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| Waipu Cove |
After our long hike, we caught
the bus back to Auckland and hired a car for a few days to explore some of the
parts of Northland we had previously walked through. One of our favourite spots had been Waipu Cove, where in November,
fairy terns had been on their nests.
Although they had finished breeding by late March, we saw a few on the
beach, with other terns, godwits and oystercatchers. I shall return another time with my telephoto lens for some photographs
of the birds.
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| Debris from cyclone |
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| Shells |
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| Seaweed |
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| Kelp attached to rock |
However, the beach was littered
with debris from the recent cyclone.
We picked through a large array of shellfish, crabs and other sea
creatures, some that we had never seen before. There were many different seaweeds including kelp with large
pieces of rock attached, evidence of the violence of the storm.
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| Dunes at Waipu Cove |
We stayed at Waipu Cottages and
Camping, which borders a nature reserve protecting a stretch of beach along
with the lagoon of the Waipu River behind. From our tent, it was a short walk across dunes to the beach. Shags nested in the trees bordering the
lagoon.
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| Waipu Cave |
We drove inland one day to Waipu
Cave, which has attractive formations near the entrance. There is also a walkway that goes
through forest to a viewpoint looking out over the sea. It is a magnificent coastline.
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| Sunset from Waipu Cove |
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