Shark ! We’re gonna need a bigger boat… Well a boat of some sort. There’s no way I’m getting in the water ! Actually Cookie went for a wash in the sea after seeing this fella. Crazy or brave? You decide :)
My apologies to the squeamish, but I’ve never found a whole flipping’ shark on a beach before, had to post the picture! I suppose that answers our question about are there any sharks in New Zealand?!Other things we’ve found on the beach include: Massive green lipped Mussel shells, Starfish, more shells, Stringray, yet more shells, Pufferfish, shells, golf balls, but mostly shells.
One thing that gets me slightly paranoid in the forest are the hunters. Even though there are probably way more guns at home in Hackney and Dalston, the idea of people silently creeping around with shot guns in the dark, looking for glinting animal eyes slightly scares me when I’m out for a tinkle with my LED head torch on ;) Odds are very small you’d come across anyone out here, but I still find it makes me feel slightly uneasy… Even though it’s probably unwarranted.
Tiny wee mussels here by the thousand. Way too small to eat though :) One day this beach will be prime for harvesting ( except in this marine reserve the fine for fishing or even removing a shell is $250,000 or three months in the clink! )… I can only assume they must be damn tasty eh!
I’d like to point out that no shells were removed or harmed in the taking of this photo! We’ll never get to Bluff if we get banged up for 3 months..
There’s a real retro village feel about the little guest houses and cottages here. All sorts of beautiful artifacts and objects to grab shots of. This tractor not only had a wicked logo, but a brilliant name too :)
Easy start to the day following Maungatapu Road which slowly turns into a gravel track and then footpath as it heads into Mount Richmond Forest Park. The road walk was kept marginally interesting by occassional views down to the amazing emerald green Pelorus River and this rather impressive corrugated iron sculpture.