To Shelly Beach

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Tue 30 Sep 2014 22:47
To Shelly Beach
 
 
 
 
 
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 We left our camp and drove the tiny distance to see Hot Beach with the tide in, what a difference, quite green and cold looking. No wonder this chap is wearing his woolly jumper.
 
 
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Walking the track to Gemstone Beach, Bear found this sign upside down, of course he had to have a look, liked it so much that he posed for a picture. I was pleased to see a vehicle, any vehicle,..... at least if the track was too tortuous I could hot wire this little chap on my way back. I know Charles Darwin wasn’t fussed on ferns but we do think these young shoots are rather handsome. As it happens on our way back the sign was standing and we had to pass a man working in the digger, the track there was very soft with his new furtling about. That’s what you get for saying you would nick it. I did not want to permanently own it, just borrow it, I would have left it at the top, honest......
 
 
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Cathedral Cave.
 
 
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We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Cathedral Cove, much changed from the 1800’s.
 
 
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Bear pulled over for this one, a tourist lorry with a shed built over it for the visitors.......Mmmm.
 
 
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We drove through Whitianga.
 
 
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We had a picnic lunch opposite the Whitianga version of our Christmas Pudding Island back in Opua, a funny little sandstone rock with a hair do.
 
 
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On our way out to the main road we passed a very parsey new development, similar to Jolly Harbour in Antigua or those we saw up the ICW, all fancy houses and your own jetty.
 
 
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An edge trimmer slowed us right down, just as well as it meant I caught sight of a erythrina, a bare-naked tree with these wonderful blooms at the tippy ends of the branches.
 
 
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Walking back to Mabel I walked past the biggest lily I have ever seen. Forgot to put my finger in the shot for perspective, but it was the size of a side plate.
 
 
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We stopped before we went over the mountains, the road crossing from east to west coast.
 
 
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Bear liked the ‘Give Way’ sign just before the beach.
 
 
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Must be climbing, the fir trees had had a bit of light strimming.
 
 
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The Wicked Witch held her nerve steady as we wound our way up the winding road. Bear and her seem to be in one of their benign phases.
 
 
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We stopped at the lookout at the very top and looked over the protected forest.
 
 
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Looking east, the way we had come and west to Coromandel Town.
 
 
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Downhill now.
 
 
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Through little Coromandel Town, quiet before the storm of tourists.
 
 
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Out of the town, we could see Shelly Beach. 
 
There I was enjoying watching the world go by when I felt a sudden need to whinge about the lack of kingfishers, we have not seen a single, solitary one. Well, wouldn’t you now it, in the very next half a mile we saw seven....... Bear placed an edict not to take any chaps sitting on telegraph wires and these do look just like the ones we saw in Tonga anyway. Well what to respond to that.......all I did was whisper perhaps the said chaps could raise an umbrella over their heads whilst riding a unicycle then maybe the skipper would change his mind. Meantime big camera lay untouched.
 
 

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We pulled into the Shelly Beach Camp, oooo look a bear on a post, nearing him, he was actually a pig, similar thing then. Yes dear. In the thick of the crowds, we parked and as we could see the beach access so we went for a tiny bimble before games.

 

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Opposite Mabel was a large protea bush, every single flower had ‘gone over’ very dry and blackened, except this one bloom. Our resident neighbour seemed very blasé about our arrival, turns out she only has one leg but seems to manage alright. The tide was out but as the light was fading we went in before the bities came out for us. Wish I hadn’t bothered to play, five nil at backgammon and five one at sequence. Guess who got nominated, well told in no uncertain terms with less than quiet delivery - ssshh to make his own supper. Before you throw sympathy his way it was carbonara that I had already made, so he only had to warm it up....

Tonight would turn out to be the first night we didn’t put our electric blankets on, extra clothing, hat or gloves – now that really is noteworthy enough for a diarist to record.........

 
 
 
 
 
ALL IN ALL A WONDERFUL MIXTURE
                     WONDERFUL SCENERY