark at Sunset Beach.  The cliff edge is right there and it was obvious that the carpark once extended much further than it does now.

The fine black sand is unstable and large storm swells regularly eat away at the coastline, mocking the efforts of mere humans who think they can build structures to withstand the elements of nature.

The drive back home was through lonely countryside, with human habitations spaced far apart.  The road was generally narrow, gravel, and frequently pitted with deep pot-holes.

But some of the scenery was quite spectacular, with the limestone outcrops adding a different dimension to the rugged farmland.

There were a few dust (and size!) hazards on the narrow gravel road, and I was glad to be parked off the road as this truck and trailer went past.

My little car did well on the country roads, but I think it was quite happy to finish heading home on the smooth surfaces of the Waikato Expressway.

Enjoy your day 😊

Margaret.

 

Sweet Chili Wedges

 

Apart from the near accident when I went with Youngest Son on Thursday, we had a lovely day out together.

We stopped for lunch at the Whiritoa General Store and Café and, between us, enjoyed a plate of crunchy Loaded Wedges with sweet chilli sauce, melted cheese and a generous dollop of sour cream.

Whiritoa is a small coastal village about half way between Waihi and Whangamata.  The beach was very pretty, especially with the sand sparkling in the sun like it was (the photo does not do it justice).

The surf was running high, with big waves dumping violently and racing up the beach.  I thought it all stunningly beautiful, but much too turbulent for me to want to swim!

I found a Blue Bottle jellyfish among the seaweed and other bits being washed ashore.

At the northern end of the beach were several mature Pohutukawa trees.  This one was growing almost on the beach.

When we drove to the other end of the beach, we could see waves crashing violently through a gap in the rocks.

I hope you are having a wonderful amazing day 😊

Margaret.

 

  

One Of Those Weeks

 

It looks like I have taken a totally unscheduled break from blogging.  It wasn’t really my purpose to do so, but things have been happening in the family this last week and I never felt much like writing a blog.

We are all okay, and the issues are all things that can be sorted out and worked through.  Every family seems to have rough patches at times – I mean, look at England’s royal family, even they are not exempt!

It was a lovely morning today, weather wise, so I made a spur of the moment decision and headed over the Kaimai Range to Mt Maunganui and Papamoa.  I miss the beach, with its white sand and blue ocean, but there seemed to be so many people around that it was difficult to sit and enjoy nature.

 

I did take a walk along the harbour beach though, paddling in the clear water until I saw the dark shadow of a stingray glide past about two metres away from me.  I know they are plentiful in the harbour but I haven’t seen one so close to shore before.

It was nice to be able to get out for the day – something I really appreciate that we can still do, unlike so many places around the world.

I hope everyone is keeping well,

Margaret 😊

Visiting Mapua

Not that long ago, Mapua was a sleepy little village nestled on the edge of Tasman Bay between Nelson and Motueka.  Now a lot of people have discovered what a pleasant place this is to live in, and the town has increased accordingly.

There are now many shops and eateries built in the vicinity of the wharf.  This photo shows one end of the area.

The wharf still operates for small craft, and cafes in this area are a great place to sit with a cuppa and look out towards the sea.

The spot is shared with Hamish the Heron, a lovely wood sculpture.

Around the back of Mapua village is the Waimea Estuary, a safe harbour for launching and mooring small boats.

Next door to Mapua can be found Ruby Bay.  Whenever I visit this area, a trip to Ruby Bay is a must-do, and I always leave with a rock or two.

The whole beach is stones, many of different colours and frequently having streaks of quartz running through them.

Leaving Mapua and heading up into the apple orchards in the hills, there is a good view back over the Estuary.

The Tasman District, where Mapua is situated, is a pretty area to visit and well worth the time if you are ever in the area.

Enjoy your day J

Margaret.


LINKING TO My Corner of the World

Happy Holiday Memories

Every year my mother would take the four of us children to the beach for two weeks of holiday (my father had to stay home and milk the cows).

We always stayed at this camping ground in Tauranga.

The children would play in the sand, go swimming, play at the nearby playground, or generally just get up to mischief around the camp.  The adults would congregate beneath the umbrellas!

This photo brought back memories as I looked at the clothes (the photo is of me and my three younger brothers).  My mother used to make nearly all of our clothing herself.

We used to stay in one of the camp cabins.  I remember it had a pay-as-you-go electricity meter, which always seemed to run out in the middle of cooking dinner.

I was about ten years old in this photo.

This camping ground has now vanished and been replaced with luxury townhouses.  One thing that never changes in this world is change!

Stay happy J

Margaret.

LINKED TO Timeless Thursdays

Homesick For The Beach

I feel I am beginning to be homesick for the beach.  It was the end of last year when I last visited a beach and I am really beginning to feel it. 

I blame my great great grandfather for this – he was a sea captain and I think he left some of his love for the high seas in my blood J

So, what is it I love about the beach?

