Black Sands of Te Henga (Bethells Beach) New Zealand

Bethells Beach is a black sand beach in the Waitakere Range.  It is located at the mouth of the Waitakere River where it flows into the Tasman Sea.  From Auckland, it was a lovely drive with a long winding road through the country side to get to the beach.  The beach has been used as a filming location for the U.S. TV series Xena:  Warrior Princess and for the Disney movie "Avalon High".  The black sand glitters in the sun and the wind was so strong it was a struggle to walk on the beach.  Sand was whirling and hitting my face so hard I had to cover my eyes with my hands and try to hold on to my hat. I felt like I was in a sandstorm similar to the dust bowl in the US mid west.  It is a strong rugged coast with large dunes and was interesting to see but not my favorite kind of beach.  Living in Florida, I prefer white sandy beaches with plenty of seagulls and birds. The surfer club had members there but the beach was mostly deserted.  On this particular day, the sand was too hot and winds too strong to enjoy.

Auckland City Walk, Cascade Kauri Regional Park, New Zealand

The Auckland City Walk is a 50 minute drive from central Auckland.  It is located at the end of Falls Road and adjacent to the Waitakere Golf Club.  The native trees on the walk include Totara, Kauri and Kahikitea.  There were several stream crossings and some nice waterfalls and the area is surrounded by bush-clad hills.  The Kauri Tree is New Zealand's largest and most famous native tree and one of the world's mightiest trees. The immense size of some of the trees were left over from the European settlers in the nineteenth century who devastated much of the area with  timber cutting.

Waitakere Range Park, Arataki Visitor Center New Zealand

 

Waitakere Range Park covers more than 16,000 hectares of native rain forest and coastline.  All the pictures above were taken from the multi level Arataki Visitor Center. Local iwi Te Kawerau a - Maki's ancestral association goes back to this area 700-800 years. We made the right decision to visit Waitakere and stay clear of the typical tourist attractions in Auckland. There were very few visitors and it is off the radar as a tourist attraction.  Other than a few profession hikers, we were the only visitors that afternoon.

Manukau Harbour at Waitakere Range Park, New Zealand

One of the things we tried to do in New Zealand was to visit places that most tourist would not see.  West of Auckland is the Waitakere Range and we visited the Arataki Visitor Center and hiked some of the Beveridge Track.  From a distance you can see Manukau Harbour south of Auckland. It was a cloudy day and we did get some light rain but the rainforest was gorgeous.

Mt. Eden (Maungawhau) Auckland, New Zealand

I visited New Zealand's North Island in the month of February.  In Auckland, my friend Nancy and I stayed at the Eden Villa Bed and Breakfast which was located in the Mt.Eden district.  Mt. Eden is the highest volcanic cone in Auckland and from the top you can see the entire isthmus and both harbours of Auckland.  The Waitemata Harbour is to the east and the Manukau Harbour is to the west.  The crater is 50m deep and is known as Te Ipu Kai a Mataaho (the Food Bowl of Mataaho, the god of things hidden in the ground.)  It was very windy on top of Mt. Eden which made it very difficult to hike.  Sand was blowing into our face, hair and eyes so hiking was out of the question.

A Rocky Surf - Washington Oaks Beach

 

The surf was high and the waves were endless. Even the sea gulls enthusiastically rode the waves. I could have stayed on this beach for a long time just to watch the waves come charging like galloping horses to jump the rocks.

A Seascape Playground - Marineland Beach

On a sunny and gorgeous afternoon, I decided to visit several local beaches to get a photographic account of the charm of winter on the beach.  There is so much news about cold snowy weather being reported that I needed to remind myself why Florida is a very special place to be this time of year and why so many people leave the snow and ice and live here during the winter months.

Blue Surf and White Sand - Fort Matanzas Beach

Across the country it is snow and ice everywhere but here in Florida it is blue surf and white sand.  The kind of white I really prefer for winter. These pictures were taken January 25 on a sunny afternoon.

Sights of the Sea - Cumberland Sound

The colony of birds at Cumberland Sound enjoyed their bathing time.  The beach is protected and is a bird's nesting ground.

Christmas on Pine Mountain

 My family and I stayed in a cabin on Pine Mountain for the Christmas holidays.  It was wonderful for it to be cold enough to have a fire burning to beat off the chills. The warmth from the fireplace and beams of light from the sunset help to make it a special time for us; particularly having my mom and stepfather there to enjoy it with us.

Sounds of the Sea -- Cumberland Sound

These pictures were taken this week from the pier at Fort Clinch State Park of Cumberland Sound.  I basically had the pier to myself.  In the "Sound of the Sea", Henry Wadsworth Longfellow describes the sound of the sea waves as they lap against the shore and the tide rises.  He compares the rush of the tide to rushes of inspiration people experience sometimes.

"Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves
that break upon the idle seashore of the mind."
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Sound of the Sea

The sea awoke at midnight from its sleep,
  And round the pebbly beaches far and wide
  I heard the first wave of the rising tide
  Rush onward with uninterrupted sweep;
A voice out of the silence of the deep,
  A sound mysteriously multiplied
  As of a cataract from the mountain's side,
  Or roar of winds upon a wooded steep.
So comes to us at times, from the unknown
  And inaccessible solitudes of being,
  The rushing of the sea-tides of the soul;
And inspirations, that we deem our own,
  Are some divine foreshadowing and foreseeing
  Of things beyond our reason or control.

Seabirds - Vagabonds of the Sea

There were more birds on St. Augustine beach then people.  It was too windy and cold for even the tourist to come out and play.

To A Sea Bird (Santa Cruz 1869)

Sauntering hither on listless wings,
Careless vagabond of the sea,
Little thou heedest the surf that sings,
The bar that thunders, the shale that rings,-
Give me to keep thy company.

Little thou hast, old friend, that 's new;
Storms and wrecks are old things to thee;
Sick am I of these changes, too;
Little to care for, little to rue,-
I on the shore, and thou on the sea.

All of thy wanderings, far and near,
Bring thee at last to shore and me;
All of my journeyings end them here:
This our tether must be our cheer,-
I on the shore, and thou on the sea.

Lazily rocking on ocean's breast,
Something in common, old friend, have we:
Thou on the shingle seek'st thy nest,
I to the waters look for rest,-
I on the shore, and thou on the sea.

Francis Bret Harte

Francis Bret Harte was an American author and poet, best remembered for his accounts of pioneering life in California.