Along the Otago Coast

eroded boulders at Katiki Beach

...there were dozens of them...

... and some little un-eroded ones

Looking down on Tunnel Beach with its arches and coastal stacks

Malcolm on top of that arch

looking down onto the pristine beaches

me coming out of the tunnel

 

tunnel beach

 

down the dunes to Sandfly Bay

 

wildlife on Sandfly Bay (oh no, that's the next one)

 

sealions

 

they are surprisingly big

 

lunch at Penguin Café, Portobello

 

rush hour, Portobello

After seeing the boulders at Moeraki (which for Whangarei-ites are nowhere near as big or so numerous as the ones in the Hokianga!) we moved the bus from All Day Bay to the edge of Katiki Beach, which is south of Moeraki.  We had heard of a walk which we did - 2 hours return from the bus down the beach.  Along the beach there are small 'boulders' concretions like Moeraki and at the far end there are heaps of eroded ones - like broken dragon eggs or giant kina or rustic spa pools.  Amazingly there was a fossil dinosaur found in one.  It's in the museum in Dunedin and we hope to see it.

Yesterday it was freezing and except for a quick walk along our current beach (Brighton -SW of Dunedin) we didn't go anywhere.  It was 17 degrees!  And I saw it was 28 in Whangarei.  Today has been better - sunny and summery again (until it rained in the late afternoon!)

First we went to Tunnel Beach which is down a very steep track.  Then you go through a tunnel to get onto the beach which is sandy and beautiful.  Malcolm paddled round  a headland to the next beach, it was just a bit deep for me without getting soaked.  The water looked inviting but it was cold.  We had the place to ourselves at first but by 10.00 people were arriving so we left.  We were going to have coffee in St Clair but it was crowded so we continued onto the Otago Peninsula to Sandfly Bay.  I thought we'd be persecuted by sandflies but it is apparently named for the sand blowing off the huge dunes.  You have to go down these dunes (which is fun - getting back up isn't!) to get to the beach - another beautiful spot.  At the far end we saw fur seals (not so novel now) then some huge black sea lions came surfing in and frolicked in the surf before waddling up the beach.  I saw one do 7 sinuous curving leaps out of the water when it was playing.

After exploring the peninsula we went out on the other side of the harbour, through Port Chalmers to Aramoana.  Everywhere was hugely picturesque.