There are two sounds I always associate with the ocean.  One is the crashing of waves, and the other is the loud haunting call of the Southern Black-Backed Gull (Larus dominicanus).

Walking in bare feet along the beach on a warm summer day is a sensual experience to enjoy.

So is standing on the edge of the ocean feeling the cool splash of waves playing over your feet – as long as you avoid the bigger waves, which can result in wet clothes if you’re not careful!

Beach-combing as you wander along the sand is great fun, finding pebbles, shells, seaweed, sea-glass and other bits and pieces.

Sometimes I like to just sit on the beach and watch other people enjoying themselves.

Standing on the edge of the sea and taking a deep breath of fresh salty air clears the lungs and wakens the senses.

Not all of our beaches are sandy.  Many are pebbled and some are rocky, but they all bring me happiness.

I’m already making plans for a beach visit when we are allowed to travel again.

Keep smiling J

Margaret.

LINKED TO My Corner Of The World

Weeds? What Weeds?

Millie's fur was so silky soft after getting wet in the rain

Our day began with heavy rain but that soon gave way to broken clouds and sunshine.

The rain was heavy enough to flood down the driveway in sheets

I was wandering around the house and wondered out loud what I could do next.  Son, so nicely, reminded me that the Little Garden needed weeding.

The Little Garden is home to sweetpeas, stock and polyanthus

Okay, I thought, I can do that.  So outside I trotted – but it was all Fake News!  He had already done it!!

Not many weeds, but the garden looked much better without them

It was good to be outside for a while though.  The little pile of weeds went to the compost and I picked some lettuce to make a salad for lunch.

A corner of the vegetable garden

Lunch was eaten watching Piha Rescue on TV, a programme about surf lifesavers rescuing swimmers who have got into difficulties.

Even locals do not always appreciate how dangerous our coastal waters can be.  Unexpected rips (strong currents) can drag people out from shore, and the large waves can sometimes be extremely unpredictable and sweep a swimmer off their feet.

The programme today was about a man who had been fishing from the rocks when a wave dragged him out to sea.  Unfortunately, he drowned.  It was very sad.

The ocean can be a dangerous place

  

The worst experience I have had was being caught in a rogue wave when out swimming.  It carried me along with it, upside down with my long hair dragging through the sand.  Thankfully it took me closer to shore and I was able to exit the water, but I have never forgotten the horror of that time.

The ocean on a calmer day, much more suited to water activities

Stay safe J

Margaret.

I have had a lot of difficulty uploading photos today, so hopefully they are all visible.  Please let me know if any have not shown up.  Thanks, Mxx

Time To Self Isolate?

At 2 o’clock this afternoon New Zealand’s finance minister announced a $12.1 billion package to help our country survive the Covid-19 pandemic and the recession it is creating.  The minister said, “There are tough times ahead but we will get through this together.”

In their three year term of office the current government has weathered the Christchurch mosque terrorism attack and the White Island volcanic eruption tragedy, and now they are facing this pandemic crisis in election year.  Not an easy time for any political party.

Kairakau Beach

Being a pensioner I will welcome the extra boost to my benefit (part of the Package) as it means I will be able to help my son a bit more in the way of buying food and other essential supplies.  His work (he works from home already) is so far looking stable, but one cannot tell what the future will bring.

Otamarakau

For quite a while it was my belief that governments appeared to be over-reacting to this viral threat.  Now I understand better – all these restrictions are not to PREVENT Covid-19, they are to SLOW DOWN the transmission of the virus so that health systems can better cope with the increased influx of patients.  They are designed to spread out the time period of infection – I believe it is referred to as “flattening the curve” or some such terminology.

Any virus that appears on this earth is here to stay, and many times they mutate into different variants.  At some stage it is inevitable that the majority of people will come into contact with Covid-19, and there is definite risk for elderly folk and those with health issues as their immune systems are not as strong.  Unfortunately it is going to cause deaths, as do other viruses and diseases (look at the huge increase of dengue fever in South America at the moment), and even if a vaccine is found it will not save everybody.

Gore Bay

Having had serious respiratory issues in the past and being at the cusp of a “certain age” I could reasonably be called one of the vulnerable at risk of having complications from a viral infection.  I am not afraid of contracting an illness – we all have to die sometime, it is part of living – but I do wish to be sensible in the decisions I make in my life.

Whangamata

After visiting the supermarket this morning and seeing how fearful and panicky so many people still are I have decided there is no harm in putting myself into semi-isolation.  If we are, as was stated on TV, at the same stage now as Italy was three weeks ago, then there will be no harm in restricting my contact with the public for a few weeks. 

Papamoa

I had no idea what photos to use to accompany this post, but wanted something that was a little more cheerful than the topic, so I hope you have enjoyed these pictures of coastal scenes around our little country.

Margaret.

